Staplefield

Staplefield is a small village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, sitting around six kilometres north-west of Haywards Heath on the B2114. It is the kind of place that barely troubles a map at normal zoom, but it has the ingredients that make English villages worth a detour: a triangular green ringed by trees, a cricket pitch that has hosted matches for generations, and two pubs facing each other across the grass. The surrounding landscape belongs to the High Weald, a National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) of small irregular fields, ancient woodland, sunken lanes and sandstone outcrops that stretches across the Sussex-Kent border.

The village grew up along routes connecting Cuckfield and Handcross, and its parish church, St Mark's, dates from 1847 and contains wall decoration and glass associated with the Victorian designer Charles Eamer Kempe. Since 2024 the parish has been combined with neighbouring Slaugham to form the united benefice of West Weald. Staplefield has no shop or railway station of its own, so it functions today mainly as a residential and walking village, with its identity built firmly around the green, the cricket club and its pubs, rather than any visitor infrastructure - which is exactly what gives it its quiet appeal.

Top things to do near Staplefield

Staplefield itself is compact, but it sits within easy reach of some of the best gardens and countryside in the Sussex Weald.

• Staplefield village green - a well-kept triangular green that has been the setting for cricket matches for well over a century, flanked by the Victory Inn and the Jolly Tanners; a good spot to get the measure of the village.
• St Mark's Church - the parish church, built in 1847, with Victorian decorative work linked to the designer Charles Eamer Kempe; a modest but characterful village church.
• Nymans - a National Trust garden and romantic ruined house less than a mile from Staplefield, created by the Messel family from the 1890s onwards and known for its rare shrubs, walled garden and woodland.
• Wakehurst - Kew's country estate near Ardingly, a few miles east, with extensive gardens, a working seed bank (the Millennium Seed Bank) and woodland walks across a large Wealden landscape.
• Ardingly Reservoir - a large stretch of water near Ardingly popular for walking, birdwatching and sailing, linked to Staplefield by several circular countryside routes.
• Cuckfield - a handsome small town a few miles south with a historic high street of timber-framed and Georgian buildings, independent shops and pubs.
• High Weald walking country - the fields, shaws and ghylls around Staplefield are threaded with public footpaths and bridleways, including longer circular routes that take in Balcombe, Ardingly Reservoir and Wakehurst.

Getting to Staplefield

Staplefield sits just off the B2114, close to where it meets the A23 Handcross bypass, making it an easy stop for anyone travelling between Crawley/Gatwick and Brighton. The nearest railway station is Haywards Heath, around six kilometres to the south-east, which has fast and frequent services to Brighton and London Victoria/St Pancras via Gatwick. Gatwick Airport itself is only around 15-20 minutes away by car, making the village a genuinely useful quiet base for early flights or a first/last night in the UK. There is no direct rail link or village-centre bus stop, so a car is the most practical way to explore the surrounding villages and gardens at a relaxed pace.

Best time to visit Staplefield

Late spring is a particularly good time to be in this part of the Weald, when the woodland gardens at Nymans and Wakehurst are at their best and bluebells carpet many of the local woods. Summer brings cricket on the green and long evenings on the pub terraces, while autumn turns the Weald's ancient woodland into one of the more reliable displays of colour in the South East. Winter is quieter, but the High Weald's network of footpaths, sunken lanes and reservoir views is walkable year-round for anyone happy to wrap up.

Where to stay near Staplefield

Staplefield itself has no hotels, so visitors typically base themselves in or around Haywards Heath, Cuckfield or Handcross, all within a few minutes' drive, or further afield in Horsham or Crawley for more choice. The wider area has a good spread of country pubs with rooms, small B&Bs and farm-based accommodation that suit the rural setting better than large hotels.

Food and drink near Staplefield

The village punches above its weight for such a small place, with two pubs facing each other across the green: the Victory Inn on Warninglid Road, known for Harveys Sussex Best and a changing guest ale alongside a pub food menu, and the Jolly Tanners, the other long-standing village local. Both make the most of their position overlooking the cricket pitch, particularly for outdoor seating in summer. For a wider choice of cafes, restaurants and shops, Cuckfield and Haywards Heath are both a short drive away.