A talk by Nick Steer to the Henfield History Group on Tuesday 10th June at 8:00pm in the Free Church Hall, Henfield.
Category Archives: Saddlescombe
Saddlescombe Farm Open Day
The National Trust writes:
Discover this ancient downland farm that was once owned by the Knights Templars. Tours of the 17th century buildings, the surrounding downs and the walled garden. Displays and demonstrations of traditional work including; hurdle making, shepherding, carpenters’s workshop and more. This year we are delighted to introduce our new farmers Roly and Camilla — so watch out for newly born lambs and their sheep dog Belle. Tea and home-made cakes available.
Sunday 27th April, 10:30am–4:00pm, adult £5, child £3, family £13.
Landfill Communities
The South Downs National Park Authority reports:
The Veolia Environmental Trust have awarded a grant of £40,000 through the Landfill Communities Fund which is helping to improving the chalk grassland near Saddlescombe Farm, Brighton, where rare and threatened butterfly species such as the Small Blue, Chalkhill Blue and the Brown Argus can still be found. The funding means that newly improved chalk grassland on the edge of Waterhall Golf Course will join up with chalk grassland already managed by Brighton and Hove City Council — increasing the area that the butterflies can call home by 50 per cent.
3000 years in 3 hours
Saddlescombe Farm, Sunday 23 February 2014, 10:00am — 1:00pm, all tickets £3.00, children and dogs on leads welcome, slightly challenging walk, advance booking not needed.
An opportunity to discover an ancient downland farm and its surroundings. Saddlescombe Farm has seen over 1000 years of history and still retains many of its old buildings, including the donkey well and 17th century barn. The surrounding downland holds even greater allure with over 3000 years of stories to tell.
More information: Graham Wellfare, 01273 857712, graham.wellfare@nationaltrust.org.uk
Join the Saddlescombe education volunteers
Learning outside the classroom: join the new volunteer teaching team at Saddlescombe Farm. A new classroom is being developed in one of the farm buildings. The day will be spent introducing the education staff, meeting current volunteers and finding out what is planned for the future.
Friday, 24 January 2014, 10:00am — 1:00pm. More info here.
The history of Saddlescombe
Thanks to the efforts of Janet Kennish and Graham Wellfare, the National Trust webpages for Saddlescombe have recently been enhanced with a lot of interesting new material:
- Saxons and Normans
- The Knights Templar
- The farm: 1600-1850
- A Quaker family farm
- The twentieth century
[Note added in December 2018: as is their custom, the inexcusably awful National Trust website has now changed or removed all the URLs linked above. The material is probably still there but you will need to search for it.]
Wreath DIY at Saddlescombe
Create your own Christmas wreath with materials collected from the downs. Take a festive walk and collect your holly and ivy. Return to historic Saddlescombe farm to make your very own Christmas decorations in front of a roaring fire in the Tudor Scullery. Mulled apple juice, mince pies and roast chestnuts will be included.
Booking essential. Monday, 23rd December 2013, 10:00am — 1:00pm, adult £6, child £3. More info here.
Sheep at Saddlescombe? Never!
The white and black woolly creatures that you have often seen in the fields around Saddlescombe were just wolves in drag, apparently. The Argus is reporting that 692 real sheep have now arrived together with the “first sheep farmers for 70 years”.
Two free guided walks
Saturday 14 September: 1100 – 1530 leaving from the bus stop outside Brighton Rail Station on the 11.12 Breeze Bus 77 to Devils Dyke then on a 6½ mile linear walk along the South Downs Way to Saddlescombe, Pyecombe, the Jack & Jill windmills and Hassocks where you can return to Brighton via train or bus. Remember to bring a picnic lunch.
Sunday 15 September: 1015 – 1345 for an 8 mile circular walk starting at Clayton windmills car park OS Explorer ref 122/303134 (bus service 769 leaves Brighton Station at 0940 to stop nearby, walk up from the A273. Return on 40X or 769) and heading south to the Chattri Indian Memorial. Then along the Sussex Border Path and the South Downs Way back past Pyecombe Church to the windmills.