Vines Cross: Paths, Landscape and Local History

An Overview of Vines Cross

At the centre of Vines Cross, The Brewers Arms pub stands at the crossroads. The library is housed in a renovated telephone kiosk and follows the principle of “Take a book, leave a book”. The place name is also connected with a local tradition: Vines Cross is said to have been named in 1595 after John Vyne, the “Vintner” from Hellingly. The Vines Cross Community Association and the “History Group” continue to meet and plan activities. The history of the name and current community initiatives thus sit side by side.

Paths and Landscape

The Cuckoo Trail is within a short walk of Vines Cross. Around Vines Cross Farm, the trail can be used for cycling or walking; footpaths also pass directly by the accommodation for guests staying at the farm. Vines Cross Farm, on the edge of Vines Cross, is in the High Weald, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Another route in the area is the “Maynard’s Green, Sicklehatch, Vines Cross” circular walk, which leads into Nettlesworth Wood. A public footpath near Vines Cross reaches approximately 97 metres above sea level. From higher ground near the village, you can look south towards the distant South Downs. The Cuckoo Trail offers a nearby route from the village, while the circular walk focuses on the woodland connection to Nettlesworth Wood.

Traces of Local History

St James in Vines Cross was an unaltered iron chapel dating from the late 19th or early 20th century. Its architecture included painted corrugated iron walls, domestic-style windows and a freestanding, open timber bellcote. The chapel closed in 2003 and was later removed. It is therefore part of the village’s history, but is not a building that exists today.

In the centre, at the crossroads, the garage next to Forge Cottage was formerly a forge. The Heathfield Furnace Monument lies north of Vines Cross in the High Weald and forms part of the wider area around the village. The Fuller family built the blast furnace around 1693; it was used to manufacture cannons until 1793. In addition to the furnace, the monument includes slag heaps, a dam, dry ponds, a water system and the probable site of a boring mill. Earthworks and underground archaeological remains survive. Together with the former forge at the crossroads, the monument illustrates two different scales of local industrial history: a trade in the village centre and a larger historic complex in the surrounding area.

Wine and Other Interests

At Hidden Spring Vineyard on Vines Cross Road in Horam, visitors can take a tour with a wine tasting. As availability may change, it is advisable to check what is on offer before making plans. The wine tasting adds a culinary element to your stay, alongside walks and local history.

Discover more destinations: Ringmer, Northiam, Mountfield, Staplecross, Framfield, Brighton, Chiddingly, Mayfield

For the main travel overview: East Sussex.