Henfield

Not to be confused with Henfield, Gloucestershire

Henfield
Sussex
Henfield from the air
Location
Grid reference:	TQ215162
Location:	50°55’59"N, 0°16’37"W
Data
Population:	5,349  (2011)
Post town:	Henfield
Postcode:	BN5
Dialling code:	01273
Local Government
Council:	Horsham
Parliamentary constituency:	Arundel and South Downs
Website:	www.henfield.gov.uk

Henfield is a large village in the middle of Sussex, twelve miles north-west of Brighton, and thirty miles east of the county town, Chichester. It stands at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. The wider parish had a recorded population of 5,349 at the 2011 Census.

Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the east and Shoreham-by-Sea to the south.

Just west of the town, the two branches of the River Adur, the western Adur and the eastern Adur, meet at Betley Bridge. From Henfield the Adur flows on into the English Channel at Shoreham-by-Sea.

Henfield was already a large village, of 52 households, at the time of Domesday (1086).

The village

Looking north along the High Street

Henfield has an old and attractive centre.

It has a modern and intensely used village hall just off the High Street, the 13th-century St Peter's Church, old inns, a wide and attractive common, and many interesting houses.

To the south is Woods Mill, a restored mill, now the headquarters of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, its attractions including an extensive nature trail.

Also south of the village on the road towards South Dole is a business park containing the Royal Mail Delivery Office, the Etwars and several notable small businesses.

About the village

The Cat House

The Cat House is in Pinchnose Green: the road is so called because there used to be a tannery nearby, with all the foul smells the process produced This house was once owned by George Ward who had a canary. This bird was killed by a cat belonging to Canon Nathaniel Woodard who lived at nearby Martyn Lodge. So incensed was Ward that he painted his house with pictures of a cat holding a bird that would be seen by the canon every time he walked past on his way to the church. He also rigged up strings of sea shells to rattle, and a black figure would appear at a small window called the 'zulu hole' when the hapless canon was seen approaching.

The Henfield Museum was started in the 1930s and moved to its current location in the Henfield Hall in 1974. It contains collections related to local events and people from Mesolithic times onwards as well as local natural history. It also contains materials linked to local people such as Marjorie Baker and William Borrer and enterprises including the Allen-Brown Violet Nurseries and local railway station (closed in 1966). It is run by the Friends of Henfield Museum and the Henfield Parish Council.

Woods Mill is the headquarters of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and an environmental education centre. It is an area of 47 acres. There is an ancient woodland, a lake, streams and unimproved meadows with wild hedgerows.

Henfield's Commons and moors

Broadmere common, Henfield

Footpath to Broadmere Common

Henfield Parish Council supports four Commons: Henfield Common, Broadmere Common, Oreham Common and the Tanyard. All are ecologically rich and support a diverse range of wildlife.

Henfield Brooks (TQ203153) are to the east of the River Adur and to the south-west of the village. The fields flood regularly during winter rains. In spring the brooks are full of life with marsh frogs, lapwings, reed buntings and traditionally the call of the cuckoo, although that is becoming rarer. In summer the ditches support scarce plants such as greater water parsnip.

Between Henfield Common and Woodmancote Place is a low plain with fine unimproved wet rush pastures known as The Moors.

Sport

• Cricket: Henfield Cricket Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world, dating back to 1771.
• Tennis: Henfield Tennis Club, founded in 1920.

Henfield Leisure Centre at Northcroft has a sports hall and fitness suite. There is a small skate park located next to the sports centre.

Society

• Scouts: 1st Henfield Scouts
• Amateur dramatics: a theatre company meets in the village hall.

1st Henfield are officially the oldest Scout group in the country, dating from 1907. When officially registered in 1908 there were 36 scouts in the group. The group was started in winter 1907-8 by Audrey Wade, whose brother, A. G. Wade, had met Robert Baden-Powell when both were travelling home from Africa when they were in the army. A. G. Wade later had several administrative roles in the developing the Scout movement.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Henfield)