Paul S's East Grinstead Good King Wenceslas

Moderate 8.4miles/13.5km Ascent 669ft/203.9m circular

From the Vicarage carpark along Church Lane to reach East Grinstead High Street which is on the High Weald Landscape Trail.

The High Street contains nineteen timber framed houses from the 14th and 15th centuries, with another thirteen from the Tudor and Stewart periods. The town reached the height of its prosperity during the 1600’s since it was an important centre within the flourishing Wealden iron industry, hosting the assizes (periodical courts, hence Judges Terrace), weekly markets and annual fairs.

We take the High Weald Landscape Trail along the High Street, to Sackville College.

Sackville College is a Jacobean Alms-house, built of Sussex sandstone around a quadrangle, founded by Robert Sackville in 1609 and still in use as an Alms-house today.

John Mason Neale (b.1818-d.1866) was Warden at Sackville College Alms-house from 1846-1866. He lived there with his wife and family and wrote many well-known hymns and carols, including “Good King Wenceslas.”

We head out of East Grinstead along Lewes Road, leaving it and passing Worsted Farm, Pitlands Wood, Shovelstrode Farm on the way to Hammerwood where we join the Vanguard Way. Heading south we should be able to glimpse Hammerwood Park. Hammerwood Park is a Grade I listed building built in the Greek Revival architectural style in 1792 as the first independent work of Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Continuing along the Vanguard Way we reach Ashurst Wood where we stop for a picnic lunch. After lunch we head past Brambletye School and reach the Forest Way. We join the Forest Way, which was the former railway line between East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells which opened in 1866, and closed on the 2nd of January 1967 as a result of the report” The Reshaping of British Railways “in 1963 by East Grinstead resident and British Railways Board Chairman Dr Richard Beeching, and take this to East Grinstead where it is a short walk back to the start.

Optional drink in one of the local pubs.

NB: There is a £2 payment required for non-Ramblers Assoc. members to help cover our Meetup costs. Please help the walk leader by bringing the exact change.Ramblers members are welcome on any of our walks, but we would still encourage you to RSVP on Meetup. This will give our volunteer walk leaders an idea of how many are attending, and also keep the numbers manageable. If, on the day of the walk, you are still on the waiting list and a Ramblers member, you can attend - just let the walk leader know you are coming by adding a comment 'Coming as a Rambler'. You will find the start location via our website

Our Walks (westkentwalkinggroup.org.uk).