About Buxted Bonfire Society
Buxted Bonfire Society (BBS) is a volunteer-led community organisation based in Buxted, East Sussex. Although the present society was reformed in 2017, Buxted’s organised bonfire tradition can be traced back to at least the late nineteenth century.
The precise date on which the original society was established has been lost to history, but surviving newspaper reports show that Buxted Bonfire Society was already active by 1893. The society itself therefore describes its origins as being sometime before that date.
After eventually falling dormant for more than four decades, the society was reformed in 2017 by a new generation determined to revive Buxted’s bonfire tradition. Years of fundraising and preparation followed before, in 2024, Bonfire finally returned to the village for the first time in over 40 years.
The Early Bonfire Boys
Some fascinating details about the original Buxted Bonfire Society survive in reports published by the Sussex Agricultural Express.
In November 1894, the Bonfire Boys gathered at the White Hart for their annual dinner. The society was running at a deficit of one shilling and eightpence, blamed on fundraising having started too late that year, although those present remained optimistic about its future.
By 1898 things were looking considerably healthier. Around 60 members and friends attended the annual supper at the Buxted Hotel, and the society had purchased additional torches and collecting boxes while spending twice the usual amount on fireworks. Prizes were even awarded for the best costumes.
The surviving accounts also give an interesting insight into village life. The society was described as providing an important social outlet for local working men, who otherwise had relatively few opportunities for organised entertainment.
By 1900, Buxted's celebrations had become more ambitious and the society was able to donate £1 of its £2 profit to Uckfield Hospital.
Why Stag Warriors and Huntsmen?
One of the most distinctive features of the modern Buxted Bonfire Society is its choice of Pioneer costume.
Buxted's Pioneer dress is based around Stag Warriors and Huntsmen, accompanied by the society's black and olive-green striped smugglers. The society confirms these as its chosen costumes.
The choice is particularly appropriate to Buxted because of the village's historic association with the Wealden iron industry and the surrounding woodland landscape.
Buxted was home to an early standard blast furnace known as Queenstock, built around 1491. Even more significantly, the first cast-iron cannon made in England is recorded as having been cast in 1543 by Ralf Hogge, who worked in the Buxted area. Cannon-making developed at a furnace near Hoggets Farm, between Buxted and Hadlow Down.
The Stag Warrior and Huntsman imagery therefore fits naturally with the wooded Wealden setting in which charcoal burning, hunting and ironworking once played such an important part.
The Return of Buxted Bonfire
The modern chapter of the society began when Buxted Bonfire Society was reformed in 2017, following a break lasting more than four decades.
Bringing a full celebration back to the village was not something that could happen overnight. Members spent several years rebuilding the society, fundraising and developing the organisation needed to stage a major public event.
That work finally paid off in September 2024, when Buxted hosted its own traditional torchlit procession, bonfire and fireworks once again. It was the village's first full Bonfire Night in more than 40 years and represented an important milestone for the reformed society.
The event is traditionally held on the last Saturday in September, placing Buxted towards the beginning of the annual bonfire calendar.
Community and Fundraising
Since its revival, Buxted Bonfire Society has established itself as an active part of village life.
Fundraising events have included summer fayres, quizzes, raffles, tombolas, Christmas activities and the society's Santa Sleigh. The money raised helps meet the considerable cost of staging Buxted Bonfire while collections associated with the society also support local good causes.
There is a pleasing historical continuity to this charitable side of the society. More than a century ago, the original Bonfire Boys were already using money from their activities to support the community, including their recorded donation to Uckfield Hospital in 1900.
Membership
Buxted Bonfire Society welcomes adults, children and families who would like to become involved.
Members can take part in Buxted's procession, represent the society at celebrations elsewhere and help with the year-round work that makes Bonfire possible.
There is plenty to do behind the scenes as well. The society relies upon volunteers for activities such as fundraising, torch making, publicity and event preparation.
This involvement is particularly important for a society that has only relatively recently been revived. Every new member helps strengthen the organisation and ensures that the traditions rediscovered by the present generation have a future.
Keeping Buxted's Tradition Alive
Buxted Bonfire Society has an unusual story because its history combines a genuinely old village tradition with a very modern revival.
The original Bonfire Boys were certainly active by 1893, gathering at the village's pubs, organising fireworks and raising money for good causes. The society survived well into the twentieth century — records show Buxted joining Firle at Southover's procession in Lewes in 1952 — before eventually disappearing.
Its reformation in 2017 began another chapter, culminating in the return of Buxted's own celebration in 2024.
With its Stag Warriors and Huntsmen, black and olive-green smugglers, historic village connections and enthusiastic modern membership, Buxted has successfully reclaimed a tradition that might otherwise have disappeared.
More than 130 years after the Buxted Bonfire Boys were recorded celebrating together, Buxted Bonfire Society is once again carrying torches through the village and writing the next chapter of its history.