Bolney: Vineyards, Walks and History

Bolney brings together wine, walks and architectural history, offering different reasons to visit. Bolney Wine Estate is a working vineyard and visitor attraction in the West Sussex countryside; footpaths lead in all directions from Bolney. Historic buildings add different periods to the village’s history. When choosing a hotel in Bolney, you could first consider whether wine, walking routes or history will shape your trip.

Wine and Tastings

Bolney Wine Estate was founded by the Pratt family in 1972. It includes an 18-acre visitor vineyard. The estate grows, presses and bottles still and sparkling wines on site. The growing and processing are therefore part of the same operation: the vineyard is not only part of the landscape, but also part of the production process.

The estate offers visitors guided tours of the vineyards and winery. These are followed by guided tastings of still and sparkling wines. A wine tasting includes five Bolney wines, each paired with selected cheeses from Sussex. Booking and availability may change; check the latest visitor information before making plans.

Bolney Café & Wine Bar is set among the vineyards. Free parking is available to visitors on the estate. As opening arrangements and parking rules may change, check them before your visit or journey.

Footpaths and Landscape History

Footpaths lead in all directions from Bolney. If you would like to follow a named route, there is the Diamond Jubilee Walk, designated as a route along footpaths within the parish of Bolney. The leaflet for the walk was printed in 2012, so check the condition of the route locally. This helps distinguish the specific route from the general description of the footpaths’ direction.

The two original Bolney Mill Ponds are also part of the village’s landscape history. A watermill stood at the lower of the two ponds throughout the 18th century. This links a specific one of the two ponds with a clearly dated use, adding a historic landscape feature to the picture of the footpaths.

Buildings and Architectural History

Several building phases can be identified at St. Mary Magdalene. The church was built in the 11th century; its tower was built by John Bolney in 1536. The tower houses a very rare complete ring of eight bells, weighing just over three tonnes in total. The building history thus spans the early church building and the later tower; the ring of bells is a distinct detail in the description.

Old Mill House is a restored timber-framed building dating from the late 16th century. Wykehurst Park, meanwhile, is a large mansion in the style of a French château. The descriptions highlight different architectural features: timber framing from the late 16th century on the one hand, and a mansion in a French-inspired château style on the other. If you are interested in historic architectural styles, these features offer different perspectives on Bolney’s architectural history.

Discover more destinations: Albourne, Haywards Heath, Crawley, Horsham, Barnham, Hassocks, Ansty, Ferring.

For the regional travel overview: West Sussex.