A name derived from Medieval times for a Row of Cottages in the Ashdown Forest .
First recorded in the fifteenth century as Forstrowe , then Forrest Rowe by
Grynsted in the sixteenth century and Forrest Row Geeene in the seventeenth century.
General Details
Forest Row is a small village just south east of East Grinstead, which lies on
the A22.
From the 1200's the Ashdown Forest was the Kings deer and wild boar hunting
park, Forest Row was where the King's hunting lodges were built to
accomodate the hunting parties. King Edward III was one of those Monarchs
who enjoyed the hunting, together with his son .
The first mansion built in the area was Brambletye in 1631 for the
East Grinstead MP Sir Henry Compton. It was bought from Sir Henry by
Sir James Richards however Sir James was accused of high treason and
escaped to Spain in 1683. The stately home was allowed to deteriorate
and today only the ruins stand to be seen abandoned in a field.
In the 1724 Kidbrooke Park was built for Lord Abergavenney when his main
residence at Eridge Park was destroyed by fire. The parkland was laid out
by Humphrey Repton a famous landscape gardener of the time.
In 1801 the Brighton to London mail coach was held up at gun point by the
Beatson brothers. The highwaymen were convicted by the court at Horsham ,
and were brought back to the location of their crime and hanged on
April 7th 1802 at midday watched by a crowd of about 3000 locals.
In 1866 a railway was built to link Forest Row firstly to East Grinstead and
then extending to reach London and Tunbridge Wells by 1882.
Forest Row had become the perfect place for the admirable countryside. By 1911
it had become a popular resort. Between the two World Wars it continued to be
an attractive retirement resort, and now is a fine place to commute from.
Services
The village has a wide range of small shops and services.
The nearest major shopping centre is at East Grinstead about 2 miles north west.
Views
Forest Row is quite an attractive village with some nice houses.
The views to the south over the Ashdown Forest are very good, although you will
need to drive to see the best of them.
The village has a wide range of small shops and services.
