Danehill lies on the East Grinstead to Lewes road about 8 miles from East Grinstead . The name is derived from Dene Hill from the anglo saxon denbera, meaning a large clearing in the forest, or a swine pasture, on the hill. The first written evidence of the village comes from 1265 and the first permanent houses from 1400. By 1660 the Red Lion inn became a stopping point for travellers between London and Lewes. The road through Danehill became a turnpike in 1752, and the quality of the road improved from the slow sticky sussex clay, due to the funding provided by travellers. The roads in turn encouraged wealthy people to move into the area, and John Baker Holroyd moved into Sheffield Park in 1769, he was later to become the First Lord Sheffield. This road was one of the main routes from Brighton to London , until 1780 when the now A23 was built which took the traffic away from the village. The present church was consecrated in 1893 so is fairly modern and replaced a chapel built in 1823 .

Services

The village is small with only a few local services. The main shopping centre is at East Grinstead about 8 miles north or Haywards Heath about 8 miles south west. Trains run from both of the towns above with services into South London.

Views

Danehill lies on top of one of the inland hills in sussex, and has views of sussex all round. The Bluebell line at nearby Sheffield Park together with the gardens are worth a visit.