Cuckfield Museum’s new display celebrates its ‘noisy neighbour’

The new exhibition at The Cuckfield Museum hints at the relationship between the village and its larger, busier and still relatively new neighbour.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Feb 2019, 11:21 BST
Updated 18th Feb 2019, 09:24 BST
Brighton County Borough Asylum, Haywards HeathBrighton County Borough Asylum, Haywards Heath
Brighton County Borough Asylum, Haywards Heath

‘Haywards Heath: Cuckfield’s Noisy Neighbour’ covers the history of the town and how the railway affected the small village of Cuckfield.

Cuckfield was the small, village which rejected the coming of the modern world.

Boltro Farm, Haywards HeathBoltro Farm, Haywards Heath
Boltro Farm, Haywards Heath
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When the railway arrived in 1841 so that the station was built in the middle of the Heath – a deserted place with a few scattered farms and cottages and a 
windmill.

The railway was a deciding factor in the establishment of the Sussex Lunatic Asylum in the town in 1859, as well as market trade and schooling.

The population of Haywards Heath expanded between the wars – the electrification of the railway with speedier travel brought more commuters and prosperity to the town but there was a shortage of housing.

Thousands of houses were built for younger people at a more affordable price and the town thrived .

The display will be open on February 16 until mid summer.