Westham

Westham is a large village civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is adjacent to Pevensey five miles (8 km) north-east of Eastbourne. The parish consists of three settlements: Westham; Stone Cross; and Hankham. The parish is virtually part of the Greater Eastbourne conurbation, and much expansion has been occurring here: hence the large population.

This article is about the village in East Sussex. For the London district, see West Ham.

Westham

Stone Cross Windmill
Westham
Location within East Sussex
Area14.2 km2 (5.5 sq mi) [1]
Population6,314 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density1,067/sq mi (412/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ637045
• London51 miles (82 km) NNW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPEVENSEY
Postcode districtBN24
Dialling code01323
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
WebsiteParish Council

History

Although overshadowed by its close neighbour, Pevensey, Westham is recorded in the Domesday Book. Its name derives from being a hamlet to the west of Pevensey Castle.

Governance

The parish council has thirteen elected members.[3]

Geography

The parish lies along a ridge at the western end of the Pevensey Levels, the area once an inlet of the sea. The main village centre, Westham, is at the eastern end of the parish, and is virtually coterminous with Pevensey village.

Demography

Economy

Landmarks

Stone Cross is the home to a windmill which is located on high ground in the village. This tower mill was built between 1875 and 1876, the last of the type built in Sussex. Although ceasing commercial operation in 1937, it has since been refurbished and is open to the public.[4] It is a Grade II* listed building.[5]

Pevensey Levels, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.[6]

Transport

The village is served by Pevensey and Westham railway station on the East Coastway Line. The A27 trunk road crosses the parish from west to east.

Education

There are three primary schools serving the parish: Pevensey and Westham School; Hankham County Primary School; and Stone Cross School.[7]

Religious sites
‘Westham Church from Pevensey Castle looking west’ by Lewis Pinhorn Wood

There are two churches in the civil parish.[8]

The 11th-century St Mary's church at Westham[9] is reputed to be the first Norman church in England, although the church at Bramber also claims that title. St Mary's is depicted in a number of paintings by the Victorian landscapist Lewis Pinhorn Wood (1848-1918), including 'Westham Church from Pevensey Castle looking West'.

St Luke's parish church at Stone Cross (also serving the settlement of North Langney)[10] is a more recent building of 1926; it stands at a crossroads near the windmill. The church fell into disrepair during the 1970s and was refurbished and re-opened in 1988. The church hall is a recent addition to the church and was built in 2003. To the front of the church is the war memorial with the names of local people who lost their life during two world wars, whose names are read out during each Remembrance Sunday service.

Leisure and culture

Notable people

Ian Gow (1937–90), politician, was assassinated at his home in Hankham by an IRA bomb.[11]

gollark: No, it probably isn't your fault, it must have been dropped from my brain stack while I was writing the rest.
gollark: ... I forgot one of them, hold on while I try and reremember it.
gollark: That's probably one of them. I'm writing.
gollark: > If you oppose compromises to privacy on the grounds that you could do something that is misidentified as a crime, being more transparent does helpI mean, sure. But I worry about lacking privacy for reasons other than "maybe the government will use partial data or something and accidentally think I'm doing crimes".
gollark: Also, you can probably just treat privacy as a "terminal goal" like all the other weird drives us foolish humans have, but I think there are good reasons for it based on other stuff.

References
  1. "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  3. Parish council members 2007
  4. Stone Cross windmill
  5. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1184750)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  6. "Natural England - SSSI (Pevensey Levels)". English Nature. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  7. School in the parish
  8. Churches in Westham
  9. St Mary’s Westham
  10. St Luke's Church
  11. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/7918045/Ian-Gow-was-the-ultimate-loyalist-and-he-paid-the-ultimate-price.html
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