#2 of 'A history in 50 images'

The second in my weekly series illustrating the history of the parish in 50 images.

This week we zoom forward 4,000 years to the Roman occupation and another period that requires a bit of imagination. A few miles to the south east we have the recently excavated Roman villa at Barcombe and to the south west a major Roman road running through Streat. There is some evidence of Roman occupation in Chailey - a bloomery used to smelt iron - was recently found on the sandstone ridge during some construction work. The other possible Roman connection is the Lewes to East Grinstead way which, it has been hypothesised, may well be a southern continuation of Ermine Street ending at the Channel coast, it would certainly have passed close to the villa at Barcombe.

Next week: rather more tangible evidence as we leap forward to the 11th century and another invasion