Bolney Area Guide

Described as the gem in the heart of Sussex, Bolney is a village and civil parish in the Mid-Sussex district of West Sussex. It lies 36 miles south of London, 11 miles north of Brighton and 27 miles east-northeast of the county town of Chichester, near the junction of the A 23 with the A272. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath.

It is believed the name of the village came from the Saxon word ‘Bolne’ meaning ‘a village (or high place) near marsh’, as the area is on high ground in an area that was marshy.

In medieval times the village was noted for its cherry fair and iron smelting and until the early 20th Century a windmill existed on the Common. The village almost certainly owes its initial existence and its apparent wealth to the early iron industry. Situated on the lower slopes of the Weald and St. Leonards Forest, it was ideally suited to providing the charcoal needed to fire the furnaces at nearby Cuckfield, Slaugham and Lower Beeding. 'Colwood Lane' and 'Cross Colwood Lane' in the north west of the parish are evidence of the burning of charcoal in quantity. During recent excavations under the main street, Saxon road timbers were found suggesting this was an old route into St. Leonard's Forest to the north. Following the decline of the iron industry, Bolney became an agricultural community, which prospered for some 400 years until soon after the Second World War. Sadly the Windmill and the Watermill, both of which operated in the 18th and 19th century, are not standing today.

At the heart of the village is St Mary Magdalene’s Church, which partly dates from the 12th century. The tower houses the first peal of eight bells in Sussex, the oldest dating to 1592. At the top end of the village in Top Street there is another place of worship, the Bolney Village Chapel. Historically the Village was in two parts the main village was clustered around the church and to the north there was the Common. House building up The Street during the 20th century joined these two parts together.

The last remaining pub in the village is called The Eight Bells in reference to the set of bells in the village church. The village has a relatively high number of listed properties, with two main clusters at the south, around the church and to the north, in what was originally the Common.

Bolney Wine Estate lies just beyond the village on a hill, which was part of the Butting Hill One Hundred, listed in the Domesday Book. It is a vineyard that carries on a tradition brought to Britain by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. Village tradition has it that the Prince Regent was a frequent visitor to Bolney when travelling to Brighton, staying at Bolney Lodge, of which Bolney Wine Estate formed a part in the 19th Century.

North of the village lies Wykehurst Place, in the middle of Wykehurst Park, built in 1872 by E.M Barry, the designer of the Royal Opera House, and commissioned by Henry Huth, a German banker. The 105-room mansion combines the splendour and styling of a French chateau, a German schloss and a Gothic house of horror. Ian Nairn and Nikolaus Pevsner, in their influential series The Buildings Of England, called Wykehurst ‘that epitome of high Victorian showiness and licence’.

During the Second World War Canadian forces were billeted there waiting to join Allied troops for the D-Day invasion. Wykehurst then remained empty for 26 post-war years, until a Mr Doyle arrived in 1971, paying £250,000 for the mansion and 180 acres of parkland.

The large black gates at the entrance to the drive are fashioned in wrought iron. Alongside these gates, massive griffins with spread wings perch on either side and guard the entrance to the park. The house came into prominence in the early seventies when the external shots of the house were used to film the Hammer Horror, "The Legend of Hell House," a psychological horror film.

The house was used as a location during the filming of Richard Attenborough's film 'Oh! What A Lovely War', and it has also appeared in the Michael Caine and Donald Pleasance Second World War epic, 'The Eagle Has Landed'.

The many adverts have been filmed there including part of the Cinzano campaign combining bumbling sitcom star Leonard Rossiter with glamorous Hollywood actress Joan Collins.

Property

The village has a charming semi-rural character derived from abundant trees and hedgerows, narrow sunken lanes and a wide variety of building styles and features. Its location, accessibility, scale and attractive countryside setting, combined with its strong community spirit, make Bolney a very desirable place to live.

The village has a distinctive character, one of the distinguishing features which results from the topography and layout of development is the strong visual connectivity between the village and the landscape – offering uncluttered long and shorter distance rural views from the built up area. It is largely a ribbon development with some small closes. This means that the significant majority of the current dwellings have the benefit of a rural outlook and they are at a low density.

Bolney has a predominance of family housing, over 50% being detached often with acres of land and amenities such as swimming pools. Nearly half of Bolney’s households are located in and around The Street at the centre of the village. The rest are scattered amongst the rural lanes, some of which are large private estates with outstanding grounds. There are converted barns; some apartments and a new development of modern family homes on the horizon. Bolney is a beautiful place to live where a sublime view is guaranteed.

Education

For pre-school education in the village there is Bolney Under Fives Pre-School, for 2 to 5 year olds, and the Ark Nursery for 3 and 4 year olds, which follows the Early Years Curriculum.

Bolney Church of England Primary School serves 4–11 year olds. It was built in 1871 and has been expanded since, in 1996 and 2002.

For secondary school age children there are a number of excellent schools in the nearby towns of Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath with notable independents including Burgess Hill Girls, Brighton College, Lancing College, Hurstpierpoint College, Ardingly College, Handcross Park and Cumnore House all within easy reach.

Shopping

There are a number of shops within the village selling essentials with some niche independents for items such as gifts and country wear, they include the Bolney Cross Village store, a Post Office, a cake boutique, gift shop and an equestrian and country store amongst others. The Vineyard Shop at Bolney Wine Estate is open daily from 9am to 5pm to pop in and pick up all essentials plus a treat or two.

There are plenty of excuses to eat out in the village. Bolney Wine Estate’s Eighteen Acre Café serves locally sourced food in a picturesque location with indoor and outdoor dining. There is a community café at the Rawson Hall, a stunning new building nestled in the heart of the village offering a community café, which operates from the premises on 3 days a week. The Eight Bells pub situated towards the southern end of the village on The Street, close to the A272, is named after the characteristic feature of the Parish Church; a true village pub, serving local ales and wines. It is well known for its pub lunches and fabulous evening meals and operates a comprehensive menu, the majority of which is made on the premises, freshly cooked to order. Family and dog friendly with an outside decked area and children’s play section. Then the centuries-old Bolney Stage just oozes character, with huge inglenook fireplaces, ancient flagstones, crooked beams aplenty and comfortable old furniture. They offer a warm welcome, good honest food and an unpretentious, chatty atmosphere.

A good range of facilities can be found a short distance away at Cuckfield and there are garden centres, farm shops and country markets aplenty in the surrounding villages selling locally sourced produce. The nearby towns of Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath offer bustling High Streets whilst the city of Brighton is a short drive away with its iconic Lanes and large shopping centre.

Entertainment

Walks radiate out from Bolney in all directions. There is an extensive footpath and bridleway network and access to woodlands and countryside. As well as family walks, dog walks and solo walks along footpaths there also are organised walks set up under the Mid Sussex Healthy Walks Scheme. These take place on the first Friday every month. The Bolney Stage and Wykehurst Park has a walk organised by All Trails who have created a circular walk from the Bolney Stage pub to help work up that thirst/appetite.

In the heart of the village the Bolney Wine Estate offers tours of the vineyard to look at the vines, discuss the training system and talk about the growing and harvesting seasons, with tastings along the way. The sparkling wines on offer are all made from the traditional bottle fermentation method, aged for a period of at least 2-3 years.

There are plenty of options for sports enthusiasts as Bolney has a thriving fixtures programme. Bolney is a very historic Cricket Club having been in existence since 1840. They have a beautiful ground adjacent to the village church and primary school (Glebe Field) and serve, arguably, the best teas at any club in Sussex! They play league matches in the Sussex League on Saturdays and friendlies on Sundays and are always happy to welcome new members. Bolney Rovers Football Club plays in the Mid Sussex Football League, and there is also a veterans' team for the over 37s. Bolney Stoolball Club is a ladies' stoolball club that plays on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Glebe Fields.

There is a children’s play area in Batchelor’s Field, the village's main recreation ground, which houses the football pitch in the winter. The community spirit in the village and the involvement of the parish residents in the activities for the benefit of all ages is exceptional.

There are lots of activities and social events in the various venues of the village including The Only Posh Quiz in Sussex, which is held on the first Sunday of the month at The Eight Bells, hosted by the poshest of honorary landlords, Posh Bob. Great fun – teams of 4-6, with a monetary price split between 1st, 2nd, 3rd place.

The village is surrounded by great things to see and do including a trip to Ansty Gardens or the All England Show Jumping ground, a walk around Nymans Gardens or Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve, a visit to Washbrooks Farm, swimming at one of the many pools in the vicinity and so on, there’s certainly no time to be bored living here.

Travel

Haywards Heath station is less than 6 miles from Bolney and has regular train services south to Brighton, Littlehampton, Eastbourne and Hastings, and north to London (Victoria via Southern Rail and King’s Cross/St Pancras and beyond via Thameslink). Haywards Heath benefits from a large station car park. Other nearby stations include Wivelsfield and Burgess Hill, both on the London to Brighton mainline.

Gatwick Airport is approximately 15 miles north of Bolney via the A23/M23. Heathrow Airport is approximately 50 miles northwest of Bolney via the A23/M23 and M25. Easy access to the A23 means that most locations can be efficiently reached via the major road networks. Brighton is less than 30 minutes drive away if conditions are good, linking to towns along the south coast via the A27 and London can be reached via A23/M23.