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The Parish of Hellingly is situated at the confluence of
the River Cuckmere and Bull River, one of its tributaries, on the
lower southern slopes of the Weald.
Located adjacent to the north-west boundary of Hailsham, the Parish,
which is mostly rural in character, like Hailsham, is part of East
Sussex County Council and Wealden District Council. Within the Parish
boundary are the residential settlements of Lower Dicker, Upper,
and Lower Horsebridge, as well as the “Village”, (the
cluster of picturesque cottages and dwellings centred on the Parish
Church). In all, as at May 2010, there were 1305 electors listed
in the Electoral roll and 588 residences. However, with the grant
of planning consents for new developments, notably the redevelopment
of the former Hellingly Hospital, the Parish is set to grow to over
1000 homes.
The Parish has been settled since before the Romans and the Anglo
Saxons. Like many others on the Weald, the Parish was involved in
the early Wealden iron industry and more recently clay extraction
for the manufacture of bricks and tiles. Evidence of early workings
is to be found around the Parish and in many of the local place
names.
The Grade 1 Listed Parish church, started in 1190, is dedicated
to St Peter & St Paul. Although it has undergone various “restorations”
in the past, the chancel, the shafts with annulets round the windows
and the band of palmettes under them, are substantially original.
The church is built on the only remaining undamaged ciric (a circular
Celtic burial ground, raised above ground level, to keep the dead
dry) in Sussex. The circular form is believed to be the Celtic symbol
of immortality. The mound at Hellingly is no longer circular, but
oval as some more land was given to the church in the 12th century.
The wall surrounding the ciric was built during the 13th century,
when the Bishops at the time required a churchyard to be surrounded
by a wall, ditch or hedge. The original wall has been replaced and
the current wall was built fairly recently.
There are many other historic buildings, mostly 17th and 18th century
farmsteads and cottages, but including one or two grander properties,
within the Parish. Horselunges Manor, a moated 2-storey timber framed
Grade 1 Listed manor house built in the late 14th century and restored
in the 1930s; the watermill in Mill Lane originally connected with
the iron industry; Broad Farm built in 1753; The Priest House, formerly
Yew Tree Cottage and said to have had tunnels linking to the Church
and Horselunges Manor; Winkenhurst Manor; Springham; Hill Harbour;
Shawpitts; Knightsbridge (formerly Horeham Court); and many many
more.
But no mention of Hellingly buildings would be complete without
reference to the former Hellingly Hospital. Designed by renowned
Victorian architect George Thomas Hine, a leading authority on the
layout and construction of such buildings, the building was designed
not just as an asylum, but as a whole self-contained community and
had everything necessary to achieve this. The majority of the hospital
buildings were of two or three storeys and constructed from red
brick, with much use of reconstituted-stone lintels, multiple paned
windows, banding, occasional round headed windows and red tiled
roofing, with slate used for laundry and works buildings. This style
is synonymous with G.T.Hine and appears in the majority of his designs.
Construction commenced in 1897, and the first patients were admitted
in 1903. At its heyday, the building housed over 1,400 patients
and was a major provider of local employment. Set in its own parkland
grounds in excess of 50 acres, it had its own farm, sports fields,
social club, chapel, and theatre. It even had a light railway linking
to the railway station at Hellingly and used to bring in visitors,
new admissions and supplies.
In the late 1970s, the then government decided to close the majority
of the asylums in Britain and instigate the Care in the Community
programme as being more beneficial to the long-term care of the
afflicted. In consequence, the hospital was gradually run down,
the farm sold off and the facilility finally closed in the mid 1980s.
However, at the same time as the running down of the main psychiatric
facility, Hellingly was selected as one of five mental hospital
sites in south east England to accommodate a medium secure unit.
Ashen Hill, accommodating 26 patients and Southview a further 20
patients exhibiting challenging behavioural characteristics, remain
at the top end of The Drive, and are shortly to be refurbished and
extended to accommodate some 76 male and female patients, thereby
preserving the link with the past.
Located on relatively high ground to the north of Hailsham, the
grounds of the former hospital were noted for their beauty and tranquility.
It was therefore considered important to retain as much of the former
parkland as possibly as a public open space, and by agreement with
the local planning authority and the developers some 25 acres of
the site, (housing a new community hall, sports pavilion, and children
and young adult play space) will become a new country park owned
and managed by the Parish Council.
Hellingly, like Hailsham, originally had a railway station. Both
Parishes were stops on the Cuckoo Line, a single track railway linking
Tunbridge Wells to Eastbourne. Constructed initially in 1849 as
a link to Polegate and Eastbourne, the line was extended to Tunbridge
Wells in stages between 1849 and 1894. However, the line fell victim
of the Beeching cuts and was closed to passenger traffic in 1965
and to all other traffic in 1968. Following closure, the various
station properties were sold off to be converted to residential
dwellings, but the form of the former Hellingly Station including
the platform still remains.
The track bed was taken up and allowed to fall into disrepair until
in the 1990s, when Sustrans, with the aid of grant funding, opened
up the former rail track as “The Cuckoo Trail”, a cycle/footpath
linking Heathfield to Polegate and intended in the future to form
part of a national long distance cycle way. In 2000, the Parish
Council added the Millennium Arboretum (opposite Station House)
as a picnic area for users of the trail.
The Parish has a Village Hall between Hellingly Village and Lower
Horsebridge where the Parish Council and its Committees meet, two
recreation grounds, a cemetery, and an allotment garden. The main
sports clubs in the Parish are Hellingly Rugby Club and Hellingly
Cricket Club, which are both located at Horsebridge recreation ground.
In addition, there are many other clubs and societies for people
of all ages and abilities including cubs, scouts, brownies, and
guides, WI, photographic, horticultural, and dance and much much
more.
Hellingly still has its own post office, pubs, a convenience store,
a village shop in North Street Lower Horsebridge, and its own village
school. As the village grows, so too will the activities and facilities.
Reflecting its more rural nature, Hellingly Parish includes Park
Wood, an area of 60 hectares (148 acres) of ancient, semi-natural
woodland to the north of the former Hellingly hospital There are
areas of forest, glades, ghyll woodland and the Hurst Haven stream,
running through the central valley. Mainly an oak woodland with
some sweet chestnut, hazel and hornbeam, it has a long history of
coppice management. Within the wood is believed to be the second-oldest
wild cherry tree in the county. Other trees include ash, birch,
sycamore, field maple, willow, alder and hawthorn.
The wood is at its most spectacular during late spring when the
ground is carpeted with wood anemones and lesser celandine, followed
by bluebells. You will also find orchids as well as foxglove, enchanter's
nightshade and yellow archangel and a wide variety of mammals (including
the rare and protected common dormouse), birds, insects, reptiles
and up to 60 species of fungi. Adders and slow worms may be seen
basking on log piles during warm weather, whilst greater spotted
woodpeckers make use of holes in dead timber, and butterflies flit
about the glades.
Hailsham is 8 miles north of Eastbourne; 24 miles south of Tunbridge
Wells; 18 miles west of Hastings; and 14 miles east of the County
town of Lewes. London is some 57 miles away.
The A22 from London to Eastbourne passes through the parishes and
intersects main roads from Kent (A267) and from West Sussex (A27).
The A259 and A271 provide links to Hastings and Bexhill.
Accessibility
Bus Bus services link
Hailsham and Hellingly with Lewes and Brighton, Uckfield, Polegate
and Eastbourne, Langney, Stone Cross, Battle, Bexhill and Hastings.
Express coaches can be boarded for London and various South Coast
towns. The Cuckmere Community Bus operates a town service linking
residential areas with the town centre shopping facilities.
Stagecoach Buses Tel: (08456) 002299
Cuckmere Community Bus
Tel: (01323) 870920
Rail Rail services
operate from Eastbourne and Hastings to London, Ashford, Tunbridge
Wells, Lewes, Gatwick Airport, and Brighton. The nearest connections
to Hailsham are at Polegate or Berwick station (Eastbourne to Lewes/Brighton/Gatwick/London
-Victoria, lines), and Etchingham station (Hastings to Tunbridge
Wells/ London - Charing Cross, line).
National Rail Tel: (08457) 484950
Airline Airline services
operate from Gatwick Airport (near Crawley) whilst Heathrow Airport
is reached via the M23 and M25 motorways.
Sea Sea crossings
to Europe operate from nearby Newhaven (to Dieppe), and further
(eastwards) along the coast at Folkestone and Dover (to Calais).
The Channel Tunnel shuttle trains (vehicular) can be boarded at
Folkestone, or the Eurostar passenger services, at Ashford, Ebbsfleet
and St. Pancras, London.
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