Envy With Ifield Green
I’ve just about gotten my head around having Wednesday as our non-working day. But no alarm on hump day is good and it looked sunny and bright out. It had been a while since we’d had a Crawley wander, but by the time we got out in the early afternoon the sun had been replaced by cloud and the threat of rain.
We had decided to head for Ifield village and green, scoping out a route for a summer walk to the Plough with friends for a pub lunch. Starting out we headed over the Brighton Road, and I resisted the temptation to take photos looking each way from the footbridge. The road below looks more like it was a railway cutting than a road, and it must be the embankment either side and the greenery that encourages all the idiots to act like it’s a country lane and fly down there at well above the 30mph speed limit.
We cut through Southgate down to the path alongside A23 (I typed “the lake” automatically there, “The Snake” being in my head), before crossing over before Cheals’ roundabout, being in Broadfield for a hundred yards or so, before crossing again into Gossops Green, taking a long distance shot of Buckswood in the garden centre, and then joining the path along the stream (water, but no lake) by Holy Trinity school.
Bluebells and crocuses are out alongside the path adding some variation to the green and brown of the late winter. The path ends and pops us out across from the car park for the mill pond. For the walk along there we were watched by a line of crows, reminiscent of crows on the wall in Game of Thrones.
A single tree was in full white blossom, and there was plenty of variety to the bird life around the mill pond, including a pair of pure white doves, who flew off at pace when I pointed the camera in their direction and tried to click them.
And then we were in Bewbush briefly (about twice as many steps as Broadfield but still not many) before crossing the railway. I did take photos each way of clear tracks, only for half a dozen trains to rattle past before we’d reached the mill.
I did get a picture of the old Mill House this time, after mistakenly assuming the house next to the mill was the listed building, and having it pointed out to me after a previous blog.
We crossed over Rusper Road and past the lovely listed Brook Cottage, and turned onto the footpath on the far side of the cottage.
I was booted up and I got the walking poles out. After the mud bath debacle at Silchester I wanted to try and stay upright. I’m glad I did have the gear. It is boggy on all the paths out there behind the houses. And what seems like every few yards there’s a Homes England sign warning that it’s private property apart from the footpath rights of way, and that they may be withdrawn at any time.
I’m not going to go into detail as others will be able to say it better, and will know more about the ins and outs of the full situation. But basically, Homes England and Horsham Council should do one and build elsewhere instead of as close to Crawley DC borders as possible.
Despite having not walked these paths before we found our way to St Margaret’s Church without having to double back or go around any houses.
The church is Grade I listed, and the table top tomb in the churchyard,
is separately Grade II listed and the church is open for visitors to look around during the day. I will be writing a separate piece on the church in the not too distant future.
It has to be said I wasn’t as prepared for the next bit of our wander as I usually am. I’ve normally scoped out and planned exactly where to go, what to photograph and to get all the places of worship, listed buildings, pubs, and blue plaques in. and since I’ve been seriously looking into Crawley’s history since the first lockdown, Ifield is one area I haven’t wandered around at all. But today I was winging it, being snap happy and hoping that when I got back, I’d captured all I wanted to (dream on).
I took pictures of the Barn Theatre (locally listed)
and the lovely 1840s Gothic-style Church Cottage, the original church school of Ifield, another Grade II listed building.
before leaving the churchyard through the lych gate.
There are wonderful buildings each side of Ifield Street. There are Tudor framed ones to the left, first is Harrow Cottage,
with next door being the original Plough building, called Old Plough Cottage, both of them being Grade II listed,
and there is a blue plaque to Elizabeth Fry on one — for a well-received visit — not even for living there.
Opposite is a nice Georgian looking building.
All around now are signs, and a well weathered map in leafy green (the gold could do with being redone) heralding the Ifield Village / Green Conservation area.
The current Plough is closed. I don’t suppose there is much midweek afternoon trade to be had, but we had been looking forward to the possibility of a bit of food and a drink. It is itself Grade II listed but is much newer than its neighbours, dating from 1900.
Instead we headed along Rectory lane, where I was sure there were a couple of listed buildings on the list, but I couldn’t remember which, and besides all the ones to the left as we walked down were well protected by high fences and foliage, so I was sure I’d missed some there.
We carry on past the cricket club and playing fields on the right and turn down to head onto Ifield Green. By now it is raining, and the camera is tucked away to avoid the damp. We turn and head for the Royal Oak.
Another lovely old pub (locally listed) and one that is open, even if it is outside the times on the board for serving food, drinks would be good. But they manage even better. Eagle eyed Helen notices a sign for filled rolls. It makes me smile, individually wrapped in cling film, it is a blast from the past, a cheese and onion crusty cob (yes, it’s a cob where I come from). A throwback to the eighties and nineties before every pub in the world turned themselves into bleeding gastro pubs. And when the pile of filled rolls ran out, you were out of luck until the chippy opened.
Our little refreshment stop saw the rain disappear, and once out of the pub we backtracked slightly to see Michaelmas Cottage — a Grade II listed building,
before carrying on along Ifield Green to the Masonic Hall and the second blue plaque of the day, this one to Frederick Knott, who wrote Dial M For Murder in his parents house that used to be on the site.
Along the way the medieval knight caught my eye (where some listed buildings didn’t)
Then we turned again to walk along Langley Lane. I knew there were a number of listed buildings along there, and there was photo after photo taken to try and get them all. (All whilst silently cursing myself for not planning better.)
The Quaker’s Meeting House is Grade I listed, the second such building we’ve seen today, making two of the only three in Crawley. The cottage attached (5 Langley Lane) is also listed (Grade II*), although under scaffolding for renovation work.
The mounting block in front of the meeting house is also a Grade II listed structure, I knew something in the grounds was, and so there is no separate picture of that, but instead the well
Further along the Lane, number 37
And number 39 are both Grade II listed.
There are a lot of nice, large, quaint, historic, and marvellous houses along the lane. I hadn’t walked along there before, and it would put in a good challenge to Mount Close in Pound Hill as to where (if money were no object) I’d like to live most in Crawley.
The camera was now flashing a warning at me. I’d not charged it, forgetting I’d spent quite some time in the churchyard of St Francis and St Anthony’s on Saturday. Heading back towards town I did cross over for a few steps in Langley Green to get some photos of the Catholic Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven on the corner of Stagelands.
I suppose functional would be the kindest thing to say about it. It reminds me of a school gymnasium.
It was time to head for home under darkening skies. Crossing over Crawley Avenue I now know what is meant when I see people mentioning the Curly Wurly bridge. We zigged and zagged through West Green, stopping to pick up dinner items in Asda and then back to Southgate as the rain started again.
Once I got home and was able to check the details it turns out I missed quite a few listed buildings, the first being right next to the church — Rectory Farmhouse. Then there was the Old Rectory (yes, I saw a sign for the Old Rectory, Grade II listed, but no photo). (Missing carrying on up Tweed Lane and therefore missing Grade II listed The Tweed.) I also missed Oak House next to the pub which is locally listed, and the Old Post Office and Malvern Cottage (both locally listed). Due to the rain I had my camera stashed and didn’t take it out to photograph the impressive looking Newstead Lodge (again Grade II listed) or Brooklands (locally listed). I also missed the locally listed Ifield Steam Mill.
There were enough misses to merit a second wander around the Ifield Village Conservation area in the not too distant future.
For other posts on finding historic Crawley, click on the link below to the list I’ve set up.
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