Albourne, a small village with a population of about 600, is situated in the low Weald of Mid Sussex, just north of the South Downs. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The scattered village is rich in old and historical buildings. Gallops, a timber-framed building, is perhaps the oldest in the village. The Pound was used to impound straying animals. Both are circa 17th century.
The church of St. Bartholomew has some Norman work in the building.
The old rectory and the original village school are in an idyllic setting adjacent to Cutlers Brook, an alder-lined stream from which the village gets its name: ‘Al’ from alder and bourne - a small stream.
The heart of the village is now bypassed by the A23 and is made up of a delightful conservation area with more than its fair share of listed buildings. Woodbine Cottage was the childhood home of James Starley, a pioneer maker and inventor of the differential gear used on early bicycles, whose success brought prosperity to Coventry.
A small settlement locally known as High Cross is situated about one mile away from the village centre and further from the centre in Truslers Hill Lane where Albourne Place can be found, there is a large mid-17th century former manor house where William Juxon, later Archbishop of Canterbury, lived following his imprisonment by Cromwell, reputedly for refusing to tell the secret of the last words of Charles I on the scaffold.
The county primary school is host to children from Albourne and surrounding villages. There are no shops or public houses but a well-maintained modern village hall is available for community use.
A thriving country club, Wickwoods, exists in this part of the parish and a popular golf club, Singing Hills, attracts golfers from far afield.
