LIST OF CHERISHED PLACES OF HAYWARDS HEATH
Places to Cherish 2009
Ashdown Hospital, Burrell Road.
Oathall Conservation Area, inc. Oathall House & Farlington House (former St. Paul’s College Site).
Below is letter received from a former resident of Haywards Heath and we thought you may be interested to read it.
"I was just playing with the computer and I decided to look up haunts of my childhood and I put in Middle Farm, it appears it is still standing. I now live in London.
I lived in Fairford House next door in about 1958 - 1963. It was divided into flats and owned by the electricity board to house some of their employees. It was great childhood as we had vast grounds of woods, streams and an old orchard to play in. Most of us children went to New England Road School, (head teacher Mr Cheal) and although you could get to it by going over a stream and climbing the school's chain link fence and over the school playing field, we had to go round by road.
I was friends with Serena Field at Middle Farm. Her father owner hotels in Brighton and had interests in the building industry. His father-in-law 'farmed' a small holding on the farm and as children we helped collect eggs from chickens, ducks geese etc. He also kept goats and rabbits. When Serena's elder sister married her father built a flat in the hay loft, one of our play area. the dairy he converted into a bunglaow for his in-laws. Even though I was only about 8, I was horrified that he wrecked a fireplace alcove in the old part of the main house to build a cocktail cabinet. I remember the house well, the old part was relatively small and had additions to it. Serena's Mum had an Aga, and a big clothes pully. The eggs were stored ina big pantry, there was a long table in the dining room, and upstairs there were two old bedrooms. Obviously memories from 50 years are not accurate, but i was impressed by the old features even then. The farm had ownership of ponds that we used to catch tadpoles in. There was a very steep drive down to the house that we used to sledge down, as in those days it snoed heavily every year.
In recent years I have only been past the area, I did not realise the farm was still standing. Dear old Fairford House has now disappeared."
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