Balcombe, West Sussex
Coordinates: 51°03′24″N 0°08′14″W / 51.0567°N 0.1371°W
| Balcombe | |
 Balcombe village centre |
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 Balcombe
Balcombe shown within West Sussex |
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| Area | 21.05 km2 (8.13 sq mi) [1] |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,765 [1] 2001 Census |
| - Density | 84 /km2 (220 /sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ306302 |
| - London | 31 miles (50 km) N |
| Civil parish | Balcombe |
| District | Mid Sussex |
| Shire county | West Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAYWARDS HEATH |
| Postcode district | RH17 |
| Dialling code | 01444 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Horsham |
| Website | http://www.balcombevillage.co.uk/ |
| List of places: UK • England • West Sussex | |
Balcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies 31 miles (50 km) south of London, 16 miles (26 km) north of Brighton, and 32 miles (51 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the northwest and Haywards Heath to the south southeast. The village is approximately halfway between London and the coastal city of Brighton.
It is possible that the name Balcombe means "Mining Place Camp". Bal is a Cornish word meaning a mining place as in Bal Maidens, so it is possible that the same word existed in Ancient British Celtic. Although Coombe or Combe can mean a valley it can also come from the Roman "camp".[2] So possibly from its name Balcombe could have once been a Romano-British mining settlement.
South of Balcombe on the London to Brighton railway line is the Ouse Valley Viaduct. Designed by David Mocatta and built 1839–41 it is 100 feet (30 m) high and 500 yards long. It has 37 arches and was built with 11 million imported Dutch bricks.[3]
The village has a series of murals about World War I in its Victory Hall. Lady Gertrude Denman commissioned artist Neville Lytton[4] to paint the thirty-four feet long by ten feet high frescoes. The murals were featured on a television programme about the war in 2005.
It was the birthplace of Colour Sergeant (later Lieutenant Colonel) Frank Bourne DCM, who fought at the battle of Rorke's Drift in the Zulu War, and who was the last British survivor of that battle when he died in Dorking in 1945.[5] Famous residents included actor Paul Scofield.
The River Ouse was once navigable from the south coast to Balcombe.
[edit] Rail transport
The village has a railway station which lies just north of Haywards Heath on the Brighton Main Line. Balcombe railway station helped grow a predominantly farming community into one of the popular London commuter villages. The station offers direct services to London and Brighton. To the north of the village is Balcombe tunnel.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish". West Sussex County Council. http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
- ^ Mitchell, Bruce (1995). An Invitation to Old English and Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0631174362.
- ^ Snow, Jon (September 2008). "Brave New World". Saga Magazine: p.61.
- ^ Huxley, Gervas (1961). Lady Denman, GBE 1884-1954. London: Chatto& Windus Ltd. pp. 132.
- ^ Rorke's Drift, Adrian Greaves, Cassell, 2003, See also 1861 Census for Balcombe.
[edit] External links
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