Editing Burgess Hill

{{Short description|Town and parish in West Sussex, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Burgess Hill
| country                  = England
| civil_parish             = Burgess Hill
| region                   = South East England
| static_image_name        = BandstandBurgessHill.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Looking up Church Walk, a pedestrianised shopping area
| area_footnotes           =<ref name="WSCC2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf |title=2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish |publisher=West Sussex County Council |access-date=1 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608075926/http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf |archive-date=8 June 2011 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 9.47
| population               = 30,635
| population_ref           =<ref name="WSCC2001" /> [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]]
| population_density       = {{convert|3042|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
| os_grid_reference        = TQ317187
| coordinates              = {{coord|50.9535|-0.1262|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = top
| post_town                = BURGESS HILL
| postcode_district        = RH15
| postcode_area            = RH
| dial_code                = 01444
| constituency_westminster = [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]], East Grinstead and Uckfield
| london_distance          = {{convert|62|km|mi|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|N]]
| shire_district           = [[Mid Sussex District|Mid Sussex]], [[Lewes (district)|Lewes]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lewes.gov.uk/environment/refuse.asp?Town=Burgess+Hill&Road=&+OK+=+OK+|title=Lewes District Council:Rubbish Collection Day Search|publisher=Lewes District Council|access-date=18 October 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
| shire_county             = [[West Sussex]]
| website                  = [http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk Town Council]
}}
'''Burgess Hill''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|b|ɜː|dʒ|ə|s|_|ˈ|h|ɪ|l|audio=Burgess Hill.ogg}}) is a town and [[civil parish]] in [[West Sussex]], England, close to the border with [[East Sussex]], on the edge of the [[South Downs National Park]], {{convert|39|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of [[London]], {{convert|10|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of [[Brighton and Hove]], and {{convert|29|mi|km|abbr=on}} northeast of the county town, [[Chichester]]. It had an area of {{convert|3.7|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} and a population of 30,635 at the 2011 Census, making it the fourth most populous parish in the county (behind [[Crawley]], [[Worthing]] and [[Horsham]]) and the most populous in the [[Mid Sussex District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/MidSussexFactsFiguresSep2005.pdf |title=Mid Sussex, Facts and Figures |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226063704/http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/MidSussexFactsFiguresSep2005.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref> Other nearby towns include [[Haywards Heath]] to the northeast and [[Lewes]], the [[county town]] of East Sussex, to the southeast.

Burgess Hill is just on the West Sussex side of the border dividing the two counties, although parts of the World's End district are across the county boundary in the [[Lewes (district)|Lewes district]] of East Sussex.<ref name="SEP">{{Cite report|title=South East Plan: Response by Burgess Hill Town Council |url=http://www.eipsoutheast.co.uk/downloads/documents/20070124100222.doc |date=June 2006 |publisher=Burgess Hill Town Council |access-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025185029/http://www.eipsoutheast.co.uk/downloads/documents/20070124100222.doc |archive-date=25 October 2007 }}</ref><ref name="LDC-Plan">{{Cite report|title=Draft South East Plan: Examination in Public Statement by Lewes District Council (Sub-matter 8G Gatwick Area) |url=http://www.eipsoutheast.co.uk/downloads/documents/20070206154130.doc |last=Moffatt |first=Susan |date=22 January 2007 |publisher=Lewes District Council |access-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024195226/http://www.eipsoutheast.co.uk/downloads/documents/20070206154130.doc |archive-date=24 October 2007 }}</ref> On its northwest border lies the [[Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve]].

Burgess Hill is twinned with [[Schmallenberg]] in Germany and [[Abbeville]] in France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town Twinning |url=https://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/town-community/town-twinning/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=Burgess Hill Town Council |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==

===Early history===
The [[London to Brighton Way]] was built connecting London to the South coast and passing through what is now Burgess Hill, and although a [[Roman road]], there is no evidence that the Romans settled there.

Burgess Hill originated in the parishes of [[Clayton, Sussex|Clayton]], [[Keymer]], and [[Ditchling]] – all of them mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]]. The town's name comes from the Burgeys family when the name John Burgeys appeared in the tax rolls. The name of Burgeys stood for 'bourgeois', the inhabitant of a borough. By the Elizabethan period, a community had established itself there, and many buildings dating from this era still stand.

The hill in the town's name is taken to mean different things to different people. Many believe that the hill in question is the hill on which the railway station currently stands, but there is a Burgess Farm on a hill in the south-east of the town, in Folders Lane. Whether this is the hill referred to in the town's name is not known.

The few buildings in the area were the two farmhouses, at Hammonds Ridge (still standing as a residence) and one at Queen's Crescent, in the west of what is now Burgess Hill. Until the nineteenth century, however, the town was known as St John's Common, and much of what is now the town centre was [[Commons|common land]] used by the tenants of Clayton and Keymer manors for grazing and as a source of fuel. Buildings which supported the common land were the King's Head pub (now demolished), a [[blacksmith]]'s [[forge]], and several cottages.

From the fourteenth century or earlier, the annual Midsummer Fair was held on this common land on 24 June, the feast of the birth of [[St John the Baptist]]. The last such sheep and lamb fair was held in 1913.

[[File:NoelRiseBurgessHill.jpg|thumb|left|Noel Rise, part of a 1950s housing development in the town]]

With the development of the [[London]] to [[Brighton]] mainline [[railway]], those in the business soon realised that transporting sheep by train was more cost effective and easier than using the old roadways. Most livestock trading began to centre on railside markets such as those at [[Hassocks]], Haywards Heath, and Lewes railway stations. By the dawn of the 20th century, livestock trading had all but ceased in the Burgess Hill area.

===1700 to 1900===
By the early seventeenth century small scale [[brick]] and [[tile]] manufacture was flourishing and during this time parcels of common land were allocated for house building and small businesses. By the early eighteenth century brick making had been extended and four shops and one or two alehouses established on the common. Craftsmen such as smiths, shoemakers and weavers also worked there. Brickmaking by hand was still undertaken until very recently, by Keymer Tiles (formerly the Keymer Brick and Tile Company) whose tiles can be found in buildings such as [[St. James Church, Piccadilly]] and Manchester Central Station (now [[G-Mex]]).

The arrival of the [[London and Brighton Railway]] in the 1840s (the line was officially opened to Brighton from Haywards Heath on 21 September 1841) was an important milestone in the Town's history and development, despite the station remaining a request stop on the route for a number of years after opening. The influx of trades associated with railway construction and operation, including many [[navvies]] changed the demography of the town. The Railway Tavern in Station Road was constructed to provide accommodation for all who needed it on Railway business. The arrival of the railway shaped the traffic pattern of the Town and continues to this day; all road traffic has to cross the line either in the South on Station Road or in the North on Leylands Road. The opening of the Lewes Branch connected the Keymer Brick and Tile Company to the railway network providing access to greater markets.<ref>{{cite thesis |url=http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/occupations/abstracts/dissertationwalker.pdf |title= The economic development of Sussex c. 1700 – 1881 |last= Walker |first= Lucy |year= 2009 |access-date=22 October 2016 |archive-date=10 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510123519/http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/occupations/abstracts/dissertationwalker.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Wivelsfield railway station]] was originally built nearby on the Lewes branch.

The arrival of the railway and the proximity of Burgess Hill to Brighton, itself expanding as a result of the arrival of the railway, led to an influx of professional people looking for places to live. Not far from the station, the common was ripe for development with the result that the [[Keymer]] and Clayton portions were enclosed in 1828 and 1855 respectively. Between 1850 and 1880 the area changed from an insignificant rural settlement to a town of 4,500 residents.

In 1857, in an area now known as either 'the top of the town', or Hoadley's Corner, the Hoadley family of [[Heathfield, East Sussex|Heathfield]] established a large [[department store]], of which the original building still stands, on the corner of Station Road and Junction Road. This successful business also had branches at nearby [[Ditchling]], and [[Seaford, East Sussex|Seaford]] too, but it was in Burgess Hill that the head offices were based.

In 1876, a large house known as Wynnstay was constructed opposite Hoadley's store in Junction Road, and became the principal residence of Sampson Copestake. Copestake later provided land and money and to build a new Church in World's End, which later became the parish of St Andrew's in its own right.

Wynnstay eventually became the Wynnstay Hydropathic Institution, known as the Hydro for short. The property was bought up and converted by a Professor Weidhaus when Copestake moved on, and converted to a nature cure establishment. It is thought that the views from the property, along with the fresh country air and proximity to Burgess Hill railway station, were the reasons for this enterprise. The Hydro remained until 1909, when the business was moved to Franklands, a large property to the south of the town. By 1914 Wynnstay had become a hotel and by the 1950s it was known as St Joseph's Convent and became a [[convent]] and school for [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] children.

In 1897 the Victoria Pleasure Gardens were opened by local [[wikt:household name|household name]] Edwin Street, a well-known farmer and butcher. The gardens were opened in honour of [[Queen Victoria]]'s [[Diamond Jubilee]], and contained a large lake, which covered {{convert|3|acre|m2}}, and what can only be described as a small early version of a [[roller coaster]], known as a switchback (an alternative general term for a roller coaster). The lake was used for boating in the summer, and skating in the winter. The frozen lake was always tested by Mr Street, a man of 23 stone, before being used in the winter. This area is now the Victoria Business Park, an [[industrial estate]].

===1900 to present day===
On 12 July 1944 a [[Royal Air Force]] [[Supermarine Spitfire]] fighter crashed at Greenlands Farm, off the Keymer Road, killing the Belgian pilot.<ref>{{cite book |last=Longstaff-Tyrell |first= Peter |title = Destination Fowington – East Sussex military airfields & Allied aircraft incidents |publisher=Gote House Publishing Company | year = 1999 |isbn=0-9521297-4-4}}</ref>

The town continued to grow, experiencing its largest population increase between the years of 1951 and 1961, when the population of about 7,000 residents almost doubled. This earned Burgess Hill the title of fastest growing town in the South East. By 1956, the Victoria Industrial Estate was completed, and has since expanded. It now contains the British headquarters of two substantial international companies. In 1986 a smaller industrial estate in the North of the town developed, known as Sheddingdean Industrial Estate. Both Sheddingdean and Victoria have now been renamed as [[business park]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 August 2011 |title=Burgess Hill: A Town Wide Strategy for the next 20 years |url=https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/media/3254/ep58_burgesshilltownwidestrategy.pdf}}</ref>

In the seventies and eighties several new housing estates were built, namely the Folders Lane estate (formerly known as Oakwood), the Oak Hall Park estate and the Sheddingdean estate. The 1980s saw the largest single development in the town's history; new housing was created in the northwest of the town with a development known as West End Meadows. Along with this a link road to the A23 was built, easing traffic on the previous route along Gatehouse Lane and Jobs Lane.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History of Burgess Hill |url=https://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/town-community/history-of-burgess-hill/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Burgess Hill Town Council |language=en}}</ref>

[[Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve]] to the northwest was designated a [[Local nature reserve|Local Nature Reserve]] (LNR) at around this time, preserving at least this area from the otherwise relentless building,<ref>Bangs, David (2018). ''THE LAND OF THE BRIGHTON LINE: A Field Guide to the Middle Sussex and Southeast Surrey Weald''. Farlington, Portsmouth: Bishops Printers. {{ISBN|978-0-9548638-2-1}}.</ref> but further development took place to the South and West of the Town in the early 1990s. This became the Hammonds Ridge estate (known colloquially as the 'Tesco estate' due to its proximity to the supermarket) which was built at the time.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The Triangle, a large leisure and conference centre, was built in the Northwest of the town and opened by the Queen in 1999.<ref name=":0" /> In 2005 St Paul's Catholic College moved from Haywards Heath to their new site opposite the Triangle.

In 2004 Mid-Sussex District Council announced the Burgess Hill Master Plan, a scheme arranged with Thornfield Properties plc to massively redevelop Burgess Hill Town Centre. The Master Plan was part of a larger scheme that would have seen the redevelopment of Haywards Heath and East Grinstead town centres.

The plan would result in the complete reconstruction of most of the town centre, and the redevelopment of the Victorian era train station. However early in 2010 Thornfield Properties was reported to be in financial difficulties<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.building.co.uk/news/thornfield-properties-firm-goes-into-administration/3155982.article|title=Thornfield Properties firm goes into administration|work=Building|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en|archive-date=21 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121032053/http://www.building.co.uk/news/thornfield-properties-firm-goes-into-administration/3155982.article|url-status=live}}</ref> and ultimately the scheme did not move forward. Many of the proposed changes were included by [[NewRiver|New River Retail]] in their redevelopment plans for the town centre.

As well as the aforementioned developments, there have been two more housing estates built in the town – one in the town's north east, and the other in the area known as Folders Meadow in the east.

Some of the areas currently being developed are the old Keymer Tileworks and around the south east off Folders Lane. Almost 1,000 houses will be built on these sites over the next few years.{{clarify|date=April 2021}}

===Future of the town===
Mid Sussex District Council put forward its master plan for the development of the town in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/page.cfm?CFNoCache=TRUE&LANGUAGE=eng&pageID=4311 |title=Burgess Hill Master Plan |date=November 2006 |publisher=Mid Sussex District Council |access-date=16 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195728/http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/page.cfm?CFNoCache=TRUE&LANGUAGE=eng&pageID=4311 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> The town approved its Neighbourhood Plan in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplan |title=Neighbourhood Plan &#124; Burgess Hill Town Council |access-date=22 October 2016 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025102153/http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With the proposed housing quota for the area high, it is expected to grow further in the 21st century, and new housing will be created in the town centre in the form of [[apartment|flats]] as a result of the [[redevelopment]] plans put forward by New River Retail and for which planning has been approved. Town centre development includes the redevelopment of the Martlets Shopping Centre to add a ten-screen cinema complex, hotel, new shops and parking. The gasometer in Leylands Road has been removed and replaced with a Lidl supermarket.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/this-is-when-the-new-lidl-opens-in-burgess-hill-1-9006853|title=This is when the new Lidl opens in Burgess Hill|website=midsussextimes.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-10-02|archive-date=22 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722221509/https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/this-is-when-the-new-lidl-opens-in-burgess-hill-1-9006853|url-status=live}}</ref>

The town is set for the development of 3,500 new houses as part of the Northern Arc development. Three schools as well as community facilities will be included and the planning of the development is at an advanced stage with the county, district and town councils working together to finalise this development, which is being promoted by the government's housing agency [[Homes England]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/politics/here-s-the-latest-on-the-northern-arc-in-burgess-hill-1-9056179|title=Here's the latest on the Northern Arc in Burgess Hill|website=midsussextimes.co.uk|date=2 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-02|archive-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909053935/https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/politics/here-s-the-latest-on-the-northern-arc-in-burgess-hill-1-9056179|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition a science park and industrial park are planned along the A2300.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/people/secretary-of-state-welcomes-plans-for-science-park-in-burgess-hill-1-8445312|title=Secretary of State 'welcomes' plans for science park in Burgess Hill|website=midsussextimes.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-10-02|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122231457/https://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/secretary-state-welcomes-plans-science-park-burgess-hill-307942|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Governance==
Burgess Hill is in the constituency of [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]]. The Member of Parliament representing Mid Sussex is currently [[Mims Davies]], elected in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 General Election]]. Davies succeeded Sir [[Nicholas Soames]], who was first elected during the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|May 1997 election]]. It was in the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Sussex]], and in 1974 swapped from the [[administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of East Sussex to the [[shire county]] of West Sussex, under the [[Local Government Act 1972]].

A small residential area in the northeast of the town, as well as land which may be developed for housing in the future,<ref name="SEP"/> lie on the [[East Sussex]] side of the county boundary, which otherwise runs beyond the eastern edge of the urban area. Both Mid Sussex District Council and [[Lewes (district)|Lewes]] District Council, under whose control this area falls, have raised concerns that planning decisions made at a [[South East England|regional level]] do not take it into account properly.<ref name="SEP"/><ref name="LDC-Plan"/>

===Town Council===
Following the enactment of the West Sussex (Electoral Changes) Order 2016, Burgess Hill is divided into ten different [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]]; the most of any settlement in Mid Sussex. These wards (with numbers of councillors representing each denoted in parentheses) are Dunstall (1), Gatehouse (1), Franklands (3), Hammonds (1), Leylands (3), Meeds (2), Norman (1), St Johns (1), St Andrews (3) and Victoria (2). A total of eighteen councillors represent the town of Burgess Hill and its surroundings. As of May 2019, a majority of eleven councillors are representatives of the Liberal Democrat Party. They are followed by four councillors from the Green Party. The Leader of the Town Council is Councillor Robert Eggleston and the Town Mayor is Councillor Roger Cartwright.

===District Council===
From each of the six wards, two councillors are elected to represent their ward in the District Council. 7 are Liberal Democrat, 2 are Green, 2 are Conservative and 1 sits as an independent,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/elections-voting/election-results/|title=Mid Sussex District Election Results|date=17 January 2020|publisher=Mid Sussex District Council|access-date=17 January 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727055152/https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/elections-voting/election-results/|url-status=live}}</ref> The representatives for Burgess Hill residents whose homes lie within the Lewes district are Conservative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cmispublic.lewes.gov.uk/Public/Members.aspx |title=Councillors |publisher=Lewes District Council |access-date=6 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523025552/http://cmispublic.lewes.gov.uk/Public/Members.aspx |archive-date=23 May 2013 }}</ref>

===County Council===
Burgess Hill is split into three electoral divisions that send representatives to West Sussex County Council; [[Burgess Hill Town (electoral division)|Burgess Hill North]] and [[Burgess Hill East (electoral division)|Burgess Hill East]], and [[Hassocks & Burgess Hill South (electoral division)|Hassocks & Burgess Hill South]], which covers the villages of Clayton, Hassocks and Keymer as well as the Victoria town council ward of Burgess Hill. Three councillors in total were elected to represent the three divisions in the West Sussex county council, all of whom are Conservatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/find-my-nearest/councillor/?tab=&Keyword=burgess%20hill&Location=&lat=&lng=|title=Burgess Hill – West Sussex County Councillors|publisher=West Sussex County Council|access-date=17 October 2016|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727054812/https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/find-my-nearest/councillor/?tab=&Keyword=burgess%20hill&Location=&lat=&lng=|url-status=live}}</ref> The part of Burgess Hill in East Sussex, which lies in the Chailey electoral division, is also represented by a Conservative at the county level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0|title=Chailey – East Sussex County Councillor|publisher=East Sussex County Councillor|access-date=17 October 2016|archive-date=24 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124050513/https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
Burgess Hill is situated in the [[Sussex Weald]], {{convert|10|mi|km}} north of Brighton, and about {{convert|4.5|mi|km}} south of Haywards Heath. Lewes, in East Sussex, is {{convert|12|mi|km}} southeast of Burgess Hill, and the larger town of [[Horsham]] is {{convert|15|mi|km}} to the northwest. [[Crawley]], a major settlement, is {{convert|13|mi|km}} to the north, and [[Gatwick Airport]] is {{convert|16|mi|km}} in the same direction.

The amenities and shopping services in Burgess Hill are also well used by the surrounding villages. The larger villages of Hassocks and [[Hurstpierpoint]] are 5 to 10 minutes' drive away from the town centre, to the south and southwest respectively. [[Albourne]], [[Ansty and Staplefield|Ansty]], [[Bolney]], [[Clayton, West Sussex|Clayton]], [[Ditchling]], [[Ditchling Common]], [[East Chiltington]], [[Goddards Green, West Sussex|Goddards Green]], [[Twineham#Hickstead|Hickstead]], [[Jacob's Post]], [[Keymer]], [[Plumpton, East Sussex|Plumpton]], [[Plumpton Green]], [[Sayers Common]], [[Streat]], [[Twineham]], [[Westmeston]], [[Wivelsfield]] (which has given its name to a railway station in Burgess Hill), and [[Wivelsfield|Wivelsfield Green]] are other nearby villages.

One of the tributaries of the [[River Adur]] weaves its way through the town, known locally as Hambrook. The town is a nuclear settlement, radiating out from the centre, curbed on the western side by the ring road, and on the east side by the East/West Sussex border (although some development on the eastern side of the town, particularly in the northeast, is in [[Lewes (district)|Lewes District]]) and by Ditchling common.

The northeastern side of the town (which includes [[Wivelsfield railway station]]) is known as [[World's End, West Sussex|World's End]].

{{Geographic Location
|title = '''Destinations from Burgess Hill'''
|Northwest = [[Bolney]], [[Horsham]]
|North     = [[Haywards Heath]], [[Crawley]], [[London]]
|Northeast = [[Crowborough]], [[Royal Tunbridge Wells]]
|West      = [[Shermanbury]]
|Centre    = Burgess Hill
|East      = [[Chailey]], [[Newick]], [[Uckfield]]
|Southwest = [[Hurstpierpoint]]
|South     = [[Hassocks]], [[Brighton]] 
|Southeast = [[Lewes]]
}}

===Nearest towns===
* [[Wivelsfield]]
* [[Haywards Heath]]
* [[Hurstpierpoint]]
* [[Hassocks]]
* [[Brighton]]

===Climate===
Burgess Hill experiences an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfb'') similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.

==Economy==

===National and international===

Burgess Hill is home to the offices of many [[National (distribution)|national]] and [[Multinational corporation|international]] companies, many based at one of the four [[business park]]s in and around the town, organised by the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association. Altogether the Business Parks Association, representing about 200 companies, employs approximately 8000 people, with a combined yearly turnover of 2 billion pounds.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bhbpa.co.uk/ | title=Home | publisher=Burgess Hill Business Parks Association | access-date=11 October 2009 | archive-date=17 September 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917031030/http://www.bhbpa.co.uk/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Victoria Business Park is the larger of the two parks in the town, to the south west, with the smaller Sheddingdean Business Park to the north. The town's residents may also commute to Ditchling Common Industrial Estate, another small business park just over the county border, or the Bolney Business Park, located off the A2300 between Burgess Hill and Hickstead. Both of these are also associated with the aforementioned organisation.

[[File:Hoffman-LaRocheVictoriaBusinessPark.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hoffmann-La Roche]] offices in Victoria Business Park]]

[[Filofax]] has its UK headquarters in the town,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhbpa.co.uk/news/Filofax_UK |title=News |publisher=Burgess Hill Business Parks Association |access-date=11 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905125621/http://www.bhbpa.co.uk/news/Filofax_UK |archive-date=5 September 2011 }}</ref> [[Technetix]] has its global headquarters in the town,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.technetix.com/office-locations|title=Technetix – Locations|access-date=7 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223092528/http://www.technetix.com/office-locations|archive-date=23 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Hoffmann-La Roche|Roche]]'s offices in Burgess Hill are the UK [[diagnostics]] [[headquarters]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roche.com/cou_glo_europe_united_kingdom_burgess_hill.htm |title=Roche UK Burgess Hill Office |publisher=Hoffman-la-Roche |access-date=6 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509023011/http://www.roche.com/cou_glo_europe_united_kingdom_burgess_hill.htm |archive-date=9 May 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[American Express]], [[CAE (company)|CAE]], [[Honeywell]], [[Porsche]] and [[Rockwell Collins]] also all have offices in the town. Almost half of those employed in Burgess Hill's are residents of the town. Many residents commute to nearby towns such as Horsham, Lewes or Haywards Heath, where 11% of Burgess Hill's population work, or larger employment centres like Crawley and Gatwick (11%), London (8%) or Brighton and Hove (7%). Similarly, people from surrounding villages and towns commute into Burgess Hill, particularly Brighton and Hove, where 14% of Burgess Hill's workers come from, Haywards Heath (5%) and Hassocks (3%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/BHFactsFiguresSep2005.pdf |title=BHFactsFiguresSep2005 |access-date=18 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807121337/http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/BHFactsFiguresSep2005.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

===Local===
The town has two shopping centres, the Market Place<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketplaceshopping.com/|title=Market Place Shopping, Burgess Hill|access-date=4 December 2006|archive-date=9 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209073636/http://www.marketplaceshopping.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Martlets<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/martletsshoppingcentre|title=The Martlets Shopping Centre|publisher=Burgess Hill Town Council|access-date=5 February 2012|archive-date=18 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118071049/http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/MartletsShoppingCentre|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as shops in Church Road, Church Walk, Cyprus Road, Junction Road, Keymer Road, London Road, Lower Church Road, Mill Road, and Station Road. There are several local commercial districts around the town, at Maple Drive, World's End, Weald Road and Sussex Way.

== Historic buildings ==

[[File:HammondsPlaceBurgessHill.jpg|thumb|right|Hammonds Place farmhouse]]

Hammonds Place, to the west of London Road as it leaves the town to the south, is a handsome Elizabethan residence which was substantially re-built by the Michelbourne family in 1565, the date engraved on its porch. Part of a structure dating from about 1500 was retained with the house. Grove Farm House, just south of Station Road, can be dated to about 1600 and was built about the same time as Farthings in Keymer Road.

Chapel Farm House and Walnut Tree Cottages on Fairplace Hill are on medieval sites and the present buildings date from the late Tudor period, as do Pollards Farm and Freckborough Manor House on the eastern boundary of the town.

High Chimneys in Keymer Road is a handsome farmhouse once called Woodwards, Fowles Farm, a 17th-century dwelling is now called Old Timbers and West End Farm is now the Woolpack Pub. They were all built, or, more correctly, rebuilt, in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The farm from which the town derives its name, referred to as Burgeshill Land in the 16th century, is now the site of the Burgess Hill Academy and the Chanctonbury Estate. The farmhouse itself is long demolished.

Almost all the Victorian detached houses and workmen's terraced cottages built in the second half of the nineteenth century (when the town was renowned as a health resort) have survived.

[[File:woolpackcrop.jpg|thumb|right|The Woolpack, formerly West End farmhouse]]

==Transport==
[[File:B2306BurgessHill.jpg|thumb|left|The B2036 looking south into Burgess Hill|183x183px]]

'''Road''': In 1770 the road from [[Cuckfield]] to Brighton across St John's Common was [[Toll road|turnpiked]]. The [[A23 road|A23]] is the London-Brighton [[Trunk road]] and runs to the west of the town and is largely a [[High-quality dual carriageway|high quality dual carriageway]]. The A23 is connected to Burgess Hill via the [[A2300 road|A2300]] which was built as a single carriageway road in the 1990s, and widened in 2021 to a dual carriageway.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A2300 corridor improvements scheme|url=https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/roadworks-and-projects/road-projects/a2300-corridor-improvements-scheme/|access-date=2021-03-28|website=West Sussex County Council|language=en}}</ref> The [[A273 road|A273]] runs along the former turnpike connecting to Pyecombe on the A23 to the south and Haywards Heath on the A272 to the North, it follows the course of Jane Murray Way, directing traffic around the town centre. The [[A272 road]] runs north of Burgess Hill, from [[Winchester]] to near [[Uckfield]]. The [[B roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme|B2112]] runs east of Burgess Hill, going north–south, and both the B2036 and the B2113 pass through the town heading north–south and west–east respectively.

'''Bus services:''' Compass Travel operate a number of bus services across Burgess Hill, and to surrounding towns and villages. Compass runs the current town service, the 35A & 35C (Clockwise and Anti-Clockwise) They also operate other services, serving other towns and villages, including service 33 which runs from [[Hurstpierpoint]] to [[Haywards Heath]] via Burgess Hill, the 100 which runs to [[Horsham]] via [[Henfield]], [[Steyning]], [[Storrington]], [[Pulborough]], [[Billingshurst]] and [[Slinfold]] before arriving into Horsham. They also run the 167 and 168 "Village Rider" services, running only a couple of times a week in some cases, serving [[Hassocks]], [[Ditchling]], and [[Plumpton, East Sussex|Plumtpton]], with the 167 continuing to [[Lewes]] and the 168 returning to Burgess Hill in a loop.

[[File:Compass 1107 - ADL Enviro 200.png|thumb|224x224px|A Compass Bus [[Alexander Dennis Enviro200|ADL Enviro 200]] 10.8m seen on the 33 at Burgess Hill Church Road bus stop]]

[[Metrobus (South East England)|Metrobus]] operate three services in Burgess, with the 270, 271 and 272 all heading to [[Brighton]] southbound, with the 270 running to [[Churchill Square (Brighton and Hove)|Churchill Square]] and the 271 and 272 running to the [[Royal Sussex County Hospital]]. Northbound, the 270 runs through [[Haywards Heath]], [[Lindfield, West Sussex|Lindfield]], [[Horsted Keynes]] and [[Danehill, East Sussex|Danehilll]] before arriving at [[East Grinstead]] [[East Grinstead railway station|Station]]. This service connects to the [[Bluebell Railway]]. The 271 and 272 both run to [[Crawley]], the 271 via [[Haywards Heath]], [[Cuckfield]], [[Staplefield]] and [[Handcross]], while the 272 runs via [[Haywards Heath]], [[Lindfield, West Sussex|Lindfield]], [[Ardingly]] and [[Turners Hill]].

'''Railway''': The opening of the [[Brighton Main Line|London to Brighton railway]] in 1841 triggered a further expansion of the town, although [[Burgess Hill railway station]] was for many years a request stop and not a regular station. In 1877 the present station replaced the original one; some of the former buildings remain, however. [[Wivelsfield railway station]] serves the north end of Burgess Hill and was opened in 1886. [[Thameslink and Great Northern|Thameslink]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=NetworkMap |title=First Capital Connect Network Map |publisher=First Capital Connect |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708175702/http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?sEvent=NetworkMap |archive-date=8 July 2007 }}</ref> and [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southernrailway.com/routes.php?r=1&m=route |title=London to Brighton Main Line |publisher=Southern Railways |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501004547/http://www.southernrailway.com/routes.php?r=1&m=route |archive-date=1 May 2007 }}</ref> provide regular train services towards London and Brighton from both Burgess Hill stations. In addition, from Burgess Hill, one can travel on the branch of the [[West Coastway Line]] to {{Stnlnk|Worthing}}, {{Stnlnk|Littlehampton}} and [[Portsmouth Harbour railway station|Portsmouth]], and from Wivelsfield, one can travel on a branch of the [[East Coastway Line]] towards {{Stnlnk|Hastings}}.

==Education==

===Primary education===
[[File:ManorFieldBurgessHill.jpg|thumb|right|Manor Field Primary School]]

* Birchwood Grove CP School
* [[Burgess Hill Girls]]
* The Gattons Infant School
* London Meed Community Primary School
* Oak Tree Primary School (formerly known as Manor Field Primary School)
* Woodlands Meed School
* Sheddingdean Primary School
* Southway Junior School
* St Peter's School (closed 2008)
* St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School

===Secondary education===
* [[The Burgess Hill Academy]]
* Burgess Hill Pupil Referral Unit
* [[Burgess Hill Girls]]
* [[St Paul's Catholic College (Burgess Hill)|St Paul's Catholic College]]

Burgess Hill is also served by [[Downlands Community School]] in nearby Hassocks, [[Warden Park Secondary Academy]] in Cuckfield and [[Oathall Community College]] in Haywards Heath.

===Further education===
* Burgess Hill Adult Education Centre
* [[Burgess Hill Girls]] (Sixth Form)
* [[St Paul's Catholic College (Burgess Hill)|St Paul's Catholic College]] (Sixth Form)

==Religion==
{{See also|List of places of worship in Mid Sussex}}
[[File:St. John the Evangelist's church, Burgess Hill.jpg|thumb|right|[[St John the Evangelist's Church, Burgess Hill|St John the Evangelist's Church]]]]

There are several churches in Burgess Hill, including:

* All Saints [[United Reformed Church]]
* Burgess Hill (Gateway) [[Baptist]] Church
* [[Methodist]] Church
* Centre Church Burgess Hill (fka Mid-Sussex Christian Centre)
* Sheddingdean Baptist Church
* St Andrew's Church ([[Anglican]])
* St Edward's Church (Anglican)
* [[St John the Evangelist's Church, Burgess Hill|St John the Evangelist's Church]] (the Anglican [[parish church]])
* [[St Wilfrid's Church, Burgess Hill|St Wilfrid's Church]], [[Roman Catholic]]
* The King's Church ([[Newfrontiers]])
* The Point Fresh Expression Church (Anglican)

Burgess Hill is also home to the [[International Bible Training Institute]] which founded Mid-Sussex Christian Centre, formally Burgess Hill Pentecostal Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ibti.org.uk/contact-ibti/|title=Contact|last=IBTI|date=2017-02-20|website=International Bible Training Institute {{!}} IBTI {{!}} Bible College UK|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-30}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[Providence Strict Baptist Chapel, Burgess Hill|Providence Strict Baptist Chapel]], one of many former [[Strict Baptist]] chapels in Sussex, closed in 1999 after 124 years of religious use. The [[Listed building|Grade II-listed]] [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] building was designed by Simeon Norman in 1875.<ref name="BHCAR25">{{cite web|url=http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/Burgess_Hill_EUS_report.pdf |title=Burgess Hill Historic Character Assessment Report |last=Harris |first=Roland B. |date=November 2005 |work=Sussex Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) |publisher=East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, and Brighton and Hove City Council |page=25 |access-date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807121433/http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/Nimoi/sites/msdcpublic/resources/Burgess_Hill_EUS_report.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}</ref>

==Recreation and wild areas==

[[File:WaterTowerBurgessHill.jpg|thumb|left|Water tower in Batchelors Farm Nature Reserve, Burgess Hill]]

{{Main|Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve|Ditchling Common|Orion Cinema}}
To the northweat of Burgess Hill is [[Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve]] and to the east is [[Ditchling Common Country Park]], a {{convert|188|acre|km2|adj=on}} area of common land, designated in 1975. In the town centre, the largest park is St. John's Park. The [[Triangle leisure centre]] on the northern edge of the town is run by [[Places Leisure]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olymposcentres.co.uk/index.php?id=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619222945/http://www.olymposcentres.co.uk/index.php?id=6 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-06-19 |title=Olympos: Olympos Burgess Hill |publisher=Freedom Leisure }}</ref> Replacing the [[lido (swimming pool)|lido]] in St. Johns Park, the Triangle is also used for conferences. The Triangle was opened by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/burgesshill/history.html |title=Burgess Hill Town Council Official Guide |publisher=Local Authority Publishing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928060345/http://www.localauthoritypublishing.co.uk/councils/burgesshill/history.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>

Burgess Hill retains an independent [[Movie theater|cinema]]. The [[Orion Cinema]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orioncinema.com/|title=The Orion Cinema, Burgess Hill|access-date=25 November 2006|archive-date=23 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123104212/http://www.orioncinema.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> opened in 1928, has two screens and shows a mixture of mainstream and [[arthouse]] films. There is also a local theatre, which puts on productions quarter-yearly, the most popular of these being a pantomime, performed in the Martlets Hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.burgesshilltheatreclub.org.uk |title=Burgess Hill Theatre Club |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213183701/http://www.burgesshilltheatreclub.org.uk/ |archive-date=13 December 2006 }}</ref> Musical theatre productions by Burgess Hill Musical Theatre Society (formerly Burgess Hill Operatic Society) are also held at the Martlets Hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhmts.org.uk|title=Burgess Hill Musical Theatre Society|access-date=6 August 2007|archive-date=7 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907133634/http://www.bhmts.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> (Martlets Hall demolished Jan 2020)

The town is also home to the Mid Sussex Brass Band which has a second section contesting main band and a thriving youth band. As well as supporting local fetes and concerts, the band plays at concerts throughout the year in venues from [[Horsham]] to [[Hever Castle]], and travels to [[Schmallenberg]], Burgess Hill's German twin town, for the Schmallenberger Woche.

Burgess Hill has a Symphony Orchestra, which draws its members from Burgess Hill and the surrounding area. The Orchestra puts on two classical concerts each year, normally in May and November.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhso.org.uk|title=Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra|access-date=22 January 2021|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101022434/https://www.bhso.org.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Burgess Hill Choral Society perform two concerts every year, shortly before Christmas and in April or May.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.burgesshillchoral.org|title=Burgess Hill Choral Society|access-date=22 January 2021|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129195409/http://www.burgesshillchoral.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Sport==
[[Burgess Hill Town Football Club]] plays [[Soccer|football]] in [[Isthmian League|Isthmian South East Division]], the eighth tier of English football. The club plays its home games at Leylands Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nomad-online.co.uk/html/isthmian_league.html|title=Ryman Isthmian League|publisher=Nomad Online|access-date=6 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012222819/http://www.nomad-online.co.uk/html/isthmian_league.html|archive-date=12 October 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Burgess Hill Rugby Football Club]], or The Sussex All Blacks, are the local Rugby Football club, playing in Sussex RFU 1. Their home games are played at Poveys CLose.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhrfc.co.uk/ |title=Burgess Hill Rugby Football Club |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926035239/http://www.bhrfc.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 September 2009 }}</ref> Burgess Hill also has a baseball team playing in the British AAA league.

Burgess Hill has two major cricket clubs, St Andrew's CC and Burgess Hill CC. St Andrew's Cricket Club have four adult teams for both men and women and have a juniors section as well. Their home ground is at Sidney West on Leylands Road where they have been playing for over 100 years. Burgess Hill Cricket Club have four adult teams and a youth section and play at St. Johns Park. 

Mid Sussex Hockey Club play their home games at The Triangle [[leisure centre]], although their clubhouse is based in Haywards Heath.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mshc.co.uk/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=10 March 2013 |archive-date=20 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520182040/http://mshc.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mid Sussex Youth Netball Club train at The Triangle and have many successful teams. The Triangle leisure centre was the home venue of [[Brighton Bears]], a former [[basketball]] team. The franchise folded in 2006.

Several local pubs and social clubs enter teams into the Mid Sussex Pool League, although any venue with {{convert|10|mi|km}} of "The Duck" in Haywards Heath can apply to join. The league plays World Eight Ball Rules.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midsussexpool.co.uk|title=Mid Sussex Pool League|access-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317064144/http://www.midsussexpool.co.uk/|archive-date=17 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A squash club<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhsquashclub.co.uk/ |title=Burgess Hill Squash Club |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009115339/http://www.bhsquashclub.co.uk/ |archive-date=9 October 2007 }}</ref> plays at The Triangle every Saturday and Monday, and has a team that plays in the East Sussex County League.

A running club<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhrunners.co.uk/Home|title=Burgess Hill Runners Club|access-date=15 January 2011|archive-date=5 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905130913/http://www.bhrunners.co.uk/Home|url-status=live}}</ref> meet at the Burgess Hill School for Girls every Wednesday evening. Members compete in local and national charity and fun races.

The skate park in the centre of town provides sporting opportunities, and holds an annual competition.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The Triangle was one of the venues in the South East supporting the London [[2012 Olympic Games]], and served as a base and training centre for teams from around the world.

==Local media==
Television signals are received from either the [[Heathfield transmitting station|Heathfield]] or [[Midhurst transmitting station|Midhurst]] TV transmitters.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/HEATHFIELD | title=Heathfield (East Sussex, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Midhurst | title=Midhurst (West Sussex, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Sussex]] on 104.8 FM, [[Heart South]] on 102.4 FM, [[More Radio Mid-Sussex]] on 106.4 FM and Mid Sussex Radio on 103.8 FM, a community radio station.<ref>[https://www.midsussexradio.co.uk/ Mid Sussex Radio website]</ref>

The town’s local newspapers are the ''[[Mid Sussex Times]]'' and ''The Sussex Newspaper''.

==Town twinning==
Burgess Hill's [[sister city|twin towns]] are:

* [[Abbeville]], [[Picardy (region)|Picardy]] – France<ref name="Archant twinning">{{cite web|url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |access-date=11 July 2013 |work=Archant Community Media Ltd |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013 }}</ref>
*  [[Schmallenberg]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] – Germany

A square in Schmallenberg has been named Burgess Hill Platz.

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2018}}
* [[Caroline Atkins]], [[cricket]]er; born in the town<ref name="cricket">{{cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/15572.html|title=Vallance Jupp Player Info|access-date=29 December 2006|archive-date=28 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928074751/http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/15572.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Elizabeth Bartlett (British poet)|Elizabeth Bartlett]], [[poet]]; born in [[Deal, Kent]], spent much of her life at her house in Burgess Hill
* [[Neil Brand]], writer, composer and silent film accompanist; born in Burgess Hill
* [[Valentine Dyall]], voice actor; lived in Station Roa
* [[Quentin Edwards]], judge; lived here after returning from Egypt
* [[Colin Griffiths]], TV presenter<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/flux/ |title=Flux |publisher=MTV |location=UK|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104014057/http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/flux/ |archive-date=4 January 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Henry George Bonavia Hunt]], clergyman; lived his final years here and is buried here
* [[Vallance Jupp]], cricketer; born in the town<ref name="cricket"/>
* [[Martha Kearney]], [[journalist]] and [[News presenter|broadcaster]]; educated at St Wilfrids RC School
* [[Greg Luer]], footballer who played at [[Burgess Hill Town F.C.]] before moving to [[Hull City A.F.C.|Hull City]]
* [[Richard Midgley]], professional [[basketball]] player.
* [[Simon Nye]], TV writer; born in Burgess Hill<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/08_august/20/cb_nye.shtml|title=Simon Nye Bio|publisher=BBC|access-date=4 December 2006|archive-date=19 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219221237/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/08_august/20/cb_nye.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Guy Stair Sainty]], author and art dealer; born at Clayton Priory on what is now the southern edge of the town
* [[Holly Willoughby]], television presenter; was educated at [[Burgess Hill School]]
* [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]], actor; raised in the town
* [[Bobby Zamora]], the professional footballer, lived in the town whilst playing for [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]

==Culture==
The town was referred to by [[poet laureate]] [[John Betjeman]] in the following lines:

I am a young executive. No cuffs than mine are cleaner;<br>
I have a Slimline brief-case and I use the firm's [[Ford Cortina|Cortina]].<br>
In every roadside hostelry from here to Burgess Hill<br>
The maîtres d'hôtel all know me well, and let me sign the bill.<br>

From "Executive" in ''A Nip in the Air'' (1974).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_betjeman/poems/823 |title=Executive – Poem by John Betjeman |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=24 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624011143/http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_betjeman/poems/823 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Burgess Hill}}
{{wikivoyage|Burgess Hill}}
* [https://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/ Burgess Hill Town Council]

{{Mid Sussex}}{{Lewes district}}{{West Sussex}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Burgess Hill| ]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Mid Sussex District]]
[[Category:Towns in West Sussex]]