Paper, bricks, iron and flour… plus a pinch of herbs.

At one time or another, all of the first four have been made or associated with Isfield. And as for the pinch of herbs, that’s Nicholas Culpeper, the herbalist. He came to Isfield from Surrey in 1616 shortly after his birth to live with his grandfather, the Rector of Isfield Church; his father having died eighteen days before Nicholas was born.

Isfield is not listed in the Domesday book but, in the Domesday survey, the manor of which Isfield was a part, was held by William, son of Boselin. The name Isefeld first appears in 1215.

The earliest part of the present Church, which was originally a private manorial church for a fortified farmhouse by the river, has been dated to the end of the 12th century.Originally the Church was dedicated to St Mary but became St Margaret of Antioch in 1505 as a result of the will of Robert de la Warr, then Lord of the Manor, who accompanied Prince Edward on the last Crusade to the Holy Land. In 1507, John Shurley acquired the Manor and the oldest parts of Isfield Place may have been built on his orders.

Use of the river Ouse for transport played an important part in the life of Isfield until 1858 when the railway, running between Uckfield and Lewes, came to Isfield. Thereafter, the development of the village grew round the railway station rather than near the Church.

The line closed in 1968 but the station and a section of track have been preserved and are now owned by the Lavender Line, run solely by volunteers. Visitors are able to ride as passengers and even take driving lessons on the Line’s steam engines.

The village itself has much to offer visitors looking to spend time in the country since it has good walks, two pubs, The Laughing Fish, and The Halfway House, The Lavender Line and the Isfield Farm Shop and Village Store. A Village Hall, run by an independent charity, provides facilities for meetings and functions.

Other amenities in the area include the Glyndebourne Opera House, golf courses at Lewes, Piltdown and the East Sussex National resort, fishing on the Ouse, plus riding, walking or bird watching in the Ashdown Forest. Accommodation is available at the Horsted Place Country House Hotel which also offers a fine dining restaurant, the hotel at the East Sussex National Resort and local B and B’s.