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Gander Hill, HAYWARDS HEATH, RH16 1QX

The point where College Road becomes Gander Hill. The road was once part of the old medieval Cuckfield to Lindfield highway that skirted the northern end of the old Haywards Heath common. It left Broad Street, Cuckfield at Hatchgate Lane and followed the route of the bridleway through Paige's Wood then part of Blunt's Wood Crescent and Blunt's Wood Road. Part of the section which crossed the current grounds of Haywards Heath College was removed as public access in the 1950s with a bridleway reappearing heading east from Turners Mill Road between a housing estate and a business park before rejoining Balcombe Road prior to it crossing under the railway. Here the route becomes a highway again along College road then Gander Hill up to Smallsgreen Cross where it would have once crossed Lindfield's West Common and entered that town via Denman's Lane or Hickman's Lane. Much of Gander Hill was developed between the wars.

A private cul de sac off Gander Hill built between the wars.

A private cul de sac off College road that was developed between the wars. Named after nearby Sunte House.

A cul de sac off Gander Hill that was built in the late 1950s along the alignment of the former drive to Sunte House.

A Victorian villa on Summerhill Lane located to the south of Image On the eastern side of the lane and thus in Lindfield, those on the west are in Haywards Heath. The highway was originally known as Scrase Bridge Lane and runs north to Ardingly.

My prep school has a new name now but it looked just the same as it did 50 yrs ago.

Originally a Victorian house called Summer Hill that was acquired in 1939 by the owners of Belvedere School located in Bolnore Road Haywards Heath that had been founded in 1888. In 1973 it merged with Tavistock Hall, then based in Heathfield East Sussex, but originally founded in the Devon town. Both were originally boys preparatory boarding schools but became co-educational in the early 1980s. The school governors voted for closure in 2011 due to dwindling numbers, however, the parents mobilised to save it and succeeded after which interest and numbers have grown again. The white building to the right is the former lodge whilst the road to the south of the school is small residential estate built on former grounds.

A busy mini roundabout

Once part of the medieval route linking Cuckfield to Lindfield the road currently runs between Mill Green Road and Smallsgreen Cross, a crossroads that also contains Summerhill Lane, Portsmouth Lane and Sunte Avenue. The houses on the right were built in the 1890s.

The road was laid out in the first decade of the 20th century and forms a rectangle with Queens Road to the south. As can be seen by the variety of styles development was piecemeal. According to Cuckfield's 1843 tithe map this was once Five Acre Field.