Withyham

Withyhamis a village and largecivil parishin theWealdendistrict ofEast Sussex,England.The village is situated 7 miles south west ofRoyal Tunbridge Wellsand 3.5 miles (5.6 km) fromCrowborough;the parish covers approximately 7,500 acres (30 km²).

Withyham
Withyham
Withyham Location withinEast Sussex
Area	36.8 km2(14.2 sq mi)
Population	2,654 (2011)
•Density	187/sq mi (72/km2)
OS grid reference	TQ495356
•London	30 miles (48 km)NNW
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HARTFIELD
Postcode district	TN7
Dialling code	01892
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Wealden

Geography

Dorset Arms

Withyham parish lies on the edge ofWeald,in the valley of theRiver Medway,where a group of tributaries enter from the south, and to the north ofAshdown Forest.The B2110 road passes through the village, betweenGroombridgeandForest Row.Much of the area is rural; the hamlet of Buckhurst, part of the parish, containsBuckhurst Park,the home ofLord De La Warr.New Groombridgeis also within the parish, and Old Groombridge is in theSpeldhurstparish of Kent.

Withyham village itself is very small, containing a few houses, the church, a bed and breakfast,and the Dorset Arms (a villagepubwhich was once a farmhouse).

History

Buckhurst and Gildredge

Withyham is not included in theDomesday Book,although the manor of Buckhurst is, as "Biochest" (probably from theSaxon"boc hyrst" or beech wood. There have been two houses at Buckhurst for many centuries: the older Buckhurst House, now no more, and the present dayBuckhurst Park:both remained in the hands of theSackvillefamily for generations. Buckhurst Park is the family seat of theDe La Warrearldom, andWilliam Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warrcontinues to live there.

Outside Buckhurst, many of the houses in the village were probably built to contain estate workers. A significant number of council houses were built in the post-war period at Balls Green, near a now-closed railway station.

Withyham was also home to the Gildredge family, who later moved toEastbourne,acquiring a large share of the town's land by purchase and through marriage."Gildredge House and estate was formerly the property and residence of the family of the same name," saysThomas Walker Horsfieldin his history of Sussex, "who afterwards (temp. Henry VIII) removed to and became lords of the manor ofEastbourne."Today's Gildredge Park in Eastbourne is named after the family. The Gildredge family was related to the Eversfield family, who eventually owned much ofSt. Leonards-on-Sea,as well as to theLevetts.

According to the Sussex historianMark Antony Lower,the ancient house and estate of Gildredge "gave name to a family of considerable antiquity, who subsequently had their chief residence at Eastbourne, and gave their name to the manor of Eastbourne-Gildredge."Later the Gildredge lands were carried by marriage into the Gilbert family (today'sDavies-Gilbertfamily), who continue to own much of Eastbourne.

Withyham parish is in anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Withyham church

Much of the oldest available historical information concerning the Weald of Kent, Sussex and Surrey, with records going back to 1288, relates to the parish church, St. Michael's.

St Michael and All Angels Church, Withyham

The village church is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels;the present rector is the Reverend Canon James Campbell. According to early records, the church was almost completely rebuilt in the 14th century to contain a Sackville chapel.

On 16 June 1663 the church was struck by lightning, which melted the bells and caused a great deal of damage; few parts of the building survived. The rebuilding of the church does not seem to have been finished until 1672, and the Sackville Chapel was not completed for a further eight years. Of the old church, only the lower part of the tower, the west wall from the belfry door to the north-west corner, and the north and south-east walls remained to be incorporated into the new building. It was also around this time that the rectory was built.

Later important alterations were carried out in the 19th century, including a new south aisle, the removal of the low ceiling, and the construction of a new south porch. In 1849, a set of four paintings was donated to the church: it is thought they are the work ofNiccolò di Pietro Gerini(c. 1340–1414). The paintings were sold atSotheby'sin London in 2012.

There are eight bells in the tower. Five bells were recast after the rebuilding in 1674, and a sixth (treble) bell was added in 1715. These bells remained until 1908, when they were recast and a further two added.

The ashes ofDavid Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Earl of Kilmuirare buried at the church.Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorsetis buried there as well, as are the ashes of author and garden designer, Vita Sackville-West.

The church is also a filming location used in the 1976 concert filmThe Song Remains the Samefeaturing the English rock bandLed Zeppelin.It is the location for the night time fantasy scene starring Led Zeppelin's bass and keyboard playerJohn Paul Jones.

Governance

Withyham is a large parish, and is therefore divided into three electoral wards: Groombridge; Withyham, including Blackham; and St Johns (Withyham).

Landmarks

Penn's Rocksis aSite of Special Scientific Interestwithin the parish. This is a site of biological interest. Its sandstone outcrops providing a rare habitat for many ferns and bryophytes.Buckhurst Park historic seat of the Earls De La Warr, head of the Sackville family, Lutyens/Jekyll garden with Repton Park. The Hundred Acre wood, immortalised byA.A. Milnein hisWinnie-the-Poohstories, is part of the Buckhurst Estate

The millennium in Withyham

To celebrate themillenniumin Withyham, the 11th Earl De La Warr planted ayewsapling taken from a tree said to be 2,000 years old – i.e. from the time of Christ. The sapling was uprooted by vandals, but was replanted by Earl De La Warr. A millennium map was also commissioned by the Church to commemorate almost 1,000 years of Withyham.

Public transport

The village has a regular bus service. TheMetrobus291 bus route servesEast Grinstead,Tunbridge Wells,andCrawley– as well as neighbouring villages.

In nearbyAshurstthere is a railway station.Ashurst stationis on theUckfieldto London line viaOxtedandEast Croydon.Trains are hourly in each direction.

See also

• Withyham Priory

External links

Media related toWithyhamat Wikimedia Commons