Англиядағы Ansty және Staplefield аймағының табиғаты мен тарихы

Ansty and Staplefield, previously Cuckfield Rural, is a civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, covering an area from the north west side of Burgess Hill, the whole lying around but mostly to the west of Cuckfield civil parish, from which it was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894. It includes the settlements of Ansty in the south, Staplefield to the north west and Brook Street to the north east. It is the largest civil parish in West Sussex, covering an area of , and has a population of 1574 (2001 Census), increasing to 1,756 at the 2011 Census. Old archaic heathy vegetation including meadow fungi, Betony and Heath Bedstraw hold on. Staplefield Churchyard is richer, and as many as sixteen meadow Waxcap, Hygrocybe fungi have been recorded (making it the third best site in middle Sussex) and in spring you may see Green Winged and Spotted Orchids, Pepper Saxifrage, Bitter Vetch, Zig Zag Clover, Spring Sedge, Betony, and even Cowslips just clinging on amid many other herbs and grasses.

Bedelands LNR (Local Nature Reserve) is best known for its archaic flower meadows (e. g. ). There are seven of them, each with a different history and character. Buttercup and ox eye daisy dominate visually. Yellow rattle is abundant over much of the meadows, and hosts the scarce grass rivulet moths. Bedelands is their greatest Sussex stronghold. The ground is mainly Wealden Clay. Features include a kitchen garden, deer park, lakes, and a fine lime avenue. It has a brick gatehouse with four octagonal turrets. Cuckfield Park, around the house, sadly has no ancient trees left. The best of it is New England Wood, , north of the house, an ancient woodland nature reserve around a gill. The north verge at the western end of the Cuckfield bypass, , has colourful archaic meadow vegetation, with much Dyers Greenweed (2012). Between the bypass and the church is the long established Laines Organic Farm. now marked only by a little quarry: a hollow where the well once was, the remains of an outgrown Ash hedge and a wonderful Oak pollard in blooming health, with the broadest sheltering canopy. There are flint flakes and broken microliths in the ploughland adjacent. To the north west, towards Nymans gardens National Trust is a collection of woods. Two footpaths descend from Handcross eastwards into theses deep woods that run continuously for 1.3 miles to Brantridge Lane: Cow Wood and Harry's Wood (both SSSI's around ), and Blackfold and Dencombe Woods (just out of the parish). There are a scatter of fine veteran Oak and Beech, both standing and fallen. Along its higher contours it is an Oak Hazel wood with some Beech. Ash joins in lower down over the outcropping Grinstead Clay. There are English and Sessile Oak coppice, and some part controlled Rhodi infestation. Cow Wood's has a 'Redwood Avenue', down in the main Nymans valley, is long and lovely, with alternating Wellingtonias, Coastal Redwood, and Spruce. There are lots of patches of Wild Daffodils in the gullies and valley sides,
The valley stream debouches into the pond of the vanished Tudor Blackfold iron furnace with shaded mossy banks, The furnace made pig iron for transportation to the forge at Holmsted, 1.75 miles to the south. Blackfold wood and valley lie just north east, They are tranquil and remote, with a deep gill, dense plantation Larch and Norwegian Spruce over the lower slopes, but good Oaks, old Sweet Chestnut coppice and Bracken further up. (Now part sold off as fragments, 2017). There used to be a farm on the plateau It is long gone, but a fine three span Oak pollard survives on the farmstead site. Blackfold was a medieval swine pasture of Saddlescombe, 11.5 miles due south behind Newtimber Hill, on the Downs. Strange to think that such a tiny hamlet could once command such remote woodlands. To the north, just out of the parish is High Beeches Gardens .

Borde Hill Estate is around The Estate is made up of four let farms as well as areas of land which are farmed by the Estate in conjunction with a local contractor. The vast majority of the Estate sits within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is also subject to agricultural, environmental and woodland schemes. Despite this mosaic of farmed and wooded land, there are quite large areas free of public motor roads. However, the amount of public footpaths and green lanes are also limited. The Stephenson Clarkes who own it made their fortune as shipping magnates. The wet clay woods to the north west have many pheasants for shoots. The Estate sold the land for the Penland Farm development on the edge of Haywards Heath. Their relatives have an estate at Cinder Hill, Horsted Keynes, which used to centre on Broadhurst Manor before that was separately sold. Holmstead Farm has been damaged by agribusiness and the noise from the A23 is relentless. Further downslope the ancient Holmsted Wood, which remained intact until the 1970s, is now all gone and its site used for landfill, now grassed over. Holmsted and Hammerhill Farm took their names from the Holmsted Hammer Forge, which worked until c. 1660. It took its pig iron from Blackfold and Slaugham Furnace, and from Tilgate, too. The pond bay lay just west of the Ouse bridge It was largely removed by the County Council in 1928 to use as 'fill' for road works, though a section of it survives. North of Sloughgreen Lane there are still areas of the greatest charm. The woods around Beacon Hall, , have some fine old Beeches, perhaps outgrown coppice, and there's Sweet Chestnut coppice east of Mallion's Lane bordering Sloughgreen Lane's north side.

Mallion's Lane is almost car free, and winds downhill with colourful flowery verges on both sides. 73 herbs and grasses have been counted there and there are Orchids, Betony, and Zigzag Clover amongst much Upright Hedge Parsley, Hogweed and Knapweed. There are many damp loving species, like Great Willowherb, Fleabane, Marsh Bedstraw, Yellow Loosestrife and False Fox Sedge. Particularly uphill, there are many woodland species that are refugees from the lost Holmsted Wood Bluebells, Goldenrod and Wood Melic. Whitehouse Farm, , is Tudor and timber framed, and next to it is a tiny archaic farm meadow that has good displays of Spotted Orchids (2011).