Crowhurst, East Sussex

Crowhurst is an isolated village situated five miles (8 km) north-west of Hastings in East Sussex. It has a parish council and is located within the Rother District Council.

Not to be confused with Crowhurst, Surrey.

Crowhurst

Blacksmiths Cottage, Crowhurst
Crowhurst
Location within East Sussex
Area10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi) [1]
Population891 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density219/sq mi (85/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ755125
• London50 miles (80 km) NNW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBATTLE
Postcode districtTN33
Dialling code01424
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
WebsiteCrowhurst Village
St Georges Churchyard, Crowhurst

History
Crowhurst in 1820, by Henry Harris Lines

The earliest mention of the settlement is in 771, when King Offa of Mercia gave the Bishop of Selsey a piece of land here; a church was then built by the Bishop. Crowhurst (then called Croghyrst) itself remained the king's land until 1412, although various landowners were given possession of it over that time:

  • Robert Count of Eu, after the Norman Conquest of England
  • the Fitz-Lambert family, until the 12th century
  • Walter de Scotney, given by Richard I after the Third Crusade, although Walter forfeited it in 1259, having been found guilty of a crime
  • Sir John Pelham, given to him by Henry IV in 1412; Pelham built the present parish church

Governance

At a local level, Crowhurst is governed by a parish council which is responsible for street lighting, allotments and recreational areas. It provides a local voice to the district and county councils. The parish council consists of seven councillors. The May 2007 election had ten candidates standing.[3]

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Crowhurst is within the Crowhurst ward, along with the parishes of Ashburnham and Penhurst, Catsfield and part of Battle. In the May 2007 election Crowhurst ward was won by the Conservative candidate.[4] The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 2,686.[5]

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Crowhurst falls within the Battle and Crowhurst ward. Kathryn Margaret Field, Liberal Democrat, was elected in the May 2005 election with 48.8% of the vote.[6]

The UK Parliament constituency for Crowhurst is Bexhill and Battle. Huw Merriman was elected in the May 2015 election.

The village
The ruins of the manor house at Crowhurst

The parish church is dedicated to St George.[7] The ruins of the manor house lie to the south of it.

Although small, the village does have a railway station. It was built in 1902 as a junction station for a branch line to Bexhill. The line crossed nearby marshes on a 17-arch viaduct; the line was closed under the so-called "Beeching cuts" in 1964, and the viaduct was demolished in 1969.

The village has a primary school.[8] The village post office closed in March 2008: until then it served as a convenience store also.[9] There is a pub, The Plough; until 1998 there was a second pub, The Inn at Crowhurst.[10]

Landmarks

The village is home to the Fore Wood RSPB reserve, part of which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The interest is due to its ghyll habitat; steep ravines cut into the underlying sandstone.[11] The site is a rich breeding area for birds.

Like the village of the same name in Surrey, this East Sussex Crowhurst also has an ancient yew tree in the church grounds cordoned off by iron railings and reinforced with steel wires to prevent collapse. Age uncertain.

Another SSSI within the parish is Combe Haven. This site is of biological importance due to its diversity of habitat supporting many species of flora and fauna. Alluvial meadows and reed beds cover a large section of the area.[12]

Crowhurst is located within the heart of the Sussex Weald in the designated High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

In film

A fictionalised version of medieval Crowhurst was presented in the 2009 docudrama 1066 The Battle for Middle Earth, produced by Channel 4.

References
  1. "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  3. "Declaration of Result of Poll—Crowhurst parish". Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
  4. "Declaration of Result of Poll—Crowhurst". Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  5. "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  6. "County Council election". Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  7. The parish church photographs
  8. Crowhurst Primary School Archived 2007-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Closure of post office
  10. Crowhurst, East Sussex at Curlie further village information
  11. "Natural England - SSSI (Fore Wood)". English Nature. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  12. "Natural England - SSSI (Combe Haven)". English Nature. Retrieved 3 October 2008.

Media related to Crowhurst at Wikimedia Commons

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