My two son's now aged 27 and 25 were born in Cuckfield West Sussex. The hospital they were born in no longer exists, it was a listed building and has now been turned into luxury apartments and sold for a very lovely price. We quite often return to the area as it is such a well kept pretty county along with East Sussex, the county boundary for East Sussex runs a mere 6 miles from Cuckfield.
Our first stop was of course for a Coffee break,Flâneuris a exclusive emporium of unique furniture from France and Europe, mixed with outstanding gifts, silk flowers, a bistro and coffee shop all under one roof. The Bistro is going to open on Thursday the 16th May and I have made a mental note to return with my two sons at some point.
Incase you were wondering what Flâneur means it comes from the French word to stroll or walk slowly. In 19th Century Paris, a Flâneur was a gentleman or dandy who would amble the streets very slowly ‘contemplating’ life. An extreme Flâneur would follow his tortoise! The owners say's "When you visit Flâneur we aim to give you that same sensation of relaxation and calm. A chance to slow your pace of life while being inspired and being surrounded by beautiful things". We chatted to the owner who indeed provided excellent service and great coffee.
Sounds to me like the perfect reason to stop and enjoy.
Cuckfield boasts its fare share of well kept houses, I have always been a huge fan of the beautiful sussex roofs complete with moss. My love of natural pathways also stems from living in Sussex, as does my restraint from having an immaculate front paved driveway, which is much to my detriment, as I spend a good portion of my life sweeping back the shingle from path to driveway outside my house!
Back to the beautiful houses of Cuckfield, I'm sure you will agree that they are well worth a visit in their own right.
I have a favourite tree of all time that resides in the main street in Cuckfield, it spans the width of the road and is the first thing you see upon entering Cuckfield from the A272 from the West. For me it has always been the marker for me returning home, it hugs the village like it is keeping watch over it. I love the fact that it has been there for a lot of years and has seen changes that we only see in photographs. It is a bit of stability in an ever changing world.
We lived in Sussex in the great storm of 1987, the first thing I did when it was safe to go out was drive the short distance to Cuckfield to make sure this tree was still standing, fortunately it would seem it would take more than a huge storm to get rid of this amazing tree.
The Church in Cuckfield is immaculately kept, as are the grounds. You are also treated to a fantastic view as far as the South Downs in Ditchling.
It's quite interesting to look at some of the statues in the grave yard, also if you like poetry you are in for a treat whilst reading some of the head stones. I came across something new this time in the shape of an old custom woody car on one of the headstones, a work of art, I love it.
On one side of the graveyard is an allotment which provides my need for a bit of garden colour in the form of some old sheds.
Finally the most amazing pollarded Lime tree (I may be corrected on this, but I'm sure it is a lime). Look at the most amazing way the branches have now been trained to form an umbrella like structure, fabulous.
Cuckfield also has a nice selection of individually owned shops which is nice to see. The shop owners are very friendly and are more than happy to chat to you. Remember that, chatting shop owners? Of course there are lots of nice tempting items to buy, they are now minus a metal sewing tin and a lovely silver and leather ring!
So there you have it, an introduction to a small village in West Sussex. It also helped that for April it was a very hot sunny day, just right to amble around and see what beautiful places still exist in England.
I have not tampered with this picture, the sky really was that colour, we also have a red face and shoulder to show for the soaring temperatures that today seem to have disappeared!
