insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 11 - January 2016 | Page 69

TOWNSPOTLIGHT

S P OT L I G H T

O N

HAYWARDS HEATH

BY LISAMARIE LAMB

Haywards Heath in West Sussex is the ideal commuter town – perfect for travel into London,
Brighton, Crawley, Gatwick, or elsewhere in Sussex, and lovely to come home to after a hard
day’s work. With new homes being planned and built, the modernisation of the town centre, and
a bright new railway station and ticket office, there is a lot for Haywards Heath’s residents to look
forward to in the future. As for the present, with a good range of schools and a lively town centre,
there is much to recommend in Haywards Heath.

History in Brief
A hay ward was someone whose job it was to
look after the hedges and enclosures around
a village or town, and make sure that local
livestock didn’t destroy it. Although this could
be where the name Haywards Heath comes
from, another thought is that it relates back to
a notorious highwayman from the area, who
called himself Jack Hayward. Either way, this
could be one of the most literal and descriptive
names for a town in all of Sussex!

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The first time that Haywards Heath as it is
known today is mentioned in history is during
the Civil War. It was December 1642 and
Royalist troops were heading for Lewes from
the direction of Chichester. They were met by
Parliamentarians at Haywards Heath, where they
were defeated. After this, history is fairly quiet
regarding the area, and those who lived there
must have enjoyed the farming and agriculture
that was rife around the town. When the London
and Brighton Railway arrived in 1841, however,
quiet, peaceful Haywards Heath became a
popular commuter town, especially as Haywards
Heath was, for some time, the end of the line.