Ditchling

Ditchling is a beautiful small East Sussex village in the shadow of the Downs north of Brighton.

The village of Ditchling started to establish its reputation as a hot bed of artistic life in the 1910s and Ditchling still has a noticeably arty feel to it.

Ditchling and art

The artist, typographer and thoroughly bad man Eric Gill formed his Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic in Ditchling in 1907. The Guild was a type of art commune inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement.

With the benefit of hindsight, the unorthodox personal lives of the artists may prove to be of more interest than some of their work, but they certainly left their mark on the village of Ditchling.

Places of interest around Ditchling

Interesting places in and around Ditchling include:

• Ditchling Beacon high above the village, is a spectacular viewpoint from the Downs, from where you can see hundreds of square miles of the Weald.
• Ditchling Museum does a good job of presenting the art and history of the village;
• Ditchling Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest which is important for breeding birds and supports populations of locally rare butterflies and moths;
• The Clayton to Offham Escarpment is a fabulous stretch of downland on which the...
• ...South Downs Way passes south of Ditchling.
• Jack and Jill Windmills are two memorable windmills high on the Downs two miles away. They can be reached by car and there is a very good viewpoint at the car park in front of the windmills.
• The Sussex Border Path runs through Ditchling village centre.

Ditchling travel notes

The nearest railway station to Ditchling is Hassocks, with trains connecting Brighton to London. Plumpton Railway Station is also nearby - around two miles to the east.