Talks – History of Balcombe

Report by Michael Duck, 5th August 2021

Tony Perkins, from the Balcombe History Society, provided us with a screening of his film telling the history of his village. Opening with scenes from what the area might have looked in pre-historic times this impressive film proceeded to take us from the times when hunter gatherers roamed the land as did wolves, fallow deer, boar and maybe bears. When the Romans came iron extraction was carried out and this continued in this heavily forested High Weald area for many hundreds of years together with charcoal burning at varying scales, the latter into the 20^th Century.

The 10^th Century started to see paths through the forest landscape and some signs of minor settlements. The oldest remaining buildings are Ryelands and parts of the parish church from 13^th Century but the larger changes came during the 16^th and 17^th Centuries with further clearance of the forest for shipbuilding and the many timber-framed houses, many still surviving in the area and which were seen in the film.

Gradually farming expanded but the heavy ground meant that travel was limited, as was the case then in much of Sussex, to the summer months, until the coming of turnpike roads in the 18^th and 19^th Centuries. The greatest change came in 1841 with the opening of the London to Brighton railway which cut through the village, by then largely a farming area. We learnt how the then navigable Ouse, and its canal extension, meant that the millions of bricks needed for the viaduct and railway tunnel construction could be brought into the area by water. Work had taken just three years then railway came the river trade started to diminish and was ultimately lost to the new invention it had helped build.

The film showed how the village expanded from the early days, the numerous lovely cottages and fine houses that are still survive within the area and the backgrounds of its inhabitants from farmworkers and tradespeople to the higher strata of society, such as Lady Denman who founded the W.I. The founding of Victory Hall with its murals, provided for the working man in the 1930’s, the two Royal weddings which took place in the village, evacuees, the Home Guard, the closing of many shops these were just a small number of more recent topics which were covered in this most informative and detailed film. The village has seen so many changes but it is still a place that possesses beautiful scenery. This film was much appreciated by the socially distanced audience and revealed much information that will enhance our visit on the 14^th August.