Hailsham

The market town of Hailsham, in the Wealden district of East Sussex, used to be an agricultural centre. The population in 2011 was 20,476.

Understand
The largest of the five towns of the Wealden district of East Sussex, Hailsham is a small but growing town which serves as the local hub for some of the more rural parts of the county. Historically, Hailsham was a rope manufacturing town, and produced the hangman's rope for use in Britain and its colonies.

Get in
The town is regularly served by buses from Eastbourne and the nearest railway station at Polegate.

Get around
The town centre is compact, with most of the shops within a three-street 'triangle' of the High Street, George Street and North Street. Parking within the town centre is free. For attractions in Herstmonceux, there is an hourly bus service (Stagecoach Service 98). A car may be useful if you wish to travel further afield.

Should you wish to travel to one of the housing estates outside of the town centre, Cuckmere Community Buses provide a limited service during daylight hours.

Buy
Hailsham has a wide range of shops and is the centre for many of the surrounding villages. Visit the High Street and the precincts of Vicarage Field and The Quintins, which provide all of Hailsham's needs. As well as the usual chains (Tesco, Waitrose, Boots, Poundland, etc.), there are a lot of independent shops. On Saturday mornings a weekly market is held in Vicarage Field, with several stalls offering a variety of foods and crafts from local producers, and at the Cattle Market site, at the bottom of the High Street, there are monthly Farmers' Markets.

This part of East Sussex is also well known for 'car boot' sales, where sellers get together, usually outside in a field, to sell secondhand, and sometimes new, goods of all types. Haggling is expected and encouraged, but there are often bargains to be had. There is a particularly large sale most Sundays between Easter and October at Cophall Farm, approximately two miles from Hailsham Town Centre. In the winter months boot fairs are smaller and less frequent, but can often be found in nearby village halls - the Friday-Ad, a local free paper, will have listings.

Eat
Hailsham offers plentiful options for eating, from sit-down to takeaway venues, whilst the town centre boasts several takeaways, coffee shops and bakeries.

Drink
Like many small towns, some of Hailsham's pubs have closed, but there is still a variety of options.

Stay safe
The town is generally very safe, but can be a little rowdy in the centre around pub closing time on Friday and Saturday evenings. This usually amounts to little more than some additional noise.

Go next

 * Battle - the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066.