West Hoathly
- East Hoathly is a village in East Sussex, 14 miles (23 km) to the south-east of West Hoathly.
Coordinates: 51°04′48″N 0°03′11″W / 51.07999°N 0.05293°W
| West Hoathly | |
.JPG) St Margaret of Antioch Church |
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 West Hoathly
West Hoathly shown within West Sussex |
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| Area | 21.39 km2 (8.26 sq mi) [1] |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,121 [1] 2001 Census |
| - Density | 99 /km2 (260 /sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ364329 |
| - London | 29 miles (47 km) N |
| Civil parish | West Hoathly |
| District | Mid Sussex |
| Shire county | West Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EAST GRINSTEAD |
| Postcode district | RH19 |
| Dialling code | 01342 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Mid Sussex |
| Website | Parish Council |
| List of places: UK • England • West Sussex | |
West Hoathly is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south west of East Grinstead. In the 2001 census 2,121 people, of whom 1,150 were economically active, lived in 813 households. The parish, which has a land area of 2,139 hectares (5,290 acres),[1] includes the hamlets of Highbrook, Selsfield Common and Sharpthorne.[2] The mostly rural parish is centred on West Hoathly village, an ancient hilltop settlement in the High Weald between the North and South Downs.
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[edit] History
The area was already settled by the 11th century, when St Margaret's Church was founded. Names recorded at that time include Hadlega and Hodlega—later standardised to Hodlegh and Hothelegh, then (West) Hoathly. This Anglo-Saxon word signifies a heath-covered clearing.[3][4] The parish lay on the edge of the dense woodland of the Ashdown Forest.[5]
At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, the land covered by the present parish was held by the manors of Ditchling and Plumpton to the southeast. The rectory of the church was associated with Lewes Priory. By the 16th century, the manor of Gravetye was in existence.[3] Gravetye Manor house, built in 1598, still stands in extensive grounds 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village.[6]
In 1556, West Hoathly resident Ann Tree was burnt at the stake in East Grinstead for refusing to renounce Protestantism; she was one of 17 "Sussex Martyrs" who suffered this fate. A brass memorial in the church commemorates her.[4]
West Hoathly was connected to the British railway network when the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway was built in 1882. A station was provided east of the village, between it and Sharpthorne. The line passed under a sandstone ridge by means of a tunnel.[3] The line and station closed on 16 March 1958,[7] and the station stood derelict for many years. The Bluebell Railway, a preserved railway, now runs along part of the route, but West Hoathly station has not been reinstated.[8]
[edit] "Big-on-Little"
Also known as "Great-on-Little", this natural landscape formation is in a wooded area southwest of the village, near the road to Ardingly. It is an exposed outcrop of sandstone with a harder band overlying a soft stratum at ground level. The lower stratum has weathered significantly, making the upper section overhang like the cap of a mushroom.[9]
[edit] Places of worship
There are two Anglican churches in the civil parish. St Margaret's Church, dedicated to Margaret of Antioch,[10] stands on North Lane in West Hoathly.[11] It has Norman origins, although much of the fabric of the building is 13th-century. The church has a tower with a Perpendicular Gothic broach spire, a single-aisled nave, a chancel and a side chapel.[12] The terraced churchyard is a well-known viewpoint, with far-reaching views across the Weald.[10][13] All Saints Church at Highbrook was paid for by two wealthy local sisters who thought that church attendance among the hamlet's residence was being hampered by the long distance they had to travel to St Margaret's Church.[14] Architects Richard H. Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow designed the large, stone-built church in 1884.[15][16] The churches have separate ecclesiastical parishes but are part of a united benefice, served by the same vicar.[17]
St Dunstan's Roman Catholic church is in West Hoathly. English Heritage describe the building as "a curiosity": it was a cottage with an attached butcher's shop until its conversion into a church in 1957.[18] In Sharpthorne, the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion—a small Nonconformist denomination with links to Methodism—has a place of worship, the Sharpthorne Community Church. It was founded by members of an older church in nearby Turners Hill.[19][20] There was also a Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion chapel at the north end of West Hoathly from 1826 until the early 21st century. The timber-framed building survives, but is disused.[3][21]
[edit] Buildings
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The parish has many medieval houses and farms. The oldest is Tickeridge, near Selsfield Common and the preserved Kingscote railway station. Its modernised exterior hides a 14th-century timber-framed Wealden hall house of "high antiquarian interest".[22] The gabled solar wing dates from the 16th century.[3][22] Gravetye Manor, built in 1598, has an Elizabethan façade and was built for a local ironmaster: northern Sussex was an important ironmaking area for several centuries. Later abandoned to smugglers, the building and its grounds were rejuvenated in 1884 when "the greatest English gardener" William Robinson bought it.[23] He also designed the 30-acre (12 ha) gardens. Upon his death in 1935 the manor, set in a large area of woodland, passed to the Forestry Commission for use as a base for their work. It was converted into a high-class restaurant (now with a Michelin star) in 1958.[3][24] Chiddinglye, which may have been a separate manor at one time,[3] is a Gothic house of 1866.[6] Next to it is Chiddinglye Farm, an open hall house with 15th- and 16th-century parts.[3] Selsfield House has a Georgian façade.[6]
The Priest House, in the centre of the village opposite St Margaret's Church, was turned into a museum by the Sussex Archaeological Society in 1935.[10][25] The 15th-century open hall-house, with a five-bay façade and a solar wing, retains some original windows and its king post and trussed roof.[3][6] Items relating to local and domestic history are on display, and there are formal gardens.[24][25] Also near the church is Manor House—not named in relation to any historic manor, but built in 1627 as a dower house and associated with the owners of Gravetye Manor. It is approximately H-shaped, built of ashlar, and has prominent mullioned windows and a gabled roof laid with Horsham stone slabs. Old panelling remains in some rooms.[3][6]
The village pub is the Cat Inn, housed in an early 16th-century timber-framed building with a tile and brick exterior. Original beams are still visible inside on both storeys.[3]
West Hoathly Church of England School, which maintains links with St Margaret's Church, is the primary school in the parish.[26] There is also a Steiner (also known as Waldorf education) boarding school called Philpots Manor School that is situated around half a mile from the village.
[edit] Sports
Jasper Vinall from West Hoathly was the first cricketer known to have been killed while playing the game. This happened on 28 August 1624 at Horsted Keynes, East Sussex. Jasper Vinall was batting with Edward Tye, who also came from West Hoathly. Some say that along with Jade Dernbach, Jasper Vinall is one of only two English cricketers named after a precious stone.
West Hoathly Football Club have been playing in West Hoathly since the early 1950's and currently play their games at The Recreation Ground, The club is split into two teams with the First team playing in the Mid Sussex Division 2 and the seconds in Division 8, Both teams have been coached and managed by John Kendall for the last 5 seasons and can take credit for surviving on a small budget with very low standard ammenities and facilities. The season 2011/12 the second team were managed by Chris Young. The Recreation Ground Clubhouse is currently under review for renovation and re-design which is massively needed to help pass F.A standards and also create a better area for players and referee's
[edit] Landmarks
Near the hamlet of Sharpthorne there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest known as West Hoathly Pit. It is a working clay pit of geological interest with 9 metres (30 ft) of visible sedimentary layers.[27]
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. 2001. http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "About the Parish Council". West Hoathly Parish Council. 2010. http://www.westhoathly.gov.uk/council.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Salzman, L. F. (ed) (1940). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7 – The Rape of Lewes. Parishes: West Hoathly". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 164–172. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=56941. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ a b Syms 1994, p. 174.
- ^ "The Parish of West Hoathly". West Hoathly Parish Council. 2010. http://www.westhoathly.gov.uk/index.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 627.
- ^ Gough 1993, p. 120.
- ^ Gough 1993, p. 125.
- ^ Swinfen & Arscott 1984, p. 146.
- ^ a b c Wales 1999, p. 229.
- ^ "St Margaret's Church, West Hoathly". St Margaret's Church, West Hoathly. 2010. http://www.westhoathly.org.uk/. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ Salter 2000, p. 143.
- ^ Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 626.
- ^ Allen, John (22 February 2010). "Highbrook – All Saints". Sussex Parish Churches website. Sussex Parish Churches (www.sussexparishchurches.org). http://www.sussexparishchurches.org/content/view/492/33/. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ Elleray 2004, p. 32.
- ^ Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 538.
- ^ "All Saints Church". Highbrook village website. Serious Systems. 2009–2010. http://www.highbrook.info/church.php. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "English Heritage Review of Diocesan Churches 2005 (Extract): St Dunstan, West Hoathly, West Sussex" (PDF). English Heritage. 2005. http://www.dabnet.org/Resources/DABNet/English%20Heritage%20Reports%20Extracts/West%20Hoathly%20EH.pdf. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Church Websites: The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion Churches". New Connexions. 2006. http://www.newconnexions.org.uk/churches.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Connexional Churches in the South East". Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion. 2009. http://www.zoetic.eu/cohc/mapse.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ Elleray 2004, p. 55.
- ^ a b Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 628.
- ^ Wales 1999, pp. 229–230.
- ^ a b "West Hoathly". Mid Sussex District Council. 2010. http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/page.cfm?pageid=2154. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ a b Swinfen & Arscott 1984, p. 147.
- ^ "About Us". West Hoathly Primary School. 2010. http://www.westhoathlyschool.org.uk/page9.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ (PDF) SSSI Citation — West Hoathly. Natural England. http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000280.pdf. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
[edit] Bibliography
- Elleray, D. Robert (2004). Sussex Places of Worship. Worthing: Optimus Books. ISBN 0-95-331-3271.
- Gough, Terry (1993). British Railways Past and Present No. 18: Surrey and West Sussex. Past and Present Railways Collection. Wadenhoe: Past and Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-002-3.
- Nairn, Ian; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1965). The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071028-0.
- Salter, Mike (2000). The Old Parish Churches of Sussex. Malvern: Folly Publications. ISBN 1-871731-40-2.
- Swinfen, Warden; Arscott, David (1984). Hidden Sussex. Brighton: BBC Radio Sussex. ISBN 0-9509510-0-5.
- Syms, James Antony (1994). East Sussex Country Churches. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-056-2.
- Wales, Tony (1999). The West Sussex Village Book. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-581-1.
[edit] External links
Media related to West Hoathly at Wikimedia Commons
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