Rushlake Green - (Open Village and Nuclear Bunker)

General Details

Rushlake Green in East Sussex is a small village which lies between Punnetts Town and Windmill Hill , its parish church is the one at Warbleton .

We have only found a limited amount out about the village, however Alf Rogers from Australia has provided some anecdotes.

Two of the things that intrigued my mum were the kids who went home to grandmas at lunch and had 'kettle soup' and the occasion when a mum was terribly upset when mum cleaned her young scamp up after one lunch hour.

'It wasn't that you made the little b------ wash, you understand, but you undid some of the stitching on his coms after I'd sown him up for the winter!' There is a lady genealogist who lives at Turner's Green (opposite the old oast house known locally as Oliver's clock) who has been active in recent years - but I cannot supply her name or exact address. She could be a source of further information for you.

I had a look at the possible sites for Rushlake Green . As I imagined there are a few good photos of Stone House and a pen and ink sketch of the western face with a little of the history of the house (but not its inhabitants) see Stone House.

In passing, I also discovered that someone has been listing all the Royal Observer Corps posts around the country and reporting upon their condition. It was surprising to learn that the post that was under my command for around five to six years before I came to Australia is still listed as Rushlake Green. During the war it was found that its original position on the village green was not the best that could be wished for (more or less a camp site with possessions being looked after in the Horse and Groom), and so a new site was found up on the hill on Sky Farm at Chapel Cross. A proper brick tower was built with a lower storage area and an observation area and a small cubby-house beside it on the first floor. Then in 1958 a new underground facility was built where the Corps members would monitor nuclear radiation levels in the event of a nuclear attack. This became my responsibility from January 1959 also. see Subterranea

Views

Rushlake Green in East Sussex is a very pretty open village with a large triangular green on which cricket is played in the summer.

The houses surrounding the green are typical sussex built farm workers houses.

Services

Rushlake Green in East Sussex has a shop and public house, any other services are available from Heathfield about 5 miles to the north west, or Battle about the same to the east.

The nearest trains can be caught from Stonegate about 5 miles north, which provides an hourly service from London to Hastings.

Map

Rushlake Green is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages
(click on symbol to see the village page)