Charles Leeson Prince was born in Uckfield in 1821, son of a local doctor. He retired from his father's practice in Uckfield on his father's death in 1872 and moved to Crowborough, initially into the Grange at the summit of the Beacon. This house had a Victorian belvedere on the highest point of its roof and it was from here that Prince, as a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological and Astronomical Societies, made his observations on the climate of Crowborough Hill, as the Beacon was then known. He came to the conclusion that it was one of the healthiest spots in the country, and it was a 'conveniently accessible resort for invalids emerging either from London or any of our coast towns.' Publishing his first book on Crowborough at his own expense he lauded the climate and situation in this slim volume entitled, 'Observations upon the Topography and Climate of Crowborough Hill, Sussex.', quite a mouthful but when distributed free to as many medical men about the Country as Prince could get it to, it was a loudspeaker hailing and beckoning all and sundry to the benefits of the area.