It is the centre of the civil parish of Wadhurst, which also includes the hamlets of Cousley Wood and Tidebrook.

Other nearby settlements include Ticehurst, Burwash, Mayfield and Heathfield in East Sussex, and Lamberhurst, Hawkhurst and Cranbrook in Kent.

Although Wadhurst was almost certainly in existence at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, it was part of the Archbishop of Canterbury's land and was therefore not mentioned.

The earliest record relating to the area is a reference in the Cartulary of Battle Abbey to "Snape in the parish of Wadhurst".

In the church of St Peter and St. Paul there are several iron ledger-stone memorials of ironmasters, which are unique to this area.

In March 2023, Wadhurst was named by The Sunday Times as the best place to live in the United Kingdom.

It has a traditional butcher, baker, ironmonger, hairdresser, bank, post office, gift shop, and several pubs.

[9] There are three buildings of particular architectural interest in the town itself, and a number of old manor houses and farms nearby.

The rest of the town is in a variety of vernacular styles, from the 13th century onwards; and little in the centre of the town is very modern apart from a range of shops which replaced the Queens Head Hotel,[citation needed] demolished in the crash of a Gloster Meteor in January 1956 in which four people were killed.

The station, the highest in southern England, is on the line from London Charing Cross to Hastings via Tunbridge Wells, and was opened in 1851 by the South Eastern Railway.

(based at the Recreation Ground, South View Road) is Wadhurst's local football team.