Crawley

Thursday 16 August was a long day of travel from Newport, Wales, to Crawley in Sussex. On the last leg we encountered a traffic jam due to an accident further along the motorway.

We finally arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Crawley. Gatwick Airport is near Crawley.

Sunday 19 was a free day so we went for  a walk to explore the town.

When we told people at cricket games that we were staying at Crawley we were told - New Town, no history there.

Plans for New Town, part of Crawley, were first considered in 1946. The stones are a symbol of 60 years of New Town (2007).

Elizabeth Square was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1958 when she also opened Gatwick Airport.

However Crawley does have a long history with items from the Stone Age being found. Crawley was an Anglo Saxon settlement, originally having the name Crow's Leah (Crow's Wood). The present spelling has been in existence since the 14th century.

The buildings comprising The George date from the fifteenth century. It was possibly originally a mansion that has encountered many alterations over time.

The White Hart, dating back to the 18th century, was built in traditional Sussex style. It was once the centre for the cattle and corn market held in the square in High Street. The first post office was in this building from1810.

This building was a brewery from the 16th century to the 1880s. in the middle of the building is a house dating back to the 1400.

Old Punch Bowl is a 15th century building originally used as a farmhouse. It has been used as tea rooms or a pub since 1929.

The oldest part of St John the Baptist Church dates back to 1250. The tower was constructed in 1467. The World War I  memorial is in the foreground.

Bandstand in the park.

More information about some of the sites in Crawley can be seen in this Heritage Trail brochure.

Crawley also has lots of restaurants. We had a good Italian meal at Bella Italia.