Brief History

Referred to in the 19^th century as the 'Metropolis of Mid Sussex', Haywards Heath officially became a town in 1862 but its roots go much further back.  Part of Cuckfield Parish until 1894, its name, meaning 'hedge enclosure', has evolved from the earliest, 13^th century, form of Hayworth, through the 1504 Haywyrddsyhoth and various incarnations until its present form emerged in 1569.  Legend has it that the town took its name 'Hayward' from the highwayman, Jack Hayward, who chose to stage many of his audacious raids on the heath.

Haywards Heath was indeed heath, and farmland, with few inhabitants until about 150 years ago, but there are records of weavers and farmers living on the land for many centuries. Until the 19^th century, the main centres of habitation in the area were Cuckfield and Lindfield.  Over a period of several centuries the inhabitants were driven off the land by various enclosures.

An early 17^th century survival is the pub, now refurbished and restored to its 19^th century name, The Dolphin. It had spent more than a century as The Sergison Arms. It was so named to commemorate the local landowning family who sold off much of their estates enabling the urban development of Haywards Heath to push ahead.  Originally the building was a private house called The Vynalls.

The growth of the town was due to the arrival of the railway in 1841.  This has an element of the ironic as the line was due to go through Cuckfield but the wealthy landowners were against it and applied powerful pressures in high places. The line was moved several miles to the east! NIMBYism is obviously not an invention of the 20^th century!!

Haywards Heath became the home of the county asylum in 1860 with the building of St. Francis Hospital.  This magnificent yellow brick building has recently been transformed into a luxury home development known as Southdown Park. The views from the building are outstanding. The hospital in its heyday was almost completely self-sufficient with, amongst other things, its own farm, pumping station, bakery and brewery.

Although there are no ‘old’ churches in Haywards Heath, mainly due to the fact that the growth of the town only occurred in the late 19th century, St. Wilfrid’s, the parish church, constructed in 1862, is an impressive structure with an interesting churchyard. It enjoys wonderful views over the surrounding area and down to the South Downs. St. Wilfrid’s is in the main shopping street, South Street, opposite Victoria Park.

St. Paul’s, the Roman Catholic Church, which lies behind the Orchards Centre, was built around 1930 but is most unusual with many Byzantine architectural and decorative touches - worth a look.