For many Pulborough residents, Burgess & Randall is a familiar sight on Station Road. Whether buying a lawnmower, seeking advice on garden machinery, arranging a repair or buying Calor Gas for a campervan or barbeque, generations of local people have passed through its doors. Yet few may realise that the business has roots stretching back nearly a century and forms part of a remarkable story of rural enterprise in Sussex.

Nearly 100 Years of Trading

Records at Companies House show that Burgess & Randall Limited was incorporated on 4 January 1930, making it one of the village's longest-established business names still in operation today.

While the company has evolved over the decades, its connection with Pulborough has remained constant. Located at Station Road, the business has long served local farmers, landowners, gardeners and householders, reflecting Pulborough's strong links with the rural economy.

A Changing Rural Economy

Throughout much of the twentieth century, Sussex villages relied heavily on agricultural suppliers and machinery specialists. As farming methods modernised, businesses such as Burgess & Randall adapted alongside them, supplying equipment needed to maintain farms, estates and gardens across the area.

A major milestone came during the 1960s when Sussex agricultural machinery company Horace Fuller acquired Burgess & Randall. According to Horace Fuller's company history, the Pulborough business became the firm's second branch and played an important role in expanding its reach across Sussex.

The acquisition united two long-established Sussex enterprises. Horace Fuller itself had been founded in 1922 and was already serving farming communities throughout the county when it brought Burgess & Randall into the group.

Serving New Generations

As agriculture changed and domestic gardening became increasingly popular, Burgess & Randall evolved from a traditional agricultural supplier into a specialist garden machinery retailer and repair centre.

Today, the business stocks lawnmowers, garden tractors, chainsaws, hedge trimmers and a wide range of professional and domestic machinery, whilst continuing to provide servicing and repairs to customers from Pulborough and the surrounding villages.

Horace Fuller describes the Pulborough branch as being home to some of its longest-serving members of staff, helping to maintain the local knowledge and customer service for which rural businesses have traditionally been valued.

Part of Pulborough's Business Heritage

Pulborough's position on important transport routes, including the historic Stane Street and later the railway, helped the village develop as a centre for trade and commerce serving the wider rural area. Historic records show that markets were being held in the village as early as the nineteenth century, supporting a wide variety of local businesses.

Against that backdrop, Burgess & Randall represents an enduring example of a local trading name adapting to changing times. From the agricultural needs of the early twentieth century to today's focus on garden and estate machinery, the business has remained a familiar part of village life for nearly a century.

In an era when many independent rural traders are disappearing from the high street and industrial estates, Burgess & Randall, serves as a reminder of Pulborough's long tradition as a place of enterprise, service and community connections. The current sale however, signals that Burgess & Randall will be closing by the year end. Customers will continue to  be served by West Sussex-based Horace Fuller shops.  

Do you have memories of shopping at Burgess & Randall, photographs of the business from years gone by, or stories about its place in village life?

Pulborough Post would love to hear from you as we continue to document the history of local traders and businesses.

Write to editor@pulboroughpost.co.uk