IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sussex Road, HAYWARDS HEATH, RH16 4NS

The current development was built about a decade ago on the site of the former Sussex pub which had opened as the Volunteer Inn around 1860. Sussex Square is the name given to the crossroads of the former A272 and B2112 which predated the arrival of the town. The road in view to the right is Sussex Road which heads south to Wivelsfield and Ditchling.

Located between Sussex Gate to the left and Image out of shot to the right. It looks like a former cinema but isn't and was built to replace four 19th century cottages that once stood on this site.

The road runs from Ashenground Road in the south to Haywards Road to the north with a third part heading east to Sussex Road. This is part of the latter with a new development on the left and Stockwell Court, the block of flats, to the right which was built in the early 1970s.

The Methodists occupied a building here in 1876 and rebuilt it the following year, extending it in 1957. They moved out in 1991 and were replaced by the Baptists.

The access road for the Priory estate which heads north from Sussex Square, the building of which removed the old island in the square and replaced it with the current roundabout.

An ancient highway that once crossed the lonely heath from Lindfield to Ditchling now the B2112. One of the main shopping streets of the town though not the original as the distance between buildings and pavement on both sides implies former gardens. The large building to the left was built in the late 1960s and included a Co-op department store at its base which has long gone. The crane to the right is currently helping to construct new buildings on the site of the former Sussex Hotel built at the crossroads in 1861 and originally known as the Volunteer.

Looking towards the entrance to South Road from the Hazelgrove Road exit. Sometimes known to older residents as Hiltons Corner after the former furniture store that was located between the two junctions from 1923 until the 1980s. The Hilton family were early arrivals in Haywards Heath and built up a small local retail empire in the town throughout much of the 20th century until disappearing during the 1980s. The old shop was replaced during that era and is now occupied by Laura Ashley whilst the flats above are now known as Hilton Court. Beyond with the blue shop front is Wisdom Sports a very good old fashioned independent sports shop that was opened in 1977 by Nick Wisdom, who made two first class appearances for Sussex cricket and is the only son of former comedian Norman Wisdom. Sussex Square is an ancient crossroads that predates the town and was until last autumn the point where the A272 and B2112 crossed each other.

Former Priory of Our Lady of Good Counsel established here by the English Convent of Bruges in 1886. The purchase of the Hazelgrove estate behind the building enables the Priory to eventually construct the building which was consecrated in 1897. It remained in use until the late 1970s when the nuns move to Sayers Commons, the grounds were turned into a housing estate and the building itself converted into a bar and restaurant the latter located in the formal chapel which has been largely maintained along with the windows. Taken from the corner of Triangle Road with Sussex Square and South Road in the distance.

The replica steam engine, situated on the Sussex Square roundabout, has a plaque with the number 175 attached to the back of its tender. It would seem to relate to the news that The Mid Sussex Times reported on 20 March 2015 that plans, for a special historical celebration, were on track – as Haywards Heath got ready to mark the 175th anniversary of the first steam engine arriving in the town. Organised by the Haywards Heath Town Team, the weekend event was set to take place on September 17 and 18, 2016 http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/local/all-aboard-for-haywards-heath-175th-anniversary-event-1-6640071#ixzz4AXeCQfXz

From the late 19th century to at least the end of the 1960s this was the site of a small nursery. Certainly by the early 1970s when I regularly walked along Franklynn Road it had become a car park. Beyond is the former Priory.