Hailsham

This article is about the East Sussex town. For the British peer, see Lord Hailsham.

Hailsham
Area	19.4 km2 (7.5 sq mi)
Population
OS grid reference	TQ589093
• London	61.4 miles (98.8 km) NNW
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAILSHAM
Postcode district	BN27
Dialling code	01323
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Wealden
Website	http://www.hailsham-tc.gov.uk/

Hailsham is one of four main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The town has had a long history of agriculture.

Industry and commerce

The cattle market

Hailsham was granted a charter to hold a market in 1252 by King Henry III. There is currently much controversy over the sale of Hailsham Cattle Market and its redevelopment into a supermarket. The land is currently owned by supermarket chain Aldi who plan to build a supermarket and housing on the site, although planning permission was rejected by Wealden District Council in November 2007. Should the market close, the nearest alternative would be in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Local MP Charles Hendry, the National Farmers Union amongst others have spoken out against closure. The Aldi chain have now been given the Somerfields site in Hampden Park to develop.

The Quintins shopping centre in the centre of town was opened in the late 1980s and was named after Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone. At the heart of the centre is the Co-op (supermarket). There is a Waitrose supermarket nearby in Vicarage Field, which was previously a Somerfield store. Another supermarket, Tesco, has recently been granted planning permission for a new store on land in North Street. The Tesco plans have been the subject of much debate in the town over the past 13 years, with Mayor Nick Ellwood in particular disagreeing with the planned development. Another supermarket, Lidl , also plan to open a supermarket at the new Ropemaker Park development, on the former site of the Marlow Ropes factory.

Hailsham's traditional industry was rope making, which included supplying ropes for public hanging to Great Britain and the Colonies. Presently, light industry survives in two industrial estates to the west of the town, located in Diplocks Way and Station Road.

Education

Hailsham has several primary schools, including Hawkes Farm, Grovelands, Marshlands and Whitehouse. In November 2006 two of these, Marshlands and Whitehouse, were placed in special measures. The town has one secondary comprehensive school, Hailsham Community College, located in Battle Road, which has achieved a specialist status of sports college. In Literature, the book "Never Let Me Go" uses Hailsham school as a background.

Crime

The crime rates in Hailsham were lower than the national average

Crime rates in Hailsham (per 1000 population) 2005-2006

Offence	Locally	Nationally
Robbery	0.25	1.85
Theft of a motor vehicle	1.87	4.04
Theft from a motor vehicle	5.35	9.59
Sexual offences	0.52	1.17
Violence against a person	10.14	19.97
Burglary	2.82	5.67

Transportation

Road

A22 near Summer Hill, a small village south of Hailsham

Hailsham is near the junction of two major roads, The A22 road to Eastbourne and Crowborough and the A27 South Coast Trunk Road. Both of them (the latter especially) have frequent congestion and traffic problems due to roundabouts and short single carriageway stretches.

Railways

Hailsham used to have a railway station on the Cuckoo Line, running from Polegate to Tunbridge Wells. The line from Polegate was opened in May 1849 and finally closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1968. The southern 12 miles of disused line between Polegate and Heathfield is now a cycleway-footpath known as the Cuckoo Trail. Hailsham Railway station outlived the rest of the Cuckoo Line by three years, the section north of Hailsham closing to passenger traffic in 1965 . The track was retained with a weekly freight service until April 1968 when a bridge at nearby hamlet Horsebridge was damaged by a road vehicle. With the whole line due for closure, the damaged railway infrastructure was never repaired.

The closure of the section from Polegate to Hailsham was disputed — British Railways going so far as to admit that the town was growing at the time of closure and that the town would soon outgrow other public transport. Despite this, passenger services finished on 1968-09-09 with the final train, comprising of two Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) units, leaving Hailsham station to the sound of detonators on the line and the tune of Auld Lang Syne sang by a large crowd who had gathered. After 119 years of railway operation into Hailsham, the line was gone.

Governance

At the local level, Hailsham is represented by Hailsham Town Council. The councillors are elected from four wards: Hailsham Central and North Ward (7 seats); Hailsham East Ward (3 seats); Hailsham South and West Ward (10 seats) and Upper Horsebridge Ward (4 seats). In May 2007 all the seats were uncontested and no election was held. The seat allocation per party was 16 Independent, 5 Liberal Democrat and 3 Conservative. As of August 2008, Ian Haffenden is the current Mayor of Hailsham and Jeff Bentley Astor is the Deputy Mayor.

Hailsham is the home of Wealden District Council. District Council Elections are held every four years. Fifty five Councillors in total are elected, six of these from the three wards that make up Hailsham. The May 2007 election returned 34 Conservative, 12 Liberal Democrat, 3 Independent Democrat, 3 Wealden Independent, 2 Green Party and 1 No party allegiance.

The next level of government is the East Sussex County Council with responsibility for Education, Libraries, Social Services, Civil Registration, Trading Standards and Transport. Elections for the County Council are held every four years. For these elections Hailsham is combined with Herstmonceux to return two seats. The 2005 East Sussex County Council election resulted in 29 Conservatives, 15 Liberal Democrats, 5 Labour and 1 Independent, of which the Hailsham and Herstmonceux ward provided two Conservative councillors.

Wealden is the parliamentary constituency that covers Hailsham plus much of the Wealden area and including parts of Eastbourne, Lewes and Battle. The current serving MP is the Conservative Charles Hendry who won the seat in the 2001 general election.

At European level, Hailsham is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.

Media

Hailsham is covered by BBC Southern Counties Radio, as well as independent stations Southern FM and Sovereign Radio, who are based in St Mary's Walk. Local newspapers include the Hailsham Gazette and the Sussex Express , both published by Beckett Newspapers.

The Hailsham music and social scene is also covered in the monthly East Magazine, an independent publication aimed principally at younger people. A similar publication is the more regional Magnet. Both are freely distributed throughout the town.

Entertainment

Hailsham is the home of Wealden Brass, a brass band which rehearses at Union Corner Hall.

The "Freedom Leisure" entertainment complex is in the town. Its facilities include a gym and a pool with a flume and water slide. Several bowling lanes were added in 2006. Hailsham Outdoor Bowling Club is at the rear of the complex.

Three pubs remain in the three streets that make up the triangle of Hailsham Town Centre including: The Grenadier; The Corn Exchange; and The Terminus. A fourth pub, 'The George', closed in June 2008 due to financial pressures. The Corn Exchange also operates as a nightclub on weekend nights. In addition, Hailsham has several members clubs in the town centre including: Slate Base; the Hailsham Memorial Institute and The Hailsham Club (known locally as The Top Club). Local public houses and inns that have vanished over the years include: The Railway Tavern, The Good Intent; The Fox; The Black Horse Inn; The Swan Inn; The Market House; The Cow and The Brewers Arms (formerly the Railway Arms).

Hailsham Town Football Club play in the first division of the Sussex County Football League, and are currently managed by Kenny McCreadie. The club, known as "The Stringers", had their biggest success in 1989, when they reached the fifth round of the FA Vase, losing to Hungerford Town at the Beaconsfield, in front of an estimated crowd of 1200.

The main stand at The Beaconsfield

The Pavilion

Hailsham Pavilion is a Grade II listed cinema and concert hall built in 1921. After remaining empty, the Pavilion was refurbished in 1993 and reopened in 2000. The Pavilion was originally opened as a cinema on 1921-11-28 by local Justice A.K. Burtenshaw JP, with The Kid starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin as the first picture.

Following many years of service, the Pavilion closed as a cinema in 1965. The Pavilion served as a bingo hall until 1987, before being purchased using a Compulsory Purchase Order, after its owners fell into receivership, by Wealden District Council. By 1999, Hailsham Old Pavilion Society had raised enough money to restore the old cinema, and signed a 31 year lease at a peppercorn rent .

Twinnings

• Gournay-en-Bray, France

External links

• Template:Dmoz
• Cuckoo Trail Information
• Hailsham Town Council
• Wealden Brass
• Hailsham Bonfire Society