Financial Advisors and the Economic History of Haywards Heath

Its interesting to know that less than 200 years ago Haywards Heath was little more than a small hamlet located on the rural heathland of the Sussex Downs.  We're so used to the busy modern town with it's good road and rail links that we don't appreciate just how fast the town has developed.

There were two key events that led to the transformation of the town:

• The Arrival of the Railway
• The Arrival of The Cattle Market

The Railway Arrives

The boom in railway building in the nineteenth century, driven by the financial gains from the industrial revolution and empire, transformed much of England.  Investment in the new rail companies, encouraged by the financial advisors of the day, led to the transformation of many rural areas.  The London to Brighton line reached Haywards Heath 1841, and with it began the rise in the fortunes of the town.    Businesses connected with the construction of the line began to locate themselves around the new railway station,  beginning a small thriving commercial district.  By 1851 the area boasted two timber merchants, a corn exchange, pubs and a beer shop, and the original houses which were mainly a row of cottages were son added to.

A further stimulus to the expansion of the town was establishment of a mental hospital that was to serve the whole of Sussex. The Sussex County Lunatic Asylum was opened in 1859 and was one of the largest in the South East with places for 425 patients, bringing with it a demand for staff, building contractors and housing.

A major factor that allowed the town to grow in the way that it did, was the enclosure of the heath itself.  Such enclosures began as early as 1642, but it was an 1858 Act of Parliament that really paved the way for wholesale enclosure of the heath.  This in turn allowed for the private development of the area that turned the cluster of buildings around the railway station and the more remote hospital in to what can be recognized today as a town.  From 1860 onwards the town began to take shape rapidly.  Previously part of Cuckfield Parish, in 1894 the town gained its identity and governance under the newly formed Haywards Heath Urban District Council.

The Market Makes The Town

A real boost to the economic growth of the town was the establishment of a cattle market in 1868.  The market took place fortnightly, originally next to the station Inn, and then at a purpose built market from 1868.  By 1900 this market had established itself as one of the most important in the South of England.

Financial Advisors Help Haywards Heath Grow

The rise of a thriving town and the fact all of a sudden the area was accessible made attractive to people who wanted to escape the smoke of London but still be able to commute in, and other people who simply wanted to settle and enjoy the South Downs as well as easy access to both London and Brighton.  Financial advisors of the day, such as developers and estate agents, saw the opportunities as residential areas began to develop quickly in support of the business districts. Additional residents such as the builders needed to make the new properties in turn attracted the shops and suppliers who support any thriving community, and by the beginning of the 20^th Century the growth of the town into an important business and residential area was cemented. 

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haywards_Heath

http://www.sussexwealthmanagement.com/aboutsussexwealthmanagement2.html