Uckfield suffered a bitter blow in 1960 when the railway line to Lewes was closed despite long and loud protests.

Not only did the town lose a vital link to the county town and the coast but it also left the line to London at the end of a long railway cul de sac.

This meant that Uckfield slipped to the bottom of the queue for rail investment. It is one of the last lines in Sussex not to have been electrified.

Trains were so slow that at one time it was quicker to reach Bristol by train from London even though at 120 miles it is three times the distance.

But pressure from travellers brought the reward of a better service to London and new trains. There is still a constant campaign to reopen the Lewes line.

It was the arrival of the railway that transformed Uckfield from a sleepy village into a proper market town.

Trains enabled the fine fruit and vegetables farmed in the surrounding countryside to be taken quickly to the capital.

Before that Wealden roads were often so muddy that it could prove impossible to drive carts along them.

The railway also killed off a canal built by Lord Sheffield, whose family home was at Sheffield Park. It ran from Lewes to Uckfield and served villages like Newick, Lindfield and Fletching.

Close to the railway line is the River Uck which looks a harmless stream during the summer. But it can flood the lower part the town. The floods have caused more damage in recent years as Uckfield has become densely populated but schemes to alleviate the worst effects appear to have been successful.

Uckfield relied largely on agriculture but in medieval times there was also a thriving iron making industry.

Housing started to expand with the arrival of the railway and continued steadily over the years. But there was a large post-war expansion as land was in short supply in areas of outstanding natural beauty such as the South Downs and Ashdown Forest.

This was accentuated by the building of a bypass in the 1980s which also relieved congestion in the town centre.

However road connections from Uckfield to London are still poor while the route to Lewes is a dangerous single carriageway stretch.

Uckfield has attracted some light industry over the years but many workers commute into London where the wages are higher.

Reopening the line to Lewes would be a tremendous fillip for the town and is a possibility since the population has grown greatly in the district over the last half century.

Land has been reserved for the line, which could also serve as an alternative to the Brighton line. It will be a proud moment for the persistent campaigners if they win the day.

Closing the Lewes line was a mistake which will cost millions of pounds to rectify but which must happen eventually to serve a fast growing area.