The Villages of the Parish

Plaistow Parish is in the north west corner of West Sussex on the Surrey county border, covering an approximate area of 5935 hectares and supporting a population of 1700+ with an active Parish Council that was recently awarded Quality Parish Council status.

There is no mention of Plaistow in the Doomsday Book but the late Mr Kenyon of Kirdford, who was a local historian, has written much about the Parish and surrounding area and has cited evidence of Plaistow going as far back as 1271. Glass making in the area in the mid 14 th century is well-documented.

Durfold Wood

Durfold Wood is a small residential and was built on land formerly belonging to the Brake Estate and came into being in the 1930’s. At that time, land was available as front plots of 1/3 rd acre and 1 acre for back plots. These plots were sold then for between £200 and £300 and the buildings were used as holiday or weekend homes

Ifold

Ifold is now the largest of the four settlements. Ifold as it is today, began in the same way as Durfold Wood where plots of land were sold originally to people who used them as holiday or weekend homes. The story of Ifold House and Estate is documented and can be read about in ‘Ifold, Loxwood and Plaistow – Forgotten Border Villages’ by C.H. Bayley.

Plaistow

Plaistow is a quintessentially English village. There is a Village Green, a pond a pub and a Church all in the centre of the village. There are over thirty graded (previously known as listed) buildings in the village. The Sun Inn was purchased by the Pullen family in 1807, the present-day Plaistow Church was dedicated in 1869 and Plaistow School was built in the same year.

Shillinglee

Shillinglee is a small residential area right on the Surrey border. It was the home of the late Earl and Lady Winterton and was originally a Manor of the Arundel Estate, which belonged to the Norfolk Family. Shillinglee House was originally built in 1785 and during the Second World War it was occupied by Canadian forces.

The Ifold History Society

The Ifold History Society was founded in June 1984 by a group of residents interested in researching the origins of the Ifold Estate before and after the Second World War.

Gradually over the years a large collection of photographs and memorabilia, including those of Plaistow and Shillinglee were gathered. These have been exhibited at various venues together with artefacts from the 1920's and 30's, World War II and the 1950's.