The Middy April 29, 1999

One of the County's oldest settlements

Prosperous, bustling, predominantly rural; Hurstpierpoint might be busier and noisier but the character of the village has not changed in 100 years.

The draper, the blacksmith and baker have gone but formidable traders have staved off the ‘dead teeth malaise’ that stalks other country communities.

According to village ironmonger Dave Robinson: “We find out what people want and sell it.”

You'll still find two butchers, two greengrocers, an antiques shop or two, a florist, smart boutique and a handful of excellent restaurants and popular pubs.

And tractors still pass through the village centre from Harper and Eede’s High Street repair yard.

Hurst is one of the county's oldest settlements.

When the Weald was a fever ridden swamp, prehistoric man settled on top of Wolstonbury.

The Romans drove their road through the village, building shelters at two ‘cold harbours’ and a villa near Randolph’s Farm.

Hurst is Saxon for Wood and the name Pierpoint honour of the family who held the Manor for about 300 years.

The present main road from Albourne to Ditchling was begun in 1770 and by 1900 traffic was already a problem.

One man complained: “it's impossible to cross the road because of the dog carts and penny fardens”.

In those days the London to Brighton coach came through Hurst over the crossroads and down to Muddleswood.

One witness remembered hearing the sound of the coach horn as a girl, scrambling onto a well head to gaze over the wall at the thrilling spectacle of the coach thundering past; women with big hats tied under the chin, the men in neat frock coats.

But the railway was rapidly winning custom and Hurst started its inevitable growth as city merchants built their homes along Wickham Hill and Hassocks Road leading towards the station.

In 1900 sheep were penned on the village green – next to the police lock up.

Each November 5 a torchlight procession wound through the village with effigies of Guy Fawkes, the Pope and any unpopular local character or politician which were ritually burnt after a mock trial.

Each winter the great pond in front of Danny House froze over – perfect for iceskating – and the house itself was a picturesque backdrop for meets of South down foxhounds.

The village was essentially a farming community.

According to Washbrooks owner Peter Nelson, by the middle of the century cattle were being driven through the village street to the local butchers.

Flour was ground at Rockford and Cobbs Mills and the finest well in the village was in Manor Road which made it an ideal site for the local Brewery.

Wheelwrights and blacksmiths testify to the importance of the heavy horses.

And former farmworkers remember the devotion between carter or ploughman and his team.

A testy turn-of-the-century report says: “they love them better than their wives.”

On the farms cider and beer were brewed in great quantities – one well-known enthusiast got so drunk one night in Brighton he boarded his cart, fell asleep and woke up to find his faithful horse had made the journey home safely.

Families from all over the county flocked to the famous Chinese gardens in Western Road founded by Adam Adams in 1843.

The gardens sported a three-quarter acre boating lake, donkey rides, tennis courts, croquet and bowls lawns.

Wine drinkers and temperance parties were segregated.

The present Holy Trinity Church was built in 1843 to design by Sir Charles Barry – architect of the houses of Parliament.

Hurst had also been chosen as the setting of another fine Gothic building to house the former St John's College, now Hurstpierpoint College – to give Christian education to the sons of the middle classes.

When the new century dawned Hurst was celebrating the relief of Mafeking and two years later flags, bunting and church bells marked the end of the Boer War.

In 1914 it was war again as local recruits to the Royal Sussex Regiment took the Kings colours in their hundreds.

Other unwitting but loyal volunteers were scores of fine horses; a poignant photograph shows satin skinned hunters lined up at the crossroads before their shipment to France.

In 1917 children of the Church of England school collected 31 sacks of horsechestnuts to help the Ministry of munitions.

By the end of World War I, Hurstpierpoint looked the same – but some of the heart had gone out of the village.

Instead of bunting and fireworks dignified, subdued ceremony paid tribute to the men who fell in the great war as the village war memorial was unveiled in April, 1922.