Is Haywards Heath just a town to get out of? People move here because it’s handy for London, Gatwick and the South Coast. As a commuter town we gain energy and income from those who pass Church morning and evening to or from the station but Haywards Heath is a place to be celebrated for its own sake. That’s been my conviction since 2001, when I was first licensed to St Richard’s as Diocesan Mission & Renewal Advisor, and it’s that passion which lies behind my writing ‘Celebrating Haywards Heath: Heart of Sussex’ I’m proud to launch this afternoon which is an accessible history framed by experience of the town over 23 years.
Haywards Heath grew from an ancient crossroads on the commanding heights of the High Weald now traced by the A272. London’s love affair with Brighton fuelled demand for a railway and the station opened on the ‘Hayworth’ 1841 creating the hub and heart of Sussex. My book celebrates the town’s growth, its long gone cattle market and asylum for the mentally ill, its entrepreneurs and philanthropists. A commuter town, gaining energy from outside itself, Haywards Heath has a parallel going out as a tourist venue. ‘Celebrating Haywards Heath: Heart of Sussex’ therefore has the subtitle ‘With South Downs & London rail trails’ and provides appendices linked to my best selling ‘Fifty Walks from Haywards Heath’ (2020) with walking routes to sights on the South Downs and in London accessible from our station. The book is available on Amazon and as a Kindle.
In commending the book launched today Haywards Heath’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Duncan Pascoe writes: ‘As our town continues to grow and we welcome new residents to the heart of Sussex, the story of Haywards Heath should be more readily available. Regrettably, up to now there is little local history that can be easily accessed by the public and there is no Haywards Heath Museum. I feel that the preservation and sharing of local history is critical to establishing the identity and culture of the town, especially for the new residents we welcome here… It is through the efforts of people like Fr John that a community arts and culture board has now been formed at the town council to help coordinate cultural activities. With a community-led approach, I wish for this book to form part of a staging ground for a Haywards Heath museum, where the Town’s history can be told in ways that are illustrative and engaging’.
The book celebrates St Wilfrid’s School’s 2024 local history project which climaxed 12 June in our Hall when 30 children interviewed 18 townsfolk about how Haywards Heath has changed over their lifetime and what future aspirations we might hold. Some of those in Church this morning were present with Fr David and I at that special Ric’s Bench which had a great buzz about it with 18 interviews going on for an hour and a half. I am grateful to Fr David, our Churchwarden Mary King and our school head Mr Hateley for working with me on that project and, again, to Fr David for his warm commendation on the first page of my book. As Councillor Pascoe said we hope the book will be a staging ground for a Haywards Heath museum and more schools and youth organisations getting involved in the cross-generational exercise St Richard’s pioneered in June which blesses young and old together and builds a sense of belonging all around as townsfolk.
