Want to know where French Moments is currently based? Today I’d like to show you around the English village where we now live. We moved here last summer after spending some years in Paris and the French Alps. We’ve now experienced the year’s four seasons and have discovered our new playground. Let me present you Burwash, East Sussex, situated only 80 km (50 miles) from the French coast as the crow flies!
Plan your trip to the South-East of England!
- 🚕 Book your private transfer from Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted airports to/from your accommodation in London with Get Your Guide
- 🏨 Find the best accommodations in Tunbridge Wells and the High Weald on Booking.com
- 📸 Book your e-tickets to monuments and activities in London
- 🚌 Board a superior coach for a Day Trip to Kent, the garden of England, with a visit to Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover and historic Greenwich.
- 📚 Read the DK Eyewitness England’s South Coast Travel Guide
- 🤩 Get familiar with the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with our latest discoveries
- 🇫🇷 Read about Burwash in French on our blog Destination Angleterre
Where is Burwash, East Sussex?
First, the Burwash I’m talking about is situated in the UK… because well, there are at least two other Burwashes in North America.
The second Burwash was in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of a new town built to accommodate a provincial jail, which closed in 1975.
The third Burwash is also in Canada, in the Yukon Territory. Burwash Landing is a small community of about 100 residents.
Our Burwash is in the eastern part of East Sussex, South-East England.
The village (pop. 2,700 in 2011) is equidistant from Royal Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.
It occupies a ridge in the heart of the High Weald, a natural region stretching between the North and South Downs. The ridge separates two valleys where two rivers flow: the Dudwell (south) and the Rother (north).
Where to stay in Burwash?
Want to stay in the region of Burwash? Check out accommodation in Burwash here (affiliate link), or have a look at the map below:
What to see in Burwash, East Sussex?
Although Burwash is a small village—it consists of the main road, the High Street—there are a number of picturesque places to see. Follow the guide!
The High Street
Very old houses border the High Street. Many of the façades are covered with red tiles. There are a few half-timbered houses, some of them thatched roofs.
The old church
The oldest monument of Burwash is the Church of St.Bartholomew. The foundations of the porch tower date back to 1090, from the Norman era.
The church’s Cemetery
The cemetery which flanks the church has some interesting graves.
Look out for the smugglers’ graves carved with skulls and crossbones! Aimée and I call them: les tombes des pirates! There are a few scattered across the graveyard; spotting them is like playing a treasure hunt.
The Burwash War Memorial
The Burwash War Memorial rises at High Street and School Hill intersect. It is quite a unique monument, dating from 1920. Its form refers to an Eleanor Cross (an unusual feature for a War memorial).
The names of 56 Burwash people killed during WWI are inscribed on the faces of the stone monument.
At its top is a lantern (lanterne des morts) that is lit to commemorate the death anniversary of each individual recorded on the monument.
This is indeed very rare in England, as such a feature is usually found in French cemeteries.
Each year, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November at the Burwash War Memorial.
The Pubs
In the past, there were at least seven public houses (Pubs) in Burwash, not including official and unofficial alehouses. Today, the village centre has only two: the Bear and the Rose and Crown.
Bateman’s
When walking on the High Street, you would have noticed the statue of Kipling. Designed by Burwash-based sculptor Victoria Atkinson and inaugurated in February 2019, the bronze life-size figure shows the novelist sitting on a bench.
Who is Rudyard Kipling?
No doubt he’s a local celebrity!
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) is best known for his writings such as The Man Who Would Be King (1888) and The Jungle Book (1894), later adapted by Walt Disney (1967).
From 1902 until he died in 1936, Kipling lived in the village of Burwash, more exactly at Bateman’s. The historic mansion was built in Jacobean style in 1634.
Today, the National Trust manages the property and opens it to the public.
We loved visiting the beautiful gardens in the spring and summer.
The landscape
The village offers beautiful walks through the English countryside, which consists of rolling hills, woods, fields, and meadows separated by tight hedgerows.
The landscape is dotted with the traditional oasthouses equally popular in neighbouring Kent.
The seasons of the year in Burwash, East Sussex
We’ve experienced the four seasons of the year… however, there was no snow last winter, so I won’t have Winter Wonderland photos to show you (maybe next year!).
Winter
No snow in 2019. But the weather was suitable for long walks in the meadows.
And then, snow (and frost) appeared in 2020… enough to make some beautiful photos!
Spring
Our first Spring in Burwash coincided with the Covid-19 lockdown. Seeing flowers and nature returning to life was such a treat.
My highlight was to discover the famous bluebells in the woods. It gave a beautiful fantasy look that I deliberately enhanced by photo-processing.
The next iconic flower to grow in the woods after bluebells are digitalis (or foxgloves).
Summer
Autumn
What to see around Burwash?
As I mentioned before, Burwash is situated in the heart of the High Weald. This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a rural region where you’ll find beautiful landscapes.
They consist mainly of rolling hills, some of them forested. The meadows and fields are separated by hedgerows. (This is where we pick blackberries in August-September to make jam!)
Burwash makes a good base from which to explore the region. A few suggestions:
The village of Mayfield
Bodiam Castle
Arguably one of England’s most famous medieval castles!
The historic site of Battle Abbey
The village of Cranbrook
The seaside resorts of Eastbourne and Hastings
More info about Burwash
- My French blog Destination Angleterre now deals with my discoveries of South-East England.
- The history of Burwash
- The official website of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- My article about Le Marché, the Franco-English market in Heathfield
Did you like what you read? If so, please share this article on Facebook or Twitter! 🙂
Pin it for later
