Hurstpierpoint Heritage Trail

What is it?

Welcome! Hurstpierpoint Heritage Trail, produced by The Hurstpierpoint Society, in partnership with Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council (H&SCPC), is a fully interactive guide to take you on a journey through a living archive of time and place across a Sussex village, that dates back to the Saxon ‘Hyrft’ as a clearing in the forest.

There are several ways for you to discover the Heritage of Hurst:

  • Alternatively, there is a printed pamphlet guide available at the following locations:

    In the Village Centre:
    ➤ Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council Office 
    ➤ Hurstpierpoint Library

    Village Green locations: 
    ➤ Ashley & Thomas –  Opposite Trinity Road Car Park Walkway
    ➤ Charlotte Grace Casuals – Opposite the Statue of the Fair on the Village Garden.
    ➤ JanTon News – Opposite the Village Garden Bus Stop
    ➤ Hurstpierpoint Charity Shop – Next to the Village Green
    ➤ Morleys Bistro –  Opposite the Statue of the Fair

    Other locations: 
    ➤ The New Inn – High Street
    ➤ The Old Flower Field – Brighton Road

Why do it?

In 1826 the booklet ‘Slight Sketch of a Picture of Hurst by a native this village – HURST-PER-POINT.  It begins; “Stranger! you are here admitted to a View  of the beautiful Scenery of HURST, on a fine day…”. The booklet inspires learning to love the village, as so many people do, and then seeing it! 

In 1826, the industrial revolution was underway, and the farming community of Hurst began flexing the perceived potential and ambitions for the village, from a philanthropic and very secular core. A walk through the ox-pastures and meadows was very different then to how it is now, discovering how some ambitious plans were realised, and some not.

Who’s involved?

Hurstpierpoint Heritage Trail takes further inspiration from the Society’s great friend, the late Ian Nelson who brought us so much of what we know of the heritage of our ‘beautiful scenery’, who coined what has become the enduring motto of the village through one of his books, ‘Hurstpierpoint – kind and charitable’. 

Village institutions such as Hurstpierpoint Historical and Geographical Group and Hurst Festival who initiated Ian’s ‘Village Walk’ over a decade previously, continue to provide opportunity to promote the legacy of our heritage that The Hurstpierpoint Society seek to protect and enhance. There is still, after more than 700 years, the annual fair to celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence which we now know and love as St Lawrence Fair. Although it was deeply missed in the two summers of the pandemic, there is a determination to continue the rights bestowed to the villagers’ heirs by King Edward II in 1313. 

In August 2019 David Clarke, The Society’s Hon. Secretary suggested having a Heritage Trail around the village for current and future residents, as well as visitors, to have the means to discover what many residents instinctively recognise must be a heritage of substance. Having had the time during this devastating pandemic, the Society completed the task of developing this fully interactive comprehensive 21st Century ‘Slight Sketch of a Picture of Hurst’. This 2 year project has been collated and designed by Christopher Maidment, with a lot of help from all of the above and The Hurstpierpoint Museum Group.

Where to start?

H&SCPC installed the large schematic of The Heritage Trail, designed by Christopher Maidment, by the entrance of Trinity Road car park towards the High Street where the trail begins. He has also designed an ample guided pamphlet, obtainable at various locations in the village, or downloadable from this page of Hurstpierpoint Society’s website. Society Members had the opportunity to experience the draft Interactive Guide of the trail, which proved most helpful.

When?

The trail was officially launched at 3pm, Tuesday 24th August 2021 and is Ready when you are! Designed with all age groups in mind, charge up your smart phone or tablet! You can access it from this page or, point your camera at the QR code on the schematic and you’ll be away! 

We hope you enjoy it!