Here is just a little info to let you get to know us better...
Here is a little potted history of our pub and the local area... if you have a spare minute or two and maybe a cup of tea (or is that a G&T), we think it's well worth a read.
Bolney is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but in 1284 it was held by Earl Warenne and the Bishop of Chichester.
Bolney takes its name from two Saxon words, meaning 'Bolla's Island'. It was probably high ground surrounded by marsh and dominated by the Bolla Tribe.
Bolney Village dates back to Saxon England and throughout the ages it was a prominent agricultural community, although the village almost certainly owes its initial existence and its apparent wealth to the early iron industry.
Situated on the lower slopes of the Weald and St. Leonards Forest, it was ideally suited to providing the charcoal needed to fire the furnaces at nearby Cuckfield, Slaugham and Lower Beeding. 'Colwood Lane' and 'Cross Colwood Lane' in the north west of the parish are evidence of the burning of charcoal in quantity. During recent excavations under the main street, Saxon road timbers were found suggesting this was an old route into St. Leonard's Forest to the north.
Following the decline of the iron industry, Bolney became an agricultural community, which prospered for some 400 years until soon after the Second World War. Sadly the Windmill and the Watermill, both of which operated in the 18th and 19th century, are not standing today.
Geographically the Parish of Bolney lies virtually at the centre of the County of Sussex at the southern edge of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
It is dissected neatly into four quarters by the north/south A23 London to Brighton road and east / west by the A272 which runs from Heathfield to Winchester. The main village lies in the north west section and is usually missed by the thousands of travellers who use these roads each day.
The Church is in the Early English style with suggestions of Saxon and Norman influence in the architecture. The nave and chancel date from the middle of the 12th century, while the unusual tower was built in 1533-1536 at the expense of John Bolne. It boasts the oldest peal of eight bells in Sussex, the earliest being dated 1592.
Particulars of the tower's erection are found in the churchwardens' accounts, and the arms of John Bolney are carved in the west doorway. The south porch is dated 1718. The north aisle, with the nave-arcade of three bays, was added in 1853 and the north vestry in 1912. The chancel arch is also from 1853.
Bolney Wine Estate, the vision of Janet and Rodney Pratt, lies just beyond the village on a hill which was part of the Butting Hill One Hundred, which was listed in the Domesday Book. It is a vineyard which carries on a tradition brought to Britain by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.
Village tradition has it that the Prince Regent was a frequent visitor to Bolney when travelling to Brighton, staying at Bolney Lodge, of which Bolney Wine Estate formed a part in the 19th Century.
The vineyard was started back in 1972 as Bookers Vineyard, with 3 acres of vines. Samantha Linter, the daughter of the owners and founders, took charge of the winemaking in the early 1990's, and since her arrival there have been many awards and the vineyard plantings have expanded to 22 acres. In 2005 a brand new state of the art winery was completed, with help in the form of a grant from DEFRA.
North of the village lies Wykehurst Place, in the middle of Wykehurst Park, built in 1872 by E.M Barry, the designer of the Royal Opera House, and commissioned by Henry Huth, a German banker.
The 105-room mansion combines the splendour and stylings of a French chateau, a German schloss and a Gothic house of horror. Ian Nairn and Nikolaus Pevsner, in their influential series The Buildings Of England, called Wykehurst "that epitome of high Victorian showiness and licence". Each bedroom had ensuite bathrooms - a rare luxury for the day - as well as their own balconies, private sitting rooms and drawing rooms arranged in suites. It was also one of the first houses in Britain to have all the main rooms heated by warm air.
During the Second World War Canadian forces were billeted there waiting to join Allied troops for the D-Day invasion. Wykehurst then remained empty for 26 post-war years, until a Mr Doyle arrived in 1971, paying £250,000 for the mansion and 180 acres of parkland.
The large black gates at the entrance to the drive are fashioned in wrought iron. Alongside these gates, massive griffins with spread wings perch on either side and guard the entrance to the park. The house came into prominence in the early seventies when the external shots of the house were used to film the Hammer Horror, "The Legend of Hell House," a psychological horror film.
The house was used as a location during the filming of Richard Attenborough's film 'Oh! What A Lovely War', and it has also appeared in the Michael Caine and Donald Pleasance Second World War epic, 'The Eagle Has Landed'.
The many adverts filmed there included part of the Cinzano campaign combining bumbling sitcom star Leonard Rossiter with glamorous Hollywood actress Joan Collins
When agriculture began to decline, buildings and land were developed to have other uses. 'Fords Farm' became the 'Tudor Tea Rooms', which proved popular with local travellers. In the 1960s it prospered and was renamed the Bolney Stage, implying that it had been a coaching inn, which was not strictly true or indeed, not at all true.
Notwithstanding erroneous nomenclature, the house genuinely dates from c.1500, and the house did indeed lie on the main London-Brighton road, and in 1810 the new turnpike opened between Pyecombe and Bolney. One of the famous stage coaches of the period was named "The Brighton Comet", and would have passed the front door of the building.
The structure of the building is built to a modified H-shaped plan. It had been originally T shaped, with the main block containing the hall facing north and south, and the cross wing at the east end.
Late in the 16th century the west wing was added, its south end flush with the south wall of the main block, but projecting north to match the other wing. At this time, two internal chimney-stacks were built, one at each end of the hall. The roof of the east range is in three bays divided by closed partitions, and, although all of one period, only the middle bay has smoke-blackened timbers - the bay evidently served as a huge flue from an open fire on the ground floor. The roof over the main block is of the wind-braced side-purlin type and is also smoke blackened. When the chimney stacks and west wing were built upper floors were inserted where required to make two stories, with upper ceilings probably being inserted later. The front, back, and east side have much of the ancient framing exposed outside.
The house was afterwards divided into two tenements and two timber-framed projecting staircases were added against the north front in the angles with the wings: the eastern staircase has since been removed. The lower story of the west wing is built of stone and has a cellar below and some of the original windows with moulded mullions remain. Nearly all the rooms have open-timbered ceilings. The joists in the south room of the east wing are very heavy and evidently the two end bays of this wing were always two stories high. The fire-place for the middle room, projecting into this wing, is 9 ft. wide and has chimney-corner seats. The western stack has two wide fire-places: the one towards the west wing has been fitted with an oak bressummer with guilloche carving and the date 1613, brought from a house near by, which is now destroyed.
(with thanks to L.F.Salzman, 'A History of the County of Sussex:Volume 7)
The Bolney Stage has changed hands numerous times over the years. It was partially damaged by fire in 1998, and it became part of the Blubeckers family in 2003.
If you'd like to put a name to a face, allow us to introduce you to the crew...
Manager
Mark's been at the Stage for over a decade. A former hotelier, Mark joined us as a Deputy manager in 2011. His only condition being that he didnt have to come to work in a suit. In 2016 Mark took the reigns and got his name above the door and is proud to call the pub his home. When not working he can often be found running round the trails of Bolney with his running mad partner Liz.
Deputy Manager
A former hotelier, Kat joined us in April 2021. Her first day was a post lockdown snowy outside service - she was probably wondering what she got herself into! Since then the pub has returned to normality she's become an integral and essential part of the family. As cool as they come, she's always smiling even when the rest of us are flapping like headless chickens.
Supervisor
Our very own Handy Andy. Andy met us on one of our pub walks way back when - and the rest is history! Fancying a career change, Andy took on a part time roll and elevated himself to supervisor and handyman if we ever have a problem Andy is always there to fix it, Andy is a key member of our team and we wouldn't be without him.
Supervisor
Sam... what can we say! From painting and playing rugby, to pouring pints on the bar and preparing desserts for our fantastic customers, Sam is a multi-skilled man! He is also a man who will proudly parade his many (and I mean many) brightly coloured patterned shirts! You can't miss him!
Supervisor
MARVELLOUS! You've never met anyone quite like 'Posh'. He's the host with the most and brings nothing but joy to everyone around him. Charming and charismatic, he sets the bar when it comes to service with a great big smile. Posh has hospitality coursing through his veins and we're humbled that this Bolney celebrity chooses to spend his days behind our bar.
Supervisor
New to the team but brings with her oodles of experience. She gracefully swans around the pub making the job look easy - like she's been here for years. Cool as a cucumber, Amelia has a quiet voice but an extroverted personality waiting to shine through. With Amelia you'll always be greeted with a big welcome and warm smile.
Bar/Waiting
The only problem with Fran is that she's not with us nearly as much as we would like! A shift with Fran is something everyone looks forward to. She can look after her tables, half of yours, serve at the bar and generally be 5 steps ahead of you for 6 hours straight. A skill that creates a priceless calm in everyone around her.
Bar/Waiting
We met Joneta on one of our monthly pub walks! Her husband 'Handy-Andy' came first, but it wasn't long before Joneta joined the squad too. Our pub mum, Joneta is always coming up with new tricks to make our lives easier and we're forever saying to ourselves, 'why didn't we think of that?'
When not working Joneta and Andy can be found cruising the country in their beloved motorhome. They work to live and that's the way it should be.
Bar/Waiting
The lovely Teresa, who works in the kitchen mentioned that her daughter Kiera would like to come and work at the Stage, and what a recommendation. A National England champion ballerina, Kiera is quite literally the nicest person you will ever meet. By day Kiera has her foot in the fashion industry, always helpful if we ever need any tips in looking sharp for work.
Bar/Waiting
Issy is a talented university student, majoring in English Literature while also balancing her job at our pub! Beyond her academic and work commitments, she stands out as an impressive bench-ball player showcasing her skills and dedication on the court. As well as this, she is also a devoted porcelain doll collector!
Bar/Waiting
Gemma cannot stay away! Previously an assistant manager, Gemma left to pursue other ventures but she missed us just as much as we missed her. Now back with us on a part-time basis, she can once again be found doing what she does best! In her spare time, Gemma takes on more stress by running a local men's football team.
Bar/Waiting
The trouser wearing mother hen of the Wasyliw squad (and whole pub for that matter!) Always going out of her way and above and beyond. Emma is always on hand when we're in a pinch or a pickle. If she looks after you half as well as she looks after the team - you're sure to have a memorable visit.
Bar/Waiting
A real asset to the crew! When Elle isn't working at the pub, she spends most of her day making people as glamorous as they come! From eyelashes and nails, to special effects makeup at the well known Tulley's Farm Shocktober-fest, we're wondering how she manages to fit us in!
Bar/Waiting
The oldest sibling of the Burdett clan, Freddie is the gift that keeps on giving! Whether it's working behind the bar or discussing the latest Chelsea FC match results, Freddie's loyalty to both his job and his beloved football team is truly admirable. Besides this, Freddie also has a knack for ballroom dancing, placing 3rd in the All England Open Championships in 2016!
Head Chef
Dan come's with a wealth of knowledge after cheffing for nearly 12 years! He's a motivated hard worker but loves to play a joke, so always keep an eye on him. In his spare time, he enjoys mounting biking.
Senior Sous Chef
After growing up in the pub industry, Brian knows everything there is to know about food and drink - especially beer. We try not to buy in Arundel Sussex Gold too often, because we just can't get rid of him when we do! As an avid Tottenham fan, you can often hear him yelling at the radio on a Saturday afternoon.
Senior Sous Chef
Vicki Bastin is a bastion of the kitchen crew at Bolney (see what we did there?) since joining us from a sister pub. Born and bred in West Sussex, Vicki has 30 years experience as a chef, so she should know a thing or two by now. With her sturdy Kenwood Chef, Vicki is regularly adapting and working on new ideas and dishes.
Sous Chef
Luke is one of the bubbliest chefs we've ever met, he works harder than ever (when he's not being the backing vocals to any song playing on the radio) and has a great eye for detail. When he's not cheffing, he is the king of promoting our dishes on his Instagram!
Sous Chef
No stranger to the Publife, Waz, with his wife Emma, has run some of the best pubs in Sussex over the last 30 years and we're thrilled that he chooses to spend his days with us. Captain cool brings peace and serenity to our kitchen and the pub is a happier (and calmer) place with him in it.
Chef de Partie
The youngest, but loudest member of our brigade. There is never a dull moment or boring conversation when Ollie is around. Ollie is a culinary college student and spends his days off honing his craft in our kitchen.
The three things Ollie loves most in this world are: Luton Town FC, Lego and a cold pint of Guinness! (in that order)
Kitchen Porter
Firecracker is the first word that springs to mind... Multi-talented Holly splits her week between preparing sweet treats in the kitchen and running round the restaurant. She's a superstar waitress in the making. With an amazing work ethic, Holly is always offering her services and taking all the spare shifts she can. It's a wonder how she finds time for college!
