When fire destroyed East Dean vicarage in 1665 it was the Selwyns of Friston Place who provided a replacement. They gave what is now known as the Old Parsonage and asked in return that a sermon, in memory of the Selwyn family, be preached annually in Friston church. It remained the vicarage until 1936 and…

There are happenings both bizarre and eerie connected with the village churchyard of Frant. Eighteen-year-old John Havey was killed in 1818 when he was hit by a stone falling from the church tower. The fatal lump of masonry was used as the footstone to his grave. Forty years later, when Sir Henry Thompson was rector,…

The approach to the parish church is one of the loveliest in the county, a row of Tudor houses which form the core of the village, but the old church itself has given the good people of Framfield more than their fair share of headaches over the centuries. Built in the 13th century, one of…

Ashdown Forest was for centuries a royal hunting ground but the parties chasing wild boar and deer needed somewhere to relax after a long day in the saddle. Forest Row was where the hunting lodges were built, and that is the origin of the settlement, though it was not until the railway station was opened…

There are strong links with nature in ‘Fowington’, a shy little place where they used to cultivate teasles specifically for the dressing of broadcloth. Sixty-odd years ago it was noted for its herd of Sussex cattle and in the 1960s the village played its part in getting a better deal for badgers. Lady Monckton’s attention…

The children at the village primary school have good reason to remember the Jolly Butcher of Fletching with affection. Leonard Allcorn, who died at the age of 74, stated in his will that £200 of his estate be used to give the local youngsters a bumper party. His wish was duly observed with mountains of…

The pub here is The Five Ashes (what else) and for more than 60 years it was very much a family concern. The old building was once a farmhouse and the great-grandson of the owner, Alfred Berwick, held the licence with his wife from 1914 until retirement in 1959 when their daughter Rosie took over.…

Even if you have never been here the chances are that you have seen it, however unconsciously. The old houses and narrow village street are a favourite with television and film crews seeking an authentic backdrop for period pieces. Technically its full name is West Firle, but a look at the map will not find…

People still have bitter sweet recollections of Fiery Fred, the terror of Falmer Pond. Fred was a swan with a mean streak who took to attacking visitors to his watery domain, chasing after them with a great flapping of wings and snapping at their ankles with his beak. There were complaints, and the question of…

Buried here is one of the great characters of the Ashdown Forest of 100 years ago. Edwin Russell was described as a ‘harmless imbecile’, said to have well-heeled relations who had disowned him (perhaps they took exception to the fact he popped granny’s kitten into the boiling dinner pot). He lived a wandering life around…