A fine walk with views over to the South Downs starting at the village of West Hoathly. Walking includes a section of the Bluebell railway including the station at Horsted Keynes.

The afternoon is very much associated with the Bluebell Railway. We visit Horsted Keynes station and then walk parallel to the track for a mile or so. As it is Easter Sunday there should be a fine display of steam engines. For those of you who want to get in the mood, I recommend on BBC sounds, Penelope Keith reading Miss Bessemer Saves The Train, wonderful. For those of a certain age, we were taught at school, her grandfather steel processing invention as significant in the Industrial Revolution!

Some history of West Hoathly

The village has many historic buildings worth exploring. In the centre, there is the 11th Century St. Margaret’s Church which has seen the village grow around it, including the Manor House and the Priest House museum.

Once, the village shops were able to supply everything required. These included a butcher, baker, general stores and haberdashery. There were five village pubs in 1899 and West Hoathly had its own band and even its own Fire Station.  Farmers would often walk their cattle to East Grinstead market. Then in 1882, the railway arrived in West Hoathly, on the line from Lewes to East Grinstead, part of which is now the famous Bluebell Railway.

The Village Hall developed from a reading room and was used for a time during the Second World War as a school for children evacuated from London. In 1946, West Hoathly had its own cinema when Granada set up a mobile cinema that toured around Surrey and Sussex.