About Uckfield

General

Uckfield is a pleasant town with an excellent community spirit and a population of around 15,000. It is in a good central position, with several large towns good for shopping within 20 to 45 minutes away. 

The town has a Tesco and Waitrose, both offering home delivery. Other large retailers include Halfords, Boots, WH Smith and Peacocks, as well as a good variety of specialist retailers and coffee shops. There are also a good number of charity shops for bargain hunters.

The Picture House is the town’s cinema, which has recently been refurbished. One of the longest-established in the country with state of the art facilities. 

The South Downs National Park and Ashdown Forest are just a few miles away, with stunning views from the higher parts. Ashdown Forest has protected heathland habitat, comparable to the New Forest. It is known as the home of the well-known children’s book Winne the Pooh. 

Transport

Trains: London Bridge is an approximately 1 hour 30 minute train journey away from Uckfield Station with trains running every half hour at peak times and hourly at other times. One change at East Croydon takes you to Victoria. 

Bus: there is an excellent bus service from Uckfield to the neighbouring towns of Crowborough, Lewes, Heathfield, Hailsham, Maresfield and further afield to Brighton, Eastbourne, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells. 

Gatwick Airport: Gatwick Airport is only 25 miles from Uckfield a journey that usually takes about 40 minutes.

Towns within 20 to 45 minutes

South of Uckfield lies Brighton and Eastbourne, both excellent for shopping and easily accessible by car or bus. The smaller town of Lewes (on the way to Brighton) is popular and picturesque and is the County Town. Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead to the north are good alternatives and again accessible by public transport.  

Crawley – a bit further afield to the west - is another excellent town for shopping, with Gatwick Airport close by. 

Schools and Education

There are five primary schools to choose from dotted around the town, and Uckfield Community Technology College – a large secondary school. All have excellent or outstanding Ofsted ratings.  There are also several primary schools in the nearby villages.

The town also boasts plenty of training courses and classes for adult learning.

Business

Uckfield is an excellent town to set up in business, with a thriving business community and substantial business park. There are also offices and retail opportunities in the High Street. Many small and medium-sized businesses are based in the surrounding areas too. 

The local Uckfield Chamber of Commerce is very good for business networking, has been running for many years and welcomes businesses of all sizes, with a thriving membership of over 200 and growing.

The town has good broadband connectivity too with fibre broadband for those who need a faster connection.  

Keep Fit & Leisure Facilities

Uckfield has two leisure facilities within the town – Freedom Leisure (with an indoor pool) and Isenhurst, with The Health Boutique just outside the town centre. Others nearby include the East Sussex National (golf and leisure). 

There are also excellent facilities for football, rugby and cricket, including an all-weather pitch within the grounds of the Uckfield Community Technology College.

Buxted Park, Horsted Place, Newick Park and Ashdown Park are all prestigious country house hotels within a few miles of Uckfield. All have excellent accommodation and are popular venues for business networking, conferences and dinners. 

Walks

There are many open spaces and several nature reserves within easy walking distance of Uckfield, including Millennium Green, Lake Wood and West Park nature reserves, as well as Views Wood and Buxted Park. All are suitable for dog walking off the lead. There are also many excellent public footpaths where you can also walk your dog off the lead.

Eating Out

Uckfield and its surrounding villages boasts a wide range of coffee shops, together with excellent pubs and restaurants with facilities for large groups.

Community

Uckfield has many clubs and societies for a wide variety of interests. 

Uckfield Festival is one of the largest in Sussex and takes place ‘one week in July’ yearly. It consists of various activities and events in and around the town, building up to carnival procession and ‘Big Day’, which attracts thousands of visitors from miles around.  

The other extremely popular main event which the town has been involved with for many years is the bonfire procession, which also raises money for charity. Bonfire and Carnival Societies from all over Sussex attend, with a torch-lit procession proceeding along the High Street and neighbouring roads.