Tinsley Green, West Sussex
Encyclopedia
Tinsley Green is an area in the Borough
of Crawley
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. Originally a hamlet
in the parish of Worth
, it was absorbed by the New Town
of Crawley in the 1940s and became part of the Pound Hill neighbourhood. As well as houses, farms and woodland, it became the site of the 1930s aerodrome
at Gatwick—now London Gatwick Airport. The airport's first railway station was briefly known as Tinsley Green. The game of marbles
has a strong local tradition, and Tinsley Green's pub
hosts the British and World Marbles Championship each year.
. Gatwick Stream
, a tributary of the River Mole, passes under Radford Road at Tinsley Bridge. The road runs east–west from the B2036
road to Crawley's Manor Royal industrial estate. The Brighton Main Line
between London and Brighton runs to the west.
from the late 14th century, when the blast furnace
was developed; conditions and raw materials around Crawley were ideal for iron production, and many forge
s were established. One of these was Tinsley Forge. Cast iron
was produced at a blast furnace at Tilgate and taken to Tinsley Green, where it was formed into the more useful wrought iron
. Although the industry declined in the 17th century, Tinsley Forge was still successful until well into the 18th century, when it finally shut down. Forge Farm was established on the site; the name Black Corner, a bend on the Balcombe
–Horley
road (the B2036; an old route to London) which runs through Tinsley Green, also refers to the old industry.
Some 16th- and 17th-century farmhouses and cottages survive. Radford Farmhouse, a Grade II listed building, is one of only two buildings in Crawley with a thatched roof
. The timber-framed
cottage may originally have been a barn on the land of its neighbour, Brookside—another Grade II-listed timber-framed house. Oldlands Farmhouse, also 17th-century, was built and owned by the ironmaster who owned Tinsley Forge.
Tinsley Green was served by the Anglican
church at Lowfield Heath
, St Michael and All Angels
, from its opening in 1868. It is now within the parish of Crawley Team Ministry, whose main church is St John the Baptist's
in the town centre.
London Country Bus Services
, a bus company
which served southeast England between 1970 and deregulation in 1986, built its main engineering workshop in Tinsley Green. Opened in 1976, it was used to carry out painting, repairs and mechanical overhaul of the company's fleet (1,267 vehicles in 1970), and to hold spare parts. At the time of deregulation, a private company, Gatwick Engineering Ltd, was set up to own and operate the works. About 150 people were employed at the site in Tinsley Lane, next to the railway line. National Express
now own the site.
as flying became more popular and more landing grounds were sought. Earlier in the decade, London's first airport
had been established in Croydon
. On 1 August 1930, Ronald Walters, a pilot, bought the 260 acres (105.2 ha) of land at Hunts Green Farm and converted it into an aerodrome
. In 1933 it was sold to A. M. (Morris) Jackaman, who planned to convert it into a relief aerodrome for Croydon Airport and start regular flights to Paris
using de Havilland DH.84 Dragon
aircraft. From 1935 the Air Ministry
were involved; they helped to develop Gatwick Aerodrome's role as a proper airport, and the first terminal building, the Beehive
, was built. Later that year, the Southern Railway
, Imperial Airways
and the owners of Gatwick (now a proper airport rather than an aerodrome) jointly opened a new railway station on the Brighton Main Line, between Gatwick Racecourse
and Three Bridges
stations, to serve the airport. The station, called Tinsley Green, opened just north of the Radford Road overbridge on 3 September 1935. It was linked by a subway to the terminal. The name was changed to Gatwick Airport station on 1 June 1936, and it closed on 28 May 1958 after the airport had been rebuilt and extended northwards, making the former Gatwick Racecourse station more convenient. Remains of the platforms could be seen until the 1980s.
postwar
residential areas are known as neighbourhoods. As of , the town has 13. Plans to build a fourteenth neighbourhood on land around Tinsley Green have existed since January 1998. The North East Sector, as it is known, is bounded by Radford Road to the north, the M23 motorway
to the east, the A2011 Crawley Avenue
to the south and the railway line to the west, and is characterised by rough pastureland, small woods and some brownfield land
. Tinsley Green occupies the northern part of this site. As one of the few areas of mostly open land left in the borough, the area around Tinsley Green has been suggested as a development site before: the Commission for New Towns'
first masterplan in the late 1940s anticipated that the Manor Royal industrial estate would extend east of the railway line as far as the Balcombe–Horley road, which did not happen; and in the late 1980s, a "high-tech industrial park" was planned for the site of Forge Farm, which was no longer agricultural and had become the site of an abattoir
.
The original planning application
proposed up to 1,900 residential units, office and retail space, a school, a community centre, playing fields and improvements to road and other infrastructure, including the moving of overhead power lines and pylons. Bus services would be provided to other parts of Crawley, and a new railway station (south of its predecessor) would be considered. Although permission was initially refused, several amendments and appeals were made, and in December 2009 the Government permitted another appeal. A decision would then be made by March 2010. Issues relevant to the scheme include aircraft noise (because of the proximity to Gatwick Airport), the possibility of a second runway being built on the south side of the airport, land contamination and housing density.
has been played in Tinsley Green and the surrounding area for many centuries: TIME
magazine traces its origins to 1588. The British and World Marbles Championship
has been held at Tinsley Green's pub, The Greyhound, every year since 1932. Traditionally, the marbles-playing season started on Ash Wednesday
and lasted until midday on Good Friday
: playing after that brought bad luck. More than 20 teams from around the world take part in the championship, each Good Friday; German teams have been successful several times since 2000, although local teams from Crawley, Copthorne
and other Sussex and Surrey
villages often take part as well; the first championship in 1932 was won by a team from nearby Hookwood
. The pub was rebuilt in its present form in 1936, and permanent rings were installed outside for marbles to be played upon.
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, one of seven local government districts in the English
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...
county 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...
. Originally a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the parish of Worth
Worth, West Sussex
The civil parish of Worth, which includes the villages of Copthorne, West Sussex and Crawley Down, covers an area of and has a population of 9888 persons. The ecclesiastical parish was one of the larger West Sussex parishes, encompassing the entire area along the West Sussex/Surrey border between...
, it was absorbed by the New Town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
of Crawley in the 1940s and became part of the Pound Hill neighbourhood. As well as houses, farms and woodland, it became the site of the 1930s aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
at Gatwick—now London Gatwick Airport. The airport's first railway station was briefly known as Tinsley Green. The game of marbles
Marble (toy)
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
has a strong local tradition, and Tinsley Green's pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
hosts the British and World Marbles Championship each year.
Location
Tinsley Green is in the northeast of the Borough of Crawley. The surrounding land is flat and between 210 feet (64 m) and 250 feet (76.2 m) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Gatwick Stream
Gatwick Stream
The Gatwick Stream is a tributary of the River Mole in southern England. The Gatwick Stream rises in Worth Forest in West Sussex and flows northwards through Tinsley Green to meet the Mole on the border between West Sussex and Surrey...
, a tributary of the River Mole, passes under Radford Road at Tinsley Bridge. The road runs east–west from the B2036
B roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.- Zone 2 :- Zone 2 :-Notes:...
road to Crawley's Manor Royal industrial estate. The Brighton Main Line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
between London and Brighton runs to the west.
History
The name was first recorded in the 13th century, when Richard de Tyntesle (Richard of Tinsley) was recorded on a tax return. The iron industry thrived in the areaWealden 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...
from the late 14th century, when the blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
was developed; conditions and raw materials around Crawley were ideal for iron production, and many forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
s were established. One of these was Tinsley Forge. Cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
was produced at a blast furnace at Tilgate and taken to Tinsley Green, where it was formed into the more useful wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
. Although the industry declined in the 17th century, Tinsley Forge was still successful until well into the 18th century, when it finally shut down. Forge Farm was established on the site; the name Black Corner, a bend on the Balcombe
Balcombe, West Sussex
Balcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the northwest and Haywards Heath to the south southeast...
–Horley
Horley
Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley.With fast links by train to London from Horley railway station, it has grown popular with commuters in recent years...
road (the B2036; an old route to London) which runs through Tinsley Green, also refers to the old industry.
Some 16th- and 17th-century farmhouses and cottages survive. Radford Farmhouse, a Grade II listed building, is one of only two buildings in Crawley with a thatched roof
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
. The timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
cottage may originally have been a barn on the land of its neighbour, Brookside—another Grade II-listed timber-framed house. Oldlands Farmhouse, also 17th-century, was built and owned by the ironmaster who owned Tinsley Forge.
Tinsley Green was served by the Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church at Lowfield Heath
Lowfield Heath
Lowfield Heath is a former village within the boundaries of the Borough of Crawley, a local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. Situated on the main London to Brighton road approximately south of London and north of Crawley, it was gradually rendered uninhabitable by...
, St Michael and All Angels
St Michael and All Angels Church, Lowfield Heath
St Michael and All Angels Church is a church in Lowfield Heath, a depopulated former village in the Borough of Crawley, a local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England...
, from its opening in 1868. It is now within the parish of Crawley Team Ministry, whose main church is St John the Baptist's
St John the Baptist's Church, Crawley
St John the Baptist's Church is an Anglican church in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is the parish church of Crawley, and is the oldest building in the town centre, dating from the 13th century—although many alterations have been made since, and only one wall remains of...
in the town centre.
London Country Bus Services
London Country Bus Services
London Country Bus Services was a bus company that operated in South East England from 1969 until split up and sold in 1986 under Margaret Thatcher's government's bus deregulation scheme.-Creation:...
, a bus company
Bus transport in the United Kingdom
Buses play a major role in the public transport of the United Kingdom, as well as seeing extensive private use.- The horse bus era :The first omnibus service in the United Kingdom was started by John Greenwood between Pendleton and Manchester in 1824. Stagecoach services, sometimes over short...
which served southeast England between 1970 and deregulation in 1986, built its main engineering workshop in Tinsley Green. Opened in 1976, it was used to carry out painting, repairs and mechanical overhaul of the company's fleet (1,267 vehicles in 1970), and to hold spare parts. At the time of deregulation, a private company, Gatwick Engineering Ltd, was set up to own and operate the works. About 150 people were employed at the site in Tinsley Lane, next to the railway line. National Express
National Express Group
National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...
now own the site.
Gatwick Airport
Hunts Green Farm was one of Tinsley Green's old farms. In the 1920s, some of its land was converted into an airfieldAerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
as flying became more popular and more landing grounds were sought. Earlier in the decade, London's first airport
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
had been established in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
. On 1 August 1930, Ronald Walters, a pilot, bought the 260 acres (105.2 ha) of land at Hunts Green Farm and converted it into an aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
. In 1933 it was sold to A. M. (Morris) Jackaman, who planned to convert it into a relief aerodrome for Croydon Airport and start regular flights to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
using de Havilland DH.84 Dragon
De Havilland Dragon
|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...
aircraft. From 1935 the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
were involved; they helped to develop Gatwick Aerodrome's role as a proper airport, and the first terminal building, the Beehive
Beehive (Gatwick Airport)
The Beehive is the original terminal building at Gatwick Airport, England. Opened in 1936, it became obsolete in the 1950s as the airport expanded. In 2008, it was converted into serviced offices, having served as the headquarters of franchised airline GB Airways for some years before that...
, was built. Later that year, the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
, Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
and the owners of Gatwick (now a proper airport rather than an aerodrome) jointly opened a new railway station on the Brighton Main Line, between Gatwick Racecourse
Gatwick Airport railway station
Gatwick Airport station is the railway station at London Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km away. The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse...
and Three Bridges
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
stations, to serve the airport. The station, called Tinsley Green, opened just north of the Radford Road overbridge on 3 September 1935. It was linked by a subway to the terminal. The name was changed to Gatwick Airport station on 1 June 1936, and it closed on 28 May 1958 after the airport had been rebuilt and extended northwards, making the former Gatwick Racecourse station more convenient. Remains of the platforms could be seen until the 1980s.
Crawley North East Sector
Crawley New Town'sNew towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
postwar
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
residential areas are known as neighbourhoods. As of , the town has 13. Plans to build a fourteenth neighbourhood on land around Tinsley Green have existed since January 1998. The North East Sector, as it is known, is bounded by Radford Road to the north, the M23 motorway
M23 motorway
The M23 motorway is a motorway in England. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a spur north from...
to the east, the A2011 Crawley Avenue
A roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four digit roads:...
to the south and the railway line to the west, and is characterised by rough pastureland, small woods and some brownfield land
Brownfield land
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations. Cf. Waste...
. Tinsley Green occupies the northern part of this site. As one of the few areas of mostly open land left in the borough, the area around Tinsley Green has been suggested as a development site before: the Commission for New Towns'
English Partnerships
English Partnerships was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies on a regional level...
first masterplan in the late 1940s anticipated that the Manor Royal industrial estate would extend east of the railway line as far as the Balcombe–Horley road, which did not happen; and in the late 1980s, a "high-tech industrial park" was planned for the site of Forge Farm, which was no longer agricultural and had become the site of an abattoir
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
.
The original planning application
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
proposed up to 1,900 residential units, office and retail space, a school, a community centre, playing fields and improvements to road and other infrastructure, including the moving of overhead power lines and pylons. Bus services would be provided to other parts of Crawley, and a new railway station (south of its predecessor) would be considered. Although permission was initially refused, several amendments and appeals were made, and in December 2009 the Government permitted another appeal. A decision would then be made by March 2010. Issues relevant to the scheme include aircraft noise (because of the proximity to Gatwick Airport), the possibility of a second runway being built on the south side of the airport, land contamination and housing density.
Marbles
The game of marblesMarble (toy)
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
has been played in Tinsley Green and the surrounding area for many centuries: TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine traces its origins to 1588. The British and World Marbles Championship
British and World Marbles Championship
-World Marbles at Tinsley Green:The tournament is said to date back several hundred years to 1588 during the reign of Elizabeth I, when is reputed to be the scene of an epic marbles battle between two young men, over the hand of a local milk maiden....
has been held at Tinsley Green's pub, The Greyhound, every year since 1932. Traditionally, the marbles-playing season started on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
and lasted until midday on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
: playing after that brought bad luck. More than 20 teams from around the world take part in the championship, each Good Friday; German teams have been successful several times since 2000, although local teams from Crawley, Copthorne
Copthorne, West Sussex
Copthorne is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies close to Gatwick Airport, south of London, north of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the southwest and East Grinstead to the east...
and other Sussex and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
villages often take part as well; the first championship in 1932 was won by a team from nearby Hookwood
Charlwood
Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is immediately northwest of London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, close west of Horley and north of Crawley. The historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex ran to the south of Gatwick Airport...
. The pub was rebuilt in its present form in 1936, and permanent rings were installed outside for marbles to be played upon.