The parish is made up of the three hamlets of Twineham, Twineham Green and Hickstead together with a scattering of houses to the east of Wineham Lane.

The name Twineham means “the homestead between the streams”, a nod to its setting between the River Adur and Herrings Stream. It has a long history first appearing in records from the 1200s, though the settlement is much older. By the medieval period, Twineham was a small farming community working the fields that still define the landscape. At the heart of the village stands St Peter’s Church, built in 1516 during the reign of Henry VIII. This beautiful Tudor building, one of the earliest brick built churches, has watched over generations of Twineham families and remains one of the parish’s most cherished landmarks.

In the 1800s, life in Twineham was peaceful and agricultural. Around 250 people lived here — farmers, labourers and their families — a number that stayed much the same for the next hundred years. When farm work declined later in the century, many younger residents moved to nearby Hurstpierpoint or Burgess Hill for work, but the parish remained steady and close-knit.

The early 1900s brought gradual change: electricity, motor cars and piped water arrived, and a few new homes appeared after the Second World War. Farming remained important, but village life slowly modernised while keeping its rural character.