To Ask If Anyone Is Familiar With Dormansland near Lingfield

[Toomuchtooyoung01]

Hi,
Sorry not sure if this is the right place to post, is anyone familiar with the area of Dormansland near Lingfield? Viewing a house there and keen to know more about what the area is really like as it is unknown territory for us! Thanks!

Not overly close, but I lived in Chelwood Gate (about 9 miles away) for 18 months and really liked it - about twelve years ago.
Any frustrations I had were largely because I knew I was only there for a short period (a year, then extended).
East Grinstead (5 miles from Dormansland) has a good Waitrose, and from memory there were lots of independent shops in the town. I was midway between East Grinstead and Haywards Heath, but mostly used the East Grinstead line when I travelled into London.
Forest Row was a nice quirky/alternative village.

Hopefully someone with more recent knowledge (and of the actual village) will come by soon.

It's nice! Good tennis club

Check out the flight path. It is directly over lingfield and quite low. It might not come over dormansland at all and it might not bother you even if it does. But something to look out for. Do you need schools?

Lots of lovely countryside around there. The East Grinstead line is a Thameslink line so goes into the City and beyond.

My goodness. I've only ever heard my mum talk about Dormansland (parents lived there just before I was born.) I have nothing remotely helpful to add I'm afraid 😂

I have friends who live there and they love it!

Know it very well as I live there and have for 10 years.

What do you want to now? Where is the house?

@Titsywoo

I have friends who live there and they love it!

Literally no one has every heard of Dormansland. I have to say - near Lingfield, the racecourse? No? East Grinsted? Gatwick?

No I know it's in Surrey but it's not near Guildford

Thanks everyone for your replies!
@Shannith - what’s the general demographic? What supermarkets/shops/restaurants are close by? are there any areas to avoid? Is there much to do for kids?
Is it a friendly area? I hope this doesn’t sound rude but is there a cliquey/yokel vibe? (Where we currently are is awful for this, it’s basically a League Of Gentlemen sketch “local shop for local people!!!!”)
Which schools/nurseries are the better ones?
The road is Locks Meadow, any intel on this specific area would be great!
Thankyou so much xx

@eurochick

Lots of lovely countryside around there. The East Grinstead line is a Thameslink line so goes into the City and beyond.

It's not - it's southern rail (boo) and goes to Victoria or London Bridge.

Trains every half hour - you always get a seat. Parking at the station is...limited and in the road.

If you walk back from the station to the village it's absolutely beautiful and the best walk to commute ever. Unless it's dark. Or snowing, or muddy. Not many lights. I used to call it the walk of terror. You get used to it.

@Toomuchtooyoung01

Thanks everyone for your replies! *@Shannith* - what’s the general demographic? What supermarkets/shops/restaurants are close by? are there any areas to avoid? Is there much to do for kids? Is it a friendly area? I hope this doesn’t sound rude but is there a cliquey/yokel vibe? (Where we currently are is awful for this, it’s basically a League Of Gentlemen sketch “local shop for local people!!!!”) Which schools/nurseries are the better ones? The road is Locks Meadow, any intel on this specific area would be great! Thankyou so much xx

Too funny - you'd not be far from me at all.

Locks meadow is nice but New Farthingdale which leads into it is... as much as any but if a tiny sheet village can be - the slightly less salubrious but. However, it's still nice.

It's a very friendly challenge and not at all cliquey. Lots of older people (retired) and families.

The village school is very good and most of the children in the village go there - and then head over to the park to play after. The local private, Lingfield Prep is good (DD foes there and loves it)

There is one shop in Dormansland (nicknamed Harrods) but it's pretty good.

Lingfield is close with Co-op, Tesco Express and Costa.

East Grinsted has Waitrose and Aldi and Sainsbury's.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful. From the village you can be in the woods, over the golf course or open farmland in minutes.

And there are 3 pubs. The Plough is a proper country pub and good for food, the old house at home is pretty nice and the Royal Oak is meh. Though it's just got new owners and I've not been since

Masses of Gastro pub type places around and Lingfield has a great curry house and some ok ones. East Grinsted has bars and restaurants and Oxted and Edenbridge also have plenty of places.

I moved from zone 2 south London so it does not compare to that at all.

It is a lovely village, a nice community feel and it's quiet and beautiful. Because it's by the downs you get great views.

It's on the flight path - when planes are flying again. You get used to them but there are a lot of low planes.

@Shannith Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply, so is New Farthingdale a bit dodge?
What do teenagers seem to get up to locally? are there things within walking distance/a very short drive or is everything a good 15/20 min drive away?
is it a bit of an everyone knows everyone and their business area?
Thanks again for replying xx

Not dodge but there was a burnt out van there. Quite the village scandal.

I manage to be completely anonymous quite easily. I am a member of the village young women's institute - it's more fun than it sounds. Some people are really involved with village life but most just rock along quietly.

There is not much for teenagers to do. I'm mean there's east Grinsted and Crawley by bus/train or Forest Row or Frow I'm informed (by a teen) it's known. East Grinsted is good for teens, skate park and nice big parks to hang about with mates doing what teenagers do.. Or London of course.

Lingfield has some moody teen ruffians. In that they wear hoodies and cycle round the duck pond. People get very get up about them but they are best behaved teenagers I've come across.

There's great mountain biking at Dears Leap and if they are outdoorsy Ashdown Forest and all the abundance of nice countryside. If they are horsey, it's good for that.

And no the village as a whole is not gossipy/know everyone's business as far as I can tell. I just bumble about in my own little world.

I mean it's not London do you will probably speak to your neighbours. Some streets are a bit... insular.

I moved to a house on The Platt which will forever be known as Sheila's daughters house. I'm not Shelia's daughter.

I moved to a house on The Platt which will forever be known as Sheila's daughters house. I'm not Shelia's daughter

This made me laugh!
Thanks for all the info. In terms of things like soft play/kids dance classes etc/cinemas etc is there much nearby?
Thankyou again xx

There is a decent cinema in east Grinsted, a cool Everyman one in Oxted and a massive one in Crawley.

Baby groups and whatnot in east Grinsted, Lingfield, Oxted and Edenbridge
Not sure about soft play but I'm sure there is.

Ashdown forest is full of excellent children's tails/adventure playgrounds.

Dormansland recreational ground or "the park" is alway busy with mums and young kids and they are very friendly. Expect to meet people and chat there if that's what you want.

Because there is so much glorious countryside around DD spent her formative years (still does) playing in the woods, making dens etc.

If you do move there - let me know and I'll
Send you details of some of the excellent t walks up over the farmland/start of the high Weald.

The ones in the woods/golf course are obvious but I lived here for years before I workers out/realised that you can walk all over the beauty hills you can see on the horizon - and there are paths direct from the village (high street)

I would 100% recommend living here. It's quiet, friendly and beautiful - and though it is a little village it's very close to lots of big towns with loads to do.

Right on the doorstep

The woods at the edge of the village

@Shannith Thankyou so much for sending all those beautiful photos, it does look lovely! Will be having a good drive around checking the area out when we view the house!
Roughly how far away are the neighbouring towns, Lingfield East grinstead
Etc? Xx

Lingfield is a mile (you can walk there through the woods). East Grinsted 3 miles.

We did the same when we bought the house. I don't think I really got a sense of how much...countryside there is.

If you park at Dormans station and follow the path up to the village - it's a footpath to the right of the station (about 10 mins- it's a single track, you can't get lost! and then walk back you'll get a sense of the place.

@Shannith Thanks again for replying, ok that’s good to know that although the actual village is small the towns are really nearby. Was a bit worried it might be too rural for us.
Sorry one more question (!!!) does it feel safe, particularly when walking around the countryside etc, do you encounter lots of other people as you walk or could you go miles without seeing a single dog walker?
Thanks so much for all your info, you’ve been so helpful and nice! xx

My brother and his family live in Dormansland at The Platts. I love visiting them, it's so beautiful there. Lovely pubs around that cater for family dining. Beautiful scenery as seen in Shanniths photos.

A friend of mine had a boyfriend from there while at university

I don't know anything about the town but I thought it always sounded like a lovely place to live! (Sleepy sounding place from the name!)