In the Tudor period, the poet Michael Drayton wrote a very long poem called Polyolbion. In it he writes about the four forests of the High Weald. He makes them female - Wood Nymphs he calls them.

The four forests are still there today:

St Leonards Forest near Crawley and Horsham

Worth - or as it used to be called Whord Forest near East Grinstead

The Ashdown Forest now famous for its Pooh Bear connections

And Waterdown Forest - parts of which remain around Tunbridge Wells.

These are the four forests of the High Weald Forest Ridge.

The High Weald Forest Ridge Project aims to win funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. THE SOUTH is the literary heritage partner on the project.

The Forest Ridge
As Drayton's poetry suggests The Forest Ridge is more than a physical landscape. The area has a rich cultural heritage, which is often overlooked by visitors. Yet this cultural heritage is inextricably linked to the physical landscape. The Forest Ridge is a landscape shaped as much by man as by nature.

Only 6% of local residents in the 2002 Anvil Survey were aware of the area's historical connections. When people were informed of the area's historical links, especially its iron industry connections they wanted more information.

THE SOUTH's Re-telling the Ridge project will re-connect people with the area's heritage by using active literature from page to stage to research, record and re-tell the legends and livelihoods that are legacy of the Forest Ridge.

The project will celebrate the myths & legends of the Forest Ridge and engage people in bringing this heritage back to life by:

• harvesting stories, poems, songs, reminiscences and anecdotes through local workshops with writing, drama and local history groups, at special events and through a contributory website system 'My Forest Ridge'
• using participative literature to re-tell these tales live at events, shows, readings, walks, talks, and festival activities.
• making a permanent record on DVD and on paper as a Forest Ridge anthology

Re-Telling The Ridge will reconnect people with the earth, the landscape, each other and the unique culture of the Forest Ridge.

The Weald is an area rich in mythological and literary associations. Re-Telling The Ridge will highlight these associations and make the Forest Ridge an area that lives in the imagination.

THE SOUTH's Approach
Our approach will be to base the project work around the four historical forest areas.

Within these areas we shall define four community nodes or story centres, suggested as: St Leonards: Handcross/Nymans area Ashdown: Ashdown Forest Centre Worth: West Hoathley Waterdown: Frant

At each story centre we shall set up as many as six 'chapters' - workshop groups with an average of ten people each meeting monthly at the four locations. The different chapters will involve:

1. Myths, stories, folklore
2. Literary heritage
3. Creative writing in response to the ridge and ridge issues
4. Local history reminiscence
5. Faith heritage
6. Project partner narratives

This will create potential involvement for around 240 people (6 x 10 x 4).

Each of those will be asked to research another 10 people each creating further contact with around 2400 people. This will create the contributing community.

Using the leading interactive community web system in the UK, each community node will be provided with contributory, interactive web access to upload stories and information and to network and interact with other groups across the Ridge. Individuals will also have contributory access as either contributors or editors.

The 'lead characters' in each chapter will be the volunteers and community members contributing to the project. Each chapter will also have a 'hero', a professional writer leading it with a responsibility as senior editor and mentor. The network of professional writers across our Forest Ridge story centres will be encouraged to produce their own new work and establish a Forest Ridge 'movement' or 'school' - a cultural development specifically related to the real and imaginery landscapes and heritage of the Forest Ridge.

Special Events
We shall organise special events at our 4 story centres across the Ridge specifically aimed at young people. These 'Forest Ridge Fun Days' will involve young people in arts activities with a literary (and literacy) slant. Young people attending will be able to join in creative writing activities linked to photography, printing, performance, acting, video and text messaging. We'll run special text messaging competitions to involve and intrigue young and old alike.

Series of booklets
A special set of four booklets will be produced interpreting the literary history of the High Weald Forest Ridge. These will be researched and written by a professional writer but calling on the substantial library of material we expect to be produced by the contributing volunteers across the ridge.

Overall we believe our heritage narrative projects will act as an interactive bond between each other and between other partner projects, enabling a rich and fruitful cross fertilisation of ideas and outputs.

Guiding principles
Across the six chapters and four story centres we will focus on the following priority narratives:
connections with the sandstone rock outcrops
the medieval forests (heathland, hunting, kings etc)
iron industry
the formal gardens

Across the six chapters and four story centres we will also focus on the following key habitats are gill woodland
ancient woodland
small flower rich meadows
the settlements themselves
timber framed wealden houses
clay tiles
heather thatching in the past
besom brooms
iron forges
charcoal burning
timber for ships & homes

We shall also aim to reconnect people in nearby towns on the periphery of the Forest Ridge (Crawley, Horsham, Tunbridge Wells etc) to the Forest Ridge by encouraging their involvement in the different chapters. We shall use the past to understand the present and shape a better future for the Forest Ridge landscape.

If you would like to stay in touch with the development of the Forest Ridge project as it evolves, or to get involved with the project as either a professional writer or volunteer, please send an email to or phone 01273 571700.