Ashurst Wood

Ashurst Wood is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England. It is to the southeast of East Grinstead, just off the A22 arterial road. In 2001, the population was 1,771, increasing to 1,833 at the 2011 Census. Ashurst Wood is within the High Weald Area of Natural Beauty and has an SSSI inside its boundaries.
The village has a history of agriculture and farming, and contains a church, village hall, primary school, two public houses, a general shop, post office and several small business premises. There is an independent school on the boundary of the village, called Brambletye School, and a former one, Stoke Brunswick School (the former junior school of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill), which closed in 2009. Bus routes run through the village with destinations of East Grinstead, Crawley , Haywards Heath , Tunbridge Wells and Brighton.

History

The date of when the village was formed is not known. Two of the main roads in the village and Lewes Road (now part of the A22) were used as a ridge-way track for animals and people 5,000 years ago. There is evidence of a Roman ironworks in the village.
By 1066, the area had two established farms, the tracks between them are still in use today as roads. The name of Ashurst Wood dates back to 1164 when the region was known as ''Aesehyrst Wilde''. There was no village then and the name was used for a common area. During the reign of Henry II, the area that is now Ashurst Wood was called, ''Esseherst''. The names ''Aisherst'', ''Askhurst'' and ''Eseherst'' were in use in the years 1186, 1248 and 1279 respectively. Around 1300 a house was built, part of which remains as the Headmaster's drawing room in Stoke Brunswick School, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.
By the time of the reign of Elizabeth I, Ashurst Wood had prosperous farms, with Water Farmhouse being built in the 16th century, Great Surries dating from the 17th century, and its barn being slightly more recent. The population grew and more houses were built in the village. in 1855, the nearby town of East Grinstead was connected to London by rail, and another rail connection to the area in 1884 meant that Ashurst Wood was more accessible. Many wealthy people bought property in the area and this provided work other than that of the agricultural type.

Modern history

The village school began in new premises built for 240 children on 30 September 1910. It is still in use as the primary school. During World War I, many villagers volunteered to serve in the armed forces. Back in the village efforts to help the war included making sandbags to be sent to the front. In 1931, construction was complete on St Dunstan's Hall, which is now the Village Centre. The hall was immediately put to good use for many activities by villagers. Ashurst Wood experienced World War II first hand with bullets from planes hitting the school. Dogfights were regularly seen in the skies above and around the village, and buildings that used to be part of Stoke Brunswick School were used for nursing allied airmen. In 1944, the village was hit by a series of V-1 flying bombs, ''Doodlebugs'', leaving craters that are still visible today. Since the Second World War, the village has been expanded by suburban development. In December 1978, construction started on the United Reformed Church in the village to convert it into the new and current St. Dunstan's Church. The work was completed in Summer 1979 and dedicated in September by the Bishop of Horsham. The lease for St. Dunstan's Hall was taken over by the Ashurst Wood Community Association from the church and became the Village Centre in 1980. The hall was then renovated by local builders and has since been put to use by youth clubs, local theatre and many more activities.

Governance history

In the 1870s the ecclesiastical