Long a quiet and picturesque spot in Sussex, as the 19th century dawned, Henfield found itself a stop on the busy London to Brighton coaching route, before the railway arrived half a century later casting all else before it. Spurring a vibrant century long market gardening industry it was also then to depart. See some of the highlights of the people, places, industries and recreations of Henfield past.
We hold thousands of historic photographs and postcards in our collection. Please contact us to enquire or to arrange a viewing. If you have historic photographs of Henfield in your personal album you would like to donate, please let us know and we will be happy to consider them for accession to the collection.
We hold thousands of historic photographs and postcards in our collection. Please contact us to enquire or to arrange a viewing. If you have historic photographs of Henfield in your personal album you would like to donate, please let us know and we will be happy to consider them for accession to the collection.
Why not explore...
Marking the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, see some of Henfield's many royal celebrations past...
Individual subject areas elsewhere on the site...
Featured Photograph
'If I know’d a donkey wot wouldn’t go
To see Mrs JARLEY’S wax-work show,
Do you think I’d acknowledge him? Oh no no!
Then run to Jarley’s'
Behold 'Miss Jarley's Waxworks' at Henfield Place around 1920, put on by the still newly formed Henfield Women's Institute. Their signs advertise what would presumably have been a tableau vivant type display later that day at the Parish Room on the High Street. Some of these characters are more recognisable than others!
From her arrival in 1916, Miss Margaret Knowles at Henfield Place hosted many such village social events in the gardens there. Some of those pictured here include A. Scott, D. Walters, A. Woolgar, Mrs. Clarkson and A. Greenfield.
The character of Miss Jarley is from Charles Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop, published in 1841. As you may guess, she would display her waxworks in the same vein as the famed Madame Tussaud. While a fairly minor character, she inspired many such local productions in the 19th and earlier 20th century. (Image: Henfield Museum)
Selected B&W and Sepia Gallery
Interested in finding a photo of something specific from Henfield's past or searching for a relative? Get in touch - we may have what you're looking for in our large archive. Please contact us for commercial use or if you would like to use a high quality or restored version of any of the museum collection images below.
Unless stated otherwise, images on this page marked as from the Henfield Museum collection are licensed for educational and non commercial use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA). Please credit 'Henfield Museum' and contact us to use an image for commercial purposes or at a higher quality.