Horsted Keynes
Encyclopedia
Horsted Keynes is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex
District of West Sussex
, England
. The village is located about eight kilometres (5 miles) north east of Haywards Heath
, in the Weald
. The civil parish is largely rural, covering 1,581.46 hectares (3,908 acres), and has a population of 1,507 persons (2001 census).
The Prime Meridian
passes to the east of Horsted Keynes.
The place-name is first attested in the Domesday Book
of 1086 and means 'horse farm'. The land was then held by a member of the Keynes family, as was later the case with Milton Keynes
.
Horsted Keynes is centred around a village green with pubs, Post Office and village store. The Post Office was to be closed down for lack of use but was bought up by a group of villagers who invested in its continued use for the community. It now serves a large rural area.
A couple of months before being assassinated, U.S. President John F. Kennedy
slept in the parish when he stayed one Saturday night at Birch Grove, the home of the former Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan
. The American Secret Service closed the village that night, siting their communication hub in the Lounge Bar of "The Crown Inn".
The two principal churches are: the Anglican
Parish Church dedicated to St Giles and the Roman Catholic church of St Stephen which is unoccupied and controlled from the nearest town, Haywards Heath. Harold Macmillan was buried in the churchyard of St Giles after his death in December 1986, alongside his wife Dorothy, who died 20 years previously.
The railway station
, three-quarters of a mile from the village, is now owned and operated by the Bluebell Railway
, which is largely run by volunteers and operates using vintage steam trains. The station originally also had a connection
with Haywards Heath
, between 1883 and 1963.
On 1 July 2003 a lightning bolt struck the electricity pole beside The Crown public house on the village green which has stood there for at least 300 years and probably much longer. The roof and much of the building were destroyed in one of the largest fires in the area for many years. Fortunately the fire did not spread to the petrol storage tanks of the adjacent Crown Garage. A smaller incident occurred in May 2007 when a telephone pole was struck, removing communications from much of the village. Several homes in Lewes Road were left without a telephone service for over one month whilst permission was sought to dig on private land to relay a cable.
Like many other English villages Horsted Keynes is losing businesses that have been there for many years. After the closure of the main village store "Sayers and Carter" in 1992, and the more recent loss of the butcher "Maynards", followed by the village hairdresser and photographer, the village garage closed down in June 2007. It was only 20 years ago that the village had two garages, now it has none, leaving the nearest petrol retailer more than 6 miles (9.7 km) away. Planning permission is being sought to turn the garage site into residential accommodation.
This part of Sussex was known for its iron industry
long before the industrial revolution
and the coming of the railways. Little remains of this now, except for the hammer ponds and other traces of this activity dotted around the surrounding countryside, although iron working is remembered in many local place names.
Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
District of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village is located about eight kilometres (5 miles) north east of Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, in the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
. The civil parish is largely rural, covering 1,581.46 hectares (3,908 acres), and has a population of 1,507 persons (2001 census).
The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
passes to the east of Horsted Keynes.
The place-name is first attested in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 and means 'horse farm'. The land was then held by a member of the Keynes family, as was later the case with Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.
Horsted Keynes is centred around a village green with pubs, Post Office and village store. The Post Office was to be closed down for lack of use but was bought up by a group of villagers who invested in its continued use for the community. It now serves a large rural area.
A couple of months before being assassinated, U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
slept in the parish when he stayed one Saturday night at Birch Grove, the home of the former Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
. The American Secret Service closed the village that night, siting their communication hub in the Lounge Bar of "The Crown Inn".
The two principal churches are: the Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Parish Church dedicated to St Giles and the Roman Catholic church of St Stephen which is unoccupied and controlled from the nearest town, Haywards Heath. Harold Macmillan was buried in the churchyard of St Giles after his death in December 1986, alongside his wife Dorothy, who died 20 years previously.
The railway station
Horsted Keynes railway station
Horsted Keynes railway station is a railway station in Sussex. It was closed by British Railways Beeching Axe on 28 October 1963 with the cessation of trains from Seaford via Haywards Heath...
, three-quarters of a mile from the village, is now owned and operated by the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
, which is largely run by volunteers and operates using vintage steam trains. The station originally also had a connection
Ardingly Railway Station
Ardingly was a railway station which served the West Sussex village of Ardingly in England. It was opened on 3 September 1883 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway , and closed eighty years later. Currently used as an aggregates depot, the Bluebell Railway has long-term plans to extend...
with Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
, between 1883 and 1963.
Like many other English villages Horsted Keynes is losing businesses that have been there for many years. After the closure of the main village store "Sayers and Carter" in 1992, and the more recent loss of the butcher "Maynards", followed by the village hairdresser and photographer, the village garage closed down in June 2007. It was only 20 years ago that the village had two garages, now it has none, leaving the nearest petrol retailer more than 6 miles (9.7 km) away. Planning permission is being sought to turn the garage site into residential accommodation.
This part of Sussex was known for its iron industry
Wealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
long before the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the coming of the railways. Little remains of this now, except for the hammer ponds and other traces of this activity dotted around the surrounding countryside, although iron working is remembered in many local place names.
External links
- HorstedKeynes.com - website for the village
- St Giles Church, Horsted Keynes
- The Bluebell Railway