Can I walk on Crowborough Common?

Yes - members of the public have full access to all 222 acres for 'air and exercise', including the golfing areas.  The common is mainly heathland and woodland - with less than half the total area used for golf.  Take care to observe the requirements of the 1936 Order.  Please avoid walking on the greens and tees.

Can I walk my dog on the common?

Yes - the public are free to exercise dogs over the whole of Crowborough Common.  Indeed, the common is an ideal and popular location for dog walking.  Owners must control their dogs and ensure they do not interfere with the game of golf or disturb other users of the common.  The golf club have provided some ‘pooper bins’ on the common, so please clear up after your dog.

What are my rights as a member of the public?

In brief, the public have the right to walk wherever they wish, but must not interfere with the game of golf.  Golfers should give way to walkers - the 1936 Order states that 'Golfers...must avoid driving into those who are enjoying the right to air and exercise'.  With 222 acres, there is plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the common.

The Manorial Rights to the whole of Crowborough Common were sold to the golf club by the 8th Earl De La Warr, in 1906, on the explicit understanding that the public were never to lose their rights to ‘air and exercise’.
 
In 1936, under the Law of Property Act 1925, s.193, the Ministry of Agriculture (as it then was) made an ‘Order of Limitations’ granting the golf club a right to apply certain restrictions in respect of how the common was to be used.  See Access Information for a copy of the 1936 Order.

Why are there green ‘WARNING’ signs on the common that tell walkers to keep to the public footpaths?  In the past, golfers have told me to keep on the footpaths.  What should I do?

Many people have asked these questions.

We consider these signs to be somewhat misleading, as the public have a legal right to walk wherever they wish.  Following on from a meeting with the current chairman of the golf club, Mr M Wilson, he has written to say that “the ‘WARNING’ signs are there for reasons of Health and Safety”.
 
Signs displaying copies of the 1936 Order of Limitations that inform everyone of the rights of the public have been missing from the common since 2003.
 
Mr Wilson has now confirmed that readable copies of this order will be posted "at the points specified in the Order for the foreseeable future".  Furthermore, he is considering putting a copy of the Order on the notice board at the club house and on the golf club website.
  
So, hopefully, misunderstandings over access are a thing of the past!   However, if there is a problem, please report the matter promptly to the club secretary on 01892 661511 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Please also inform us This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Who owns Crowborough Common?

All commons are owned by someone, whether it is the National Trust, local authorities or, as is the case with Crowborough Common, by a limited company.
 
The Manorial Rights to Crowborough Common were purchased by Crowborough Beacon Golf Club in January 1906 from the 8th Earl De La Warr, subject to the public having full access.  The club continues to maintain a golf course on part of the common.

In April 1994 Crowborough Beacon Golf Club Limited was registered as freehold owner of the land at HM Land Registry.  Although in recent years the golf club has sold some of this land, it remains registered ‘common land’ regardless of who owns it.

So how can it be a common if it is private?

Common land is so named as certain people, the ‘commoners’, have legal rights to use the product of the soil.   For example, rights may be for grazing animals (common of pasture), the taking of firewood (estovers) or the right to dig turf or peat (turbary). 

Crowborough Common has commoners.  Their rights are recorded on the Commons Register maintained by East Sussex County Council. 

How old is Crowborough Common?

At least 450 years old.  It extends right back to the days of Elizabeth I and Shakespeare.

Crowborough Common is the ‘waste’ land of the Manor of Alchornes.   It is land that has been open and unenclosed since medieval times when the manorial system was established.  

The earliest confirmed evidence found so far, comes from an Elizabethan land survey of 1563/4 contained in the Duchy of Lancaster Miscellaneous Books (vol 112).   Sir Richard Sackville was Lord of the Manor and it refers to “the Borroughe of Allchorne”, describes its boundaries and states “that in the said Borroughe is a common”.

An extract is shown in ‘Rotherfield – The Story of Some Wealden Manors’ by Catharine Pullein, p.437 (published by Courier, 1928)  www.theweald.org/bk.asp?BookId=Pullein000

Below is a map based on 16th century data, from the same source:

Where can I find out more about commons?

The Commons, Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society - known as Open Spaces Society - was founded in 1865 and is the oldest conservation society in the country.   They are consulted by government (DEFRA) about applications that may compromise common land.

The Open Spaces Society believe that too many of these applications are for private gain and that commons should be enjoyed by everyone. Their web site is informative and lists a range of publications. Consider becoming a member and help to preserve beautiful, open spaces, everywhere. www.oss.org.uk

A short video 'Common Vision - Preserving our Common Land For the Future' is available to view at:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hampshire-countryside/countryside/commons-registration.htm   (look for 'Commons Video' tab)

If you have more questions or can add information to these answers then please contact us This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Common Knowledge compiled by Brendan Clegg and Anne Hart