A place for research and learning,
reconnection with the natural world,
and a place for creativity.

We envision a valley alive with wildlife, working farms, & thriving community life, where restoration is not just an act, but a way of living.

Furnace Brook began with a simple but bold idea: to heal a neglected landscape & bring it back into balance. Over the years, we have transformed woodland, water, and fields through community-led restoration, regenerative farming, and education. From our first saplings to our growing network of community enterprises, our journey has been rooted in collaboration, care, and long-term thinking.

Our Landscape

Located in the protected High Weald of East Sussex, Furnace Brook spans ancient woodland edges, ghyll valleys, & historic water infrastructure that once powered an iron forge. The site includes a 60-acre farm where decades of conventional agriculture left soils compacted, biodiversity reduced, & water systems disrupted. A major pollution event in 2024 further damaged the lake ecosystem & sparked a comprehensive restoration initiative, formally launched the same year.

Our Approach

A calm pond reflecting leafless and evergreen trees under a clear blue sky in a wooded area.

We aim to restore ecological function across soil & water while building a resilient model of regenerative food production. Rather than simply expanding woodland, we focus on rebuilding living soils & introducing diverse, low-impact farming systems, including agroforestry, perennial crops, pasture-raised livestock, & minimal-tillage vegetable production. These methods improve water infiltration, stabilise slopes, support pollinators, & create a productive, resilient landscape.

Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to regenerate the landscape in a way that strengthens community wellbeing, enhances food security, & supports nature-friendly livelihoods. We envision a working landscape where ecological restoration & regenerative farming reinforce each other, creating a thriving, productive environment for people & wildlife alike.

Community & Education

Community involvement is central to the work here. Residents participate in volunteer days, citizen-science water monitoring, soil health workshops, & the co-development of food-growing & educational programmes. By healing degraded land while producing nutritious, ethically grown food, Furnace Brook connects people with nature & fosters skills for sustainable living.

We work in close partnership with groups such as Community Action (3VA).

Impact & Goals

Through ecological restoration, regenerative farming, & community engagement, Furnace Brook is becoming a beacon of recovery & rural resilience in the High Weald. Every volunteer, visitor, & supporter helps build a landscape that is richer, more diverse, & more resilient for generations to come.

An indoor music venue with an audience watching a man playing guitar on stage. The room has string lights and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, with people seated and standing.

EVENTS

A lakeside house with a wooden deck overlooking the water, surrounded by trees and greenery on a sunny day.

STAY

Two buildings surrounded by trees and a garden with flowers and shrubbery, one with timber framing and white walls, the other with wooden siding, under a clear blue sky.

VENUE HIRE

Location and history of the region

A small meditation Buddha statue sitting cross-legged on the dirt ground amidst green foliage and trees in a forest setting.

Furnace Brook sits within the protected National Landscape of the High Weald in East Sussex and is managed by a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to ecological restoration and community wellbeing.

The name “Furnace Brook” reflects its origins as a centre of artisan ironworking. Remnants of that past still shape the land today: the dense hornbeam coppice in our ancient woodland was once harvested for charcoal to power the surrounding furnaces.

Read more about the history of the site.