Isfield
| Isfield | |
|---|---|
 Railway Station | |
  Isfield Location withinEast Sussex | |
| Area | 7.7 km2(3.0 sq mi)[1] |
| Population | 574 (2011)[2] |
| •Density | 190/sq mi (73/km2) |
| OS grid reference | TQ451170 |
| •London | 40 miles (64 km)NNW |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UCKFIELD |
| Postcode district | TN22 |
| Dialling code | 01825 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
Isfieldis a small village andcivil parishin theWealdenDistrict ofEast Sussexin England, located north-east ofLewes.[3]
History
[edit]
The village of Isfield originally grew adjacent to thefordwhere theLondon to Lewes WayRoman road crossed the riverRiver Ouse.The village had an active history through theSaxon,Normaneras, when a Normancastle mottewas built on the river bank near the church to guard the crossing.[4]Local legend, as recalled by William Wratten, had it thatKing Haroldspent the night before theBattle of Hastingsin the village, at hisdemesnelocated where Isfield Place now stands.
Isfield became the home ofJohn Shurley(died 1527), who wasCofferer of the Householdto King Henry VIII. Isfield Place is a 17th-century manor house, incorporating part of the original 16th-century mansion of the Shurley family. Its design was influenced byLaughton Placenearby, following the marriage of Thomas Shurley, John's grandson, with Anne Pelham, daughter of Sir Nicholas Pelham of Laughton.
The herbalistNicholas Culpeperspent his childhood in the village at the home of his grandfather, Rev. William Attersole, who was vicar at St Margaret's.
The area was heavily involved in theWealden iron industryfrom the 15th century onwards.
Isfield again became a busy place in the 19th century. Much of its traffic was river-borne: coal and building materials, together with other products, used the Ouse as its transport.[5]A paper-mill and a large flour-mill[6]both made use of the river.
Governance
[edit]Isfield Parish Council is the lowest level of government, above which are Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council. It is in theWealdenparliamentary constituency in theHouse of Commons.
Geography
[edit]The parish of Isfield stands on the flood-plain of the River Ouse,[7]at its confluence with theRiver Uckand a convenient crossing point, a ford, which the Romans used; the road through the village crosses the Uck by bridge, and the erstwhileWealden Linedid likewise. The mainA26 road,while crossing the parish, runs to the East of the village. The land hereabouts is afloodplainof the rivers and streams. The area can grow fine crops as a result of its rich soils with superficial deposits of Alluvium, River Terrace Deposits and Chalk Head, over Lower Chalk, Gault and Lower Greensand.
The ancientecclesiastical parish,which is very similar to the modern civil parish, was 1,822 acres (736 ha) in size. Today's population is relatively small. The village centre lies adjacent to the river crossing; a more modern part is further south.
The two miles of Ouse brooks from Oaktree Wood, (grid referenceTQ 441 180) opposite Isfield church, north to Sharpsbridge, (grid referenceTQ 439 207) are important brook meadows botanically. TheUniversity of Sussexhad a project to restore some of the brook meadows east of Vuggles and Bunce's Farms.[8]
Like many places in Sussex, increased pressure for farm productivity has come at the expense of much of its natural beauty. North of Isfield was a densely wooded area, but much of the ancient woodland has been cut down, including large parts of Park Wood, Owlsbury Wood, Grove Wood, Stroodland Woods, and Foxearth Wood (a bit further west).[9]Equally this area of theRiver Ouseand its tributaries have seen many losses. Just thirty years ago countless silvery Elvers (young Eels) rose up the Ouse weirs at Isfield, but they have long since gone due to pollution (nitrates, phosphates and trace chemicals) from farming and sewage with low flows from extraction and summer droughts.[10][9]
Isfield lock and weir
[edit]The old Isfield Lock and weir (grid referenceTQ 440 186) has recently been restored by Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust. It is much loved, "The waters thunder down the weir to a sheltered pool, whilst above, the embayed river is still enough for water lilies".[9]On the banks of the Isfield Weir to Rocky Wood there is archaic vegetation, such asdame's violetandhemlock.
Transport
[edit]The village proper is located at the intersection of three roads. Two of these – Horsted Lane and Lewes Road – both connect directly to theA26 road,which runs along the eastern edge of the parish (through the hamlet of Rose Hill), and links the parish withUckfieldandLewes.The third road – Station Road – runs north and eventually reaches theA272 roadnearPiltdown.
The parish is served by two bus routes, both part ofBrighton & Hove'sRegency Routebrand. Route 29 runs along the A26, serving Rose Hill and linking it every 30 minutes with Lewes andBrightonto the southwest and Uckfield,CrowboroughandTunbridge Wellsto the northeast. Route 29A, meanwhile, runs directly through the village and operates every hour in each direction, southwest to Lewes and Brighton and northeast toUckfieldandHeathfield.
The village was once served by a railway –Isfield station,on theWealden Line,was open from 1858 to 1969, and linked the village withBrighton,Lewes,Uckfield,EridgeandTunbridge Wells(and on to London). Only the Brighton–Lewes and Uckfield–Eridge sections remain open today; there have been several campaigns to reopen the line between Lewes and Uckfield, although not all proposals have envisaged the reopening of Isfield station itself. A short section of the old railway, centred around the former Isfield station, has been preserved as theLavender Line Steam Railway.
Religion
[edit]The parish church is dedicated toSt Margaret of Antioch.Within the church are tombs of the Shurley/Shirley family.[11]
Leisure, culture and sport
[edit]The Laughing Fishis a smallpublic housewith a garden.
References
[edit]- ^"East Sussex in Figures".East Sussex County Council.Retrieved26 April2008.
- ^"Civil Parish population 2011".Retrieved8 October2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009.ISBN978 0319240823
- ^Geograph photograph
- ^Isfield history
- ^Isfield mill
- ^The Sussex River OuseArchived2008-04-20 at theWayback Machine
- ^Pilkington, Margaret (2012)."The River Ouse Project".University of Sussex.Retrieved21 June2021.
- ^abcBangs, David (2018).Land of the Brighton line: a field guide to the Middle Sussex and South East Surrey Weald.[Brighton].ISBN978-0-9548638-2-1.OCLC1247849975.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Jim Smith, water bailiff, pers. comm., 11.04.11.
- ^St Margaret's church
External links
[edit]
Media related toIsfieldat Wikimedia Commons