WEST HOATHLY
West Sussex
By Ian Mulcahy
The first of three history walks around the Parish of West Hoathly in West Sussex. See also part two and part three. From these three walks, an article for Tudor Life Magazine and a study of Philpots Promontory Fort, an Iron Age Hill Fort with evidence of up to 12,000 years of human activity, were also produced.
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West Hoathly is a village and civil parish in West Sussex located around three and a half miles south west of East Grinstead and a similar distance south east of the outskirts of Crawley. The village stands on a high sandstone ridge approximately 175 metres above sea level and was inhabited by the 11th Century.
 The exterior of St Margarets Church. The picture on the bottom right shows the Norman part of the external wall, from the drain pipe to the tower. This was the original size of the building. 
 The interior of St Margarets Church. The Norman walls can be seen in the second picture, though due to expansion only two walls remain - to the right of the photograph where the window can be seen and at the back of the photograph where the door, which now only leads to the tower, is sited. There is a plaque recording ‘the Vicars of West Hoathly’ going back to 1329. Surrounding the church at the heart of the ancient village are many listed buildings. To the north of the church stands The Strakes, a comparative youngster, being an 18th century structure which may have previously served as a shop. To the west of The Strakes stands The Cat Inn, a refronted timber framed building constructed in the early 1500’s, which remains a public house. 
 The Strakes 
 The Cat Inn To the west of the church is the grade II* listed The Manor House, a 16th century property that was altered in 1627 by the owners of Gravetye Manor (see below) who turned it into a Dower House (that is, a residence for the widow of an estate owner where the heir is married) for Katherine Infield, the widow of Richard Infield. The building materials are identical to those used at Gravetye. 
 The Manor House To the South of The Manor House stands the marvellous Priest House, a 15th century 5 bay timber framed house which now belongs to the Sussex Archaeological Society, having been gifted the property by J Godwin King in 1935 following a 1908 restoration. The Priest House was originally built for the Priory of St Pancras in Lewes as an estate office to manage the land they owned around West Hoathly but was seized by Henry VIII following the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid 16th century. Subsequently, it belonged to Anne of Cleves, Thomas Cromwell, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The property, which retains some of it’s original windows, and it’s gardens are open to the public from 1 March to 31 October each year. 
 The Priest House Opposite the Priest House can be found Phlox Cottage, a small 18th century cottage and next door, back towards the church, is Upper Pendant and Rose Cottage, a 16th century building that was formerly divided into two houses, but is now only one. A 19th century lean to at the southern end was added when the building served as a shop.  Phlox Cottage 
 Upper Pendant In the north western corner of Upper Pendants garden, evidence remains of the entrance steps to the Tin Shop, a corrugated iron structure which served as the village grocers from the late 19th century until it was removed in the 1950’s 
 The Tin Shop steps To the North of The Manor House stands The Old Parsonage, the earliest parts of which date back to the 17th century, or earlier, and next door is Taddys, a 16th century building set on a stone base with it’s timber framing hidden behind a more modern façade. 
 The Old Parsonage 
 Taddys As we head up North Lane towards the main through road, we see Fountain Cottage to the right, an early 19th century structure which was previously split into two homes, and to the left we see Peckhams; a 17th century (or earlier) house, Old Timbers; another 17th century structure and Bow Cottage; which can be dated to 1704. 
 Fountain Cottage  Peckhams 
 Old Timbers 
 Bow Cottage Moving back to the Eastern side of the street we can see a cluster of three old buildings just before we reach the road junction. Rose Cottage is a small 17th century building which looks considerably more modern, Red House is a large, much altered 18th century building, and Cobwebbs is another 17th century building which unusually, for a property of that age, enjoys a large garden rather than fronting straight onto the street.  Rose Cottage 
 Red House 
 Cobbwebbs Approximately one and a half miles to the south of the village, but still within the parish, is the Hamlet of Highbrook where Battens, whose late 13th century north wing makes it perhaps the oldest residential building within the parish, can be found. Almost next door is the 17th century Hammingden Farm. 
 
Battens  Hamingden Farm Returning north, half a mile to the west of West Hoathly is the village of Sharpthorne. A short trip down the appropriately named Station Road leads the walker to the site of West Hoathly Station which was opened in 1882 and demolished during the Sixties, though the platforms can still be seen. The station, 750 yards from the Sharpthorne Tunnel, served passengers using the Lewes to East Grinstead line which was closed in 1958. Part of the old line now forms the Bluebell Railway; a heritage line which runs from Sheffield Park, east of Haywards Heath, to East Grinstead. 
 
 Sharpthorne tunnel and the site of West Hoathly Station. A short distance North of the station is Old Coombe House, a late 16th century building that was originally constructed to serve as an ironmasters house.  Old Coombe House As we leave West Hoathly and head north towards East Grinstead, we pass Duckyyls Holt, a 15th century construction that previously served as an ale house known as The Batts, and later The Tuns.  Duckyyls Holt A short way out of the village we come across the entrance to the grade 1 listed Gravetye Manor, now owned by the forestry commission and used as a hotel and country club. The manor was originally built in 1596 by Richard Infield, a local ironmaster. 
 Gravetye Manor Further exploring of West Hoathly is planned
for the spring of 2018, when this page will be updated. For photographs of Crawleys historic buildings please visit my blog: http://crawley-old-town.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/crawley-old-town-home-page.html Text & photographs © Ian Mulcahy. Contact photos@iansapps.co.uk or visit my 'Use of my photographs' page for licensing queries. |
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