August 2015

The first person to discover the existence of dinosaurs was Dr Gideon Mantell who lived in Lewes, and befriended the Streatfeild family who owned The Rocks estate to the west of Uckfield, and whose family plaques are displayed in Holy Cross Church.  The following is a description by Dr Mantell of what we now call Lake Wood.

‘Near “the Rocks,” the seat of —- Streatfeild, Esquire, about half a mile west of Uckfield, a group of sandstone rocks occurs, under circumstances of considerable beauty and picturesque effect.  The path that leads to this interesting spot lies to the right of the road, and by circuitous route, conducts the spectator to the centre of a wood, where a beautiful lake, nearly surrounded by rocks, suddenly opens to the view.  The cliffs, overhanging the water, are from twenty to thirty feet high, and are surmounted by forest trees and underwood.  In some places the rocks are nearly perpendicular; in others, they descend with a gentle slope to the waters edge, the declivity being covered by a luxuriant vegetation.  On the northern margin, a projecting point of high rock is perforated by a natural archway, that has been enlarged by art, and this leads to a recess in the sandstone on a level with the bosom of the lake.  From this point the picturesque beauty of the scene is exhibited to particular advantage.  On the opposite shore, the base of a rock that juts into the water is in like manner excavated into an arch, beneath which a shallop was moored at the time of my visit.  In one of the vertical cliffs, some fine young birch trees had taken root between the thin layers that separate the strata, and in almost every fissure of the rock numerous plants had insinuated themselves, and by the beauty and variety of their foliage, relieved the monotonous and sombre appearance of the smooth grey sandstone.  On the less elevated masses, lichens, mosses, and heaths were growing in great profusion and luxuriance.  The strata are nearly horizontal, and partake of the characters of those already described.’

A description of Lake Wood “The Rocks” from: The Geology of the South-East of England (Mantell 1833 p.203).

For a little joy, why not visit this place sometime, and check out the above, it is now owned by the Woodland Trust who welcome visitors.