Henfield
Henfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies 41 miles (66 km) south of London, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Brighton, and 30 miles (48 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037.
The parish has a land area of 4,285 acres (1,734.1 ha). In the 2001 census 5,012 people lived in 2,153 households, of whom 2,361 were economically active. Other nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the east and Shoreham-by-Sea to the south. The population at the 2011 Census was 5,349.
Just west of the town, the two branches of the River Adur, the western Adur and the eastern Adur, meet at Betley Bridge. From Henfield the Adur flows on into the English Channel at Shoreham-by-Sea.
Henfield was already a large village, of 52 households, at the time of Domesday (1086).
One of the largest village communities in the Horsham district, Henfield has an old and attractive centre.
It has a modern and intensely used village hall just off the High Street, the 13th-century St Peter’s church, old inns, a wide and attractive common, and many interesting houses in private ownership.
There is a fire station, part of the West Sussex Fire Brigade, equipped with a single fire engine.
Henfield has one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world, dating back to 1771. A women’s team was formed from 2006.
Henfield also officially has the oldest Scout group in the country (1st Henfield), dating from 1907. When officially registered in 1908 there were 36 scouts in the group. The group was started in winter 1907-8 by Audrey Wade, whose brother, A. G. Wade, had met Baden-Powell when both were travelling to the UK from Africa when they were in the army. A. G. Wade later had several administrative roles in the developing Scout movement.
To the south is Woods Mill, a restored mill, now the headquarters of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, its attractions including an extensive nature trail.
There is also a theatre company which is held in the village hall.
