Out and About

I took a little trip to the village of Cuckfield at the weekend.  It has a few designer shops, a couple fo tea rooms and the village church, which originates from 1090.

  Changes were made in the 15th and 16th century.  It has the most beautiful stained glass and the prettiest hand sewn tapestry kneelers on the back of every chair. 

There is no shortage of picturesque cottages around the village...

The village museum is usually closed on Sundays but we were lucky they were hosting a Book Fest so nipped in as I love to see the witchcraft cache (which is a collection of things found under the floorboards of the houses in the village, some dating back to the 16th century.  Shoes and toys were placed under floorboards so that evil spirits would inhabit these instead of their owners).
Photography is not allowed in the exhibit rooms but it's worth a visit if you're local - there is a collection of old toys, a display relating to the old workhouse that was later converted to a court house, even some locally found fossils on display.

There are also some beautiful old grandfather clocks here - the village was once known for its clocks, made by the Bates family.  The original shop (now a dentist) still stands.  More info **here

 This was intended to be a circular walk taking in woodland, but having trudged through the very muddy woods, we realised our  map had errors, so we found our way back to the car and explored the village instead then had a picnic in the car whilst watching the torrential rain!