Isfield
Isfield is a beautiful remote village situated in the heart of Sussex lying between Lewes and Uckfield. The tiny village has only a population of only a few hundred and is a typical example of a countryside community with a small post office situated by the football and cricket grounds, one pub and a steam railway this making Isfield unique in its own way.
The village first started to grow into a settlement area due to the Roman road that crossed the nearby River Ouse. This later led to more and more people settling in the area due to the river activities and its natural resources. In the late 11th century, due to this area being such a defensive position, the Norman victors at the time decided to build a moat and bailey style castle in the village to ensure the local population did not rise up against the new invaders. The faint remains of this can still be found to this day where the mound lays near the church by the river. To this day local legend says that King Harold himself stayed at the village close to where Isfield Place stands today just before the battle of Hastings.
During the middle ages, iron ore was heavily mined in the Isfield area due to its high content. Evidence can still be found today at Isfield and the surrounding areas through random findings of clinker and slag which were once the bi products of iron ore mining.
Today Isfield hosts one pub called “The Laughing Fish”. Although the history of the pub is unclear, it is thought the building started life out as a local chapel in the mid to late 19th century and which later became known as “The Half Moon”, When the railway arrived in village the pub was highly dependant on the local trade of the railway and the station, a relationship which both the Lavender Line and the Laughing Fish both still share to this day.