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Wednesday 10am - 12:30pm Thursday 10am - 12:30pm Friday 10am - 12:30pm Saturday 10am - 12:30pm

Cuckfield Museum

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Cuckfield Museum

Cuckfield Museum is a small, volunteer-run, independent museum

Normal opening times: Wednesday - Saturday 10am-12.30pm

With an earliest record in a charter of 1091, Cuckfield has grown and developed from the site of an ancient market, through the building of the 13th Century church and 16th Century ironmasters mansions to becoming an important staging post on the 18th Century London to Brighton coaching route. Some of the world's first dinosaur discoveries were made here in the 19th Century and after the two World

Wars of the 20th Century, Cuckfield is becoming a 21st Century boutique village. Find out about village life, the interesting people and places and fascinating events that have shaped Cuckfield or look into your family history in our research room.

12/06/2026

Our thanks to Charles Tucker for a fascinating talk yesterday on the history of Haywards Heath, starting with a map from 1638 which showed amongst other things Steeple Cottage and the ancient farmhouse which is now Miller&Carter! Spanning the centuries we came to the much loved livestock market and the old Haywards Heath Hospital. Pictures shows the old Hayworthe Arms with the market beyond and an architect's drawing of the hospital.

08/06/2026

Just a reminder of Charles Tucker's talk, 'Haywards Heath in Days Gone By', this Thursday 11th June at 2.30pm, now in the main hall, Queen's Hall, Cuckfield.
Charles will use images to tell the story of Haywards Heath from its earliest days in the C13th to the C20th.
Admission £5 or £3 for Patrons and Friends.
Photos show South Road in the 1950s.

01/06/2026

As part of our new display about the Independent State of Cuckfield, we are displaying the Mayor's robes this summer (in between Alan Carter's engagements). Stewards Gustel Malins and Anne Buck with our 'Virtual Mayor' and Gustel Malins with another Mayor, Martin Ingebretson, in 1986.

25/05/2026

Cuckfield Mayor Alan Carter came to see our new display celebrating 60 years of the Independent State of Cuckfield. He was welcomed by four times Mayor Ken Gregory, pictured under a portrait of him when he was last in office in 2016. The display features photos and articles from the early days as well as currency, stamps and passports, all issued by the State.
B&W photos show actor James Fox who had been brought up in Cuckfield and Mayor Edgar Dudley with Miss Cuckfield Jane Swain in 1968. Also the vintage fire engine which was a feature of the annual Mayor's Procession

05/05/2026

Advance notice that local historian Charles Tucker will be giving an illustrated talk 'Haywards Heath in Times Gone By' on Thurs 11th June in the Council Chamber, The Queen's Hall, Cuckfield.
Tickets £5 or £3 for members. Please let us know if you plan to come on [email protected] as space is limited.

01/05/2026

Cuckfield Museum had a stand at last weekend's highly successful Pop Up Museum at Haywards Heath Town Hall. Visitors were fascinated by our extensive photo collection of Haywards Heath in days gone by. Our pictures show an Aerial View of the town in the early 50s; the original main entrance to the station opposite the old Hayworthe Arms Hotel and Harry Secombe opening the Haywards Heath Hospital Country Market in 1959.

27/04/2026

Steffanie Richards' talk on April 23rd gave us 100 years of history between 1870-1970 skilfully captured in 10 pieces of costume from her collection at Henfield Museum. Our photos show an exquisite cyclamen wedding dress and veil made by the bride herself, Margaret Bayes, when she married Leading Aircraftman John Vincent at All Saints Church, The Drive in Hove in March 1940. It may have been a time of war but the population still took seriously the art of dressing. Steffanie was happy to report that the bridegroom survived the war and the marriage was a long and happy one.

20/04/2026

A reminder of our next talk 'Frocktales' this Thursday, April 23rd at 2.30pm in the Council Chamber, The Queen's Hall, Cuckfield. Stephanie Richards, Costume Curator at Henfield Museum, will bring pieces of costume from every decade between 1870 and 1970 and explain what they reveal about life at the time.
Please let us know if you plan to come on [email protected] as space is limited.
Tickets £5 or £3 for members.

16/04/2026

This lovely little jar was unearthed recently in a garden in Brainsmead. The Museum is always interested to see and help identify finds. Many will recognise this as a Shippam's meat paste jar - it's likely to date from the 1930s which fits with the age of the house. They turn up quite often as the glass they were made of was heavy and thick to survive the high pressure sterilisation process.
The Shippam factory was well known in Chichester and the surrounding area and the Shippam family were considered firm but fair bosses. During the 1960s, Jim Shippam in particular was strict over his labour force drinking during working hours. Anyone suspected was made to repeat the following: 'Shippam's Chichester Sausages' !
The factory closed in 2002 but the facade still remains at East Walls in Chichester.

07/04/2026

A recent visitor was interested to see our painting of James Selby's epic coach ride through Cuckfield on July 13th 1888 when he won a newspaper wager that he couldn't drive his coach from London to Brighton and back in less than 8 hours. He managed it in 7 hours 50 mins and won £1000. One of the most famous coachmen of his day, he sadly died in December the same year aged only 44. A coachman's life was a tough one.
Our photos show Selby dressed for work and his gravestone in Highgate Cemetery complete with carved whips - spotted by our same visitor.

Address

Cuckfield Museum, Queen's Hall, High Street
Cuckfield
RH175EL

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 12:30pm
Thursday	10am - 12:30pm
Friday	10am - 12:30pm
Saturday	10am - 12:30pm

Telephone

+447857815880

Website

http://cuckfieldmuseum.org/

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