Herstmonceux Village

The village of Herstmonceux nestles on the northern edge of the Pevensey Marshes in East Sussex, England.  It is in the Wealden District, close to the Charter market town of Hailsham and about 10 miles north of Eastbourne.

The village was most famous for its Royal Sussex Trugs, named so because the inventor of the Trug, and founder of our company, Thomas Smith, sold some personally to Queen Victoria at The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, in 1851.  Smith’s made the Royal Sussex Trug in the village from 1829 until 2003.  For a period of time Herstmonceux Castle housed the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the observatory buildings are still there, now housing a Science Centre, which is well worth a visit.  The Castle itself is home to International Business Study Centre of Queens University from Kingston, Ontario, Canada.