Tinsley Green
| Tinsley Green | |
| Surrey, Sussex | |
|---|---|
 The Greyhound pub | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ291396 |
| Location: | 51°8’31"N, 0°9’17"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Crawley |
| Postcode: | RH10 |
| Dialling code: | 01293 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Crawley |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Crawley |
Tinsley Green is village straddling the border of Surrey to the north with Sussex to the south, by the south-east edge of Gatwick Airport. The county border is marked by the old village lane, known as Tinsley Green, now severed in twain by the London to Brighton railway line.
The village has effectively been absorbed into Crawley and sits at the edge of its townscape.
Tinsley Green was absorbed by the New Town of Crawley in the 1940s and became part of the Pound Hill neighbourhood. The houses, farms and woodland of the Surrey side of the village became the site of the 1930s aerodrome at Gatwick, now Gatwick Airport. The airport's first railway station was briefly known as Tinsley Green. The game of marbles has a strong local tradition, and Tinsley Green's pub hosts the British and World Marbles Championship each year.
Location
Tinsley Green is to the north-east of Crawley. The surrounding land is flat. The Gatwick Stream, a tributary of the River Mole, passes under Radford Road at Tinsley Bridge.[1] The road runs east–west from the B2036 road to Crawley's Manor Royal industrial estate. The Brighton Main Line between London and Brighton runs to the west.
History
The name was first recorded in the 13th century, when Richard de Tyntesle (Richard of Tinsley) was recorded on a tax return.[2] The iron industry thrived in the area from the late 14th century, when the blast furnace was developed; conditions and raw materials around Crawley were ideal for iron production, and many forges were established.[3] One of these was Tinsley Forge. Cast iron was produced at a blast furnace at Tilgate and taken to Tinsley Green, where it was formed into the more useful wrought iron.[4] Although the industry declined in the 17th century, Tinsley Forge was still successful until well into the 18th century, when it finally shut down.[5] Forge Farm was established on the site; the name Black Corner, a bend on the Balcombe–Horley road (the B2036; an old route to London) which runs through Tinsley Green, also refers to the old industry.[4]
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Some 16th- and 17th-century farmhouses and cottages survive. Radford Farmhouse, a Grade II listed building, is one of only two buildings in Crawley with a thatched roof.[6] The timber-framed cottage may originally have been a barn[7] on the land of its neighbour, Brookside—another Grade II-listed timber-framed house.[8] Oldlands Farmhouse, also 17th-century, was built and owned by the ironmaster who owned Tinsley Forge.[5][9]
Gatwick Aerodrome to Airport
Hunts Green Farm in Surrey was one of Tinsley Green's old farms. In the 1920s, some of its land was converted into an airfield as flying became more popular and more landing grounds were sought.[10][11] Earlier in the decade, London's first airport had been established in Croydon in the north-east of Surrey. On 1 August 1930, Ronald Walters, a pilot, bought the 260 acres of land at Hunts Green Farm and converted it into an aerodrome. In 1933 it was sold to A. M. (Morris) Jackaman, who planned to convert it into a relief aerodrome for Croydon Airport and start regular flights to Paris using de Havilland DH.84 Dragon aircraft.[12] From 1935 the Air Ministry were involved; they helped to develop Gatwick Aerodrome's role as a proper airport, and the first terminal building, the Beehive, was built. Later that year, the Southern Railway, Imperial Airways and the owners of Gatwick (now a proper airport rather than an aerodrome) jointly opened a new railway station on the Brighton Main Line, between Gatwick Racecourse and Three Bridges stations, to serve the airport.[13] The station, called Tinsley Green, opened just north of the Radford Road overbridge on 3 September 1935.[14] It was linked by a subway to the terminal, named The Beehive.[15] The name was changed to Gatwick Airport station on 1 June 1936, and it closed on 28 May 1958 after the airport had been rebuilt and extended northwards, making the former Gatwick Racecourse station more convenient.[15][16] Remains of the platforms could be seen until the 1980s and the subway is still in existence at the Beehive end.[13]
References
- ↑ "Crawley North East Sector Environmental Statement: Chapter 11". Crawley North East Sector Environmental Statement. Capita Symonds and Crawley North East Sector Consortium. 2007. http://www.crawley.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/plappdn/int157935.pdf.
- ↑ Gwynne 1990, p. 50.
- ↑ Gwynne 1990, pp. 70–71.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gwynne 1990, p. 73.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gwynne 1990, p. 89.
- ↑ Gwynne 1990, p. 67.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1207831: Radford Farmhouse, Radford Road (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1187105: Brookside, Radford Road (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1187110: Oldlands Farmhouse, Radford Road (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Gwynne 1990, p. 146.
- ↑ Goldsmith 1987, §124.
- ↑ King & Tait 1980, Chapter 2.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Gwynne 1990, p. 147.
- ↑ Mitchell & Smith 1988, §109.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mitchell & Smith 1988, §111.
- ↑ Mitchell & Smith 1988, §113.
Bibliography
- Collins, Sophie (2007). A Sussex Miscellany. Alfriston: Snake River Press. ISBN 978-1-906022-08-2.
- Glover, John (2006). London Country. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-3121-5.
- Goldsmith, Michael (1987). Crawley and District in Old Picture Postcards. Zaltbommel: European Library. ISBN 90-288-4525-9.
- Gwynne, Peter (1990). A History of Crawley. Chichester: Phillimore & Company. ISBN 0-85033-718-6.
- King, John; Tait, Geoff (1980). Golden Gatwick: 50 Years of Aviation. British Airports Authority and the Royal Aeronautical Society. OCLC 16597036.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1988). Southern Main Lines: East Croydon to Three Bridges. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-53-3.
