Plumpton Area Guide

Plumpton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex. The village is located five miles northwest of Lewes. A village of two halves, the southern half of the parish lies within the South Downs National Park and at the highest point, 702 feet, the South Downs Way traverses the crest of Plumpton Plain near the site of an Early Bronze Age settlement. North of the track is a chalk-cross with a sandstone block at its centre, which commemorates the Battle of Lewes in 1264. The cross is only visible in the early morning, or in the afternoon, when the sun is very low in the sky.
 

The parish includes the small village of Plumpton adjacent to the Downs and to the north the newer, larger village of Plumpton Green where most of the community and services are based and which grew around the railway and National Hunt racecourse. Plumpton is known for its racecourse, and also Plumpton College.

Plumpton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having a church and two mills, and is shown as Pluntune, meaning 'town or settlement where plum-trees grew'. Plumpton Green is rumoured to have been the inspiration for the popular 1960s British children's television series Trumpton, with nearby Chailey being Chigley and Wivelsfield Green being Camberwick Green. Plumpton Green is essentially a ribbon development immediately to the north of the railway station and is home to the school, the village shop, a church and two pubs.

Plumpton railway station is on the East Coastway Line and the railway crossing had the last manually operated gates in Sussex, until finally replaced by automatic gates in 2016. As of December 2010 it has had an hourly service in each direction, between Eastbourne, Hastings and Ore and London Victoria. Plumpton racecourse is located between the two villages, immediately to the south of the railway. Meetings draw large crowds and on race days the population of Plumpton doubles and the rail service is supplemented with extra trains. Races are sometimes televised, bringing Plumpton to a much wider audience.

The naves of Plumpton church were built by the Normans, with later tower and chancel. Extraordinarily, it is thought that the wooden bell-hanging frame may date back to 1040. The stone tower may have been built around the original wooden tower and its bell hanging. Plumpton church is surrounded by Plumpton College.

Behind the Plough Inn, one of the public houses in the parish, is an archaic meadow, used as a campsite by the pub, the Plough is special for maintaining its meadow, as this is not a strong Sussex tradition.

Plumpton Place, a six-bedroom manor house with a moat and water mill, stands next to Plumpton College. It had a big 17th century threshing barn, which is now used by Plumpton College. In the early 1970s, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page purchased Plumpton Place, with its relative proximity to Plumpton Racecourse the grounds also include stables for horses. Page outfitted the manor with a recording studio and the credits for the Led Zeppelin album In Through the Out Door indicates that album mixing was carried out there. Page sold the property in 1985.

Other famed people who lived in the village are Queen Camilla, who grew up in the former rectory known as The Laines and Sally Thomsett, actress in The Railway Children and Man About the House was born there.

Property

Plumpton itself is a truly tiny place, overshadowed by nearby Plumpton Green. It largely consists of one single road, with rows of huge houses lining either side of the street.

The property in Plumpton is a mix of period and modern with semi-detached and detached houses, terraced cottages built in the 1900s in addition to more modern cottages and new developments of large, modern detached houses. The main street is mainly terraced homes. Plumpton Lane, connecting Plumpton and Plumpton Green has, in recent years, received several small housing developments. The houses are of an attractive design, incorporating traditional red Sussex tile-hung walls. While modern houses are dotted along Plumpton Road, the village is punctuated with features from the past. One of the houses is a conversion from the old village post office, and a sign reminding people of that heritage is still in place today. There is also a lovely old tyre repair store at the southern end of the village, which looks like it could have been sat unchanged for about 50 years.

The wife to Prince Charles grew up in the tiny village, in a sprawling country house known as The Laines. She has described the 18th century house where she grew up as "perfect", and it is clear that Plumpton gave her a great start to life in an idyllic locale.

Education

Schools in the area are outstanding and include a wide variety of options. Plumpton’s primary school was built in 1974 and provides education facilities for 150 pupils, ranging from the ages of 4 to 11 in seven educational years. The school bell from the old school, still intact in the tower, was presented to the new school, where it is prominently displayed in the courtyard. The small, rural primary school is set in the heart of the thriving community of Plumpton Green with magnificent views from the school grounds over the South Downs - just two miles away. St Margaret’s C of E in Ditchling is also nearby and provides an alternative if required and there are other excellent primaries in the nearby villages.

Senior schools include Chailey (outstanding Ofsted), Lewes Priory, some outstanding Brighton based schools as well as independents including Lewes Old Grammar, Hurstpierpoint College, Brighton College, Burgess Hill Girls School.

Plumpton College is a Further and Higher Education college with courses including Agriculture, Horticulture, Floristry, Equine Studies, Animal Care and Veterinary Nursing, Countryside Management and so on. It farms over 2500 acres of land and has become one of the leading centres for land-based education in the UK. Many people have trained at Plumpton Agricultural College as farmers, blacksmiths, gardeners and horticulturists.
 

Shopping

The delightful Half Moon pub dominates a large portion of the village, with a sprawling building and large garden area inviting village residents in. Beyond the single shop and the pub however, there is very little to indicate that Plumpton is much more than a road to somewhere else and that is just how the village residents like it; Plumpton is secluded, quiet, and seemingly a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. It represents a throwback to how thousands across rural Sussex would have lived in centuries gone by.

For shopping and general amenities, residents need to travel a couple of miles down the road to the much larger Plumpton Green. Plumpton Green is a sprawling metropolis compared to its tiny neighbour, with such modern luxuries as a convenience store with its own Post Office, a train station with Whites coffee bar, two pubs - the Plough Inn and the Fountain Inn, a butcher, hairdresser and a beautiful cake shop.

For more shops and cafes Ditchling is a very short drive away. Here local pubs, including the outstanding 12th-century White Horse Inn and the Bull. The Nutmeg Tree is a classic village tearoom, the perfect place for an indulgent breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. The Green Welly at the very heart of the village serves home baked food and roasted coffees, is dog friendly and has a gorgeous walled garden. There are a number of impressive independent shops including a post office, stunning florist, delicatessen and pharmacy.

In addition there are great local organic food producers, farm shops and markets in the area plus garden centres. Shopping in Brighton and its iconic Lanes is a quick drive away and nearby Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint have bustling high streets.

Entertainment

Plumpton lies within the South Downs National Park and the Clayton to Offham Escarpment to the south is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

There are a number of beautiful and ancient woodland in the area in addition to the South Downs with its stunning walks, nature trails, cycle paths and bridle paths.

For sports enthusiasts there are a number of sporting groups, which attract visitors from across Sussex, including cricket, tennis, rugby and football clubs. The rugby club plays in Sussex Division 1. The cricket club is one of the most successful village teams in the area consistently winning both the Mid Sussex League and the Wisdom Cup.

There is an excellent village hall in Plumpton Green, which boasts a playing field and pavilion with 2 football pitches in winter and cricket square in summer. There is a super skate park made up of a back and forth run with a quarter pipe and flat bank either side of a funbox, as well as a mini ramp.

However, Plumpton is probably best known for its race course. Plumpton is a hidden gem in the world of horseracing. The thrill of Jump racing, the joy of a win, delicious food and drink, and stunning rural backdrop provide a memorable sporting experience for everyone from novice to racing expert. Races take place 16 times a year between September and May, and with a track just over a mile round (one of the smallest in the country) Plumpton offers great viewing of the whole course.

There are many groups and societies in comparison to the size of the village; one of the most notable being Plumpton Players, a drama group. The society performs up to two plays a year. In 2007, the society was chosen to perform the worldwide premiere of A Wet and Windy Night by Declan Cleary. The village also has a Pantomime Society and every year they put on a different show.

Nearby Ditchling boasts an abundance of farms, vineyards and independent food producers offering locally sourced food as well as a museum of Arts and Crafts.

Travel

Plumpton Railway Station connects to Lewes, Haywards Heath, London (Victoria 55 mins & London Bridge 85 mins) and Gatwick Airport.

Road links to Brighton take approximately 20 minutes on a clear run where the mainline station also links to London, Gatwick and the north and excellent roads links are accessible to the east and west coastal towns.

Gatwick Airport is less than a 40 minute drive and local buses connect to the surrounding towns and villages.