Hellingly (pronounced 'Helling-lye') is a village, and can also refer to a
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
, and to a
district ward, in the
Wealden District
Wealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Hailsham. The district's name comes from the Weald, the remnant forest which was once unbroken and occupies much of the centre and north of the area.
Histo ...
of
East Sussex, England.
Geography
Hellingly contains the confluence of the
River Cuckmere
The River Cuckmere rises near Heathfield in East Sussex, England on the southern slopes of the Weald. The name of the river probably comes from an Old English word meaning "fast-flowing", since it descends over 100 m (328 ft) in its ...
and one of its tributaries, the Bull River, close to the centre of the historic Hellingly village. The parish stands on the lower southern slopes of the gentle uplands forming the
Weald
The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...
.
The geographic centre of the parish is southeast of Old North Street and northwest of Church Lane, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the town centre of
Hailsham
Hailsham is a town, a civil parish and the administrative centre of the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Da ...
.
The village of Hellingly, the village of Lower Dicker, the village of Lower Horsebridge, the hamlet of '
Grove Hill'', the suburbs of Roebuck Park and Carters Corner, are all entirely within the boundaries of the parish of Hellingly.
Liminal areas to the north of the village of
Upper Dicker
Arlington is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The parish is on the River Cuckmere, and is the location of a medieval priory, a reservoir and a car racetrack.
History
The area has been settled sinc ...
, to the east of the hamlet of
Gun Hill, and to the south of the hamlet o
North Corner also fall within the boundaries of the parish of Hellingly.
History
The villages and settlements in the parish, like many others on the Weald, were involved in the
Wealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Iron ...
.
The watermill in the village of Hellingly connected with the industry is no longer in operation. The mill building is a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
and the associated miller's house is Grade II.
Horselunges Manor
Horselunges Manor is a 15th-century manor house in Hellingly, East Sussex, that was restored in the 20th century. The house was previously owned by Peter Grant, the manager of Led Zeppelin, and featured in the film '' The Song Remains the Sam ...
is a moated Tudor manor house, originally built for the Devenish family and restored by
Walter Godfrey
Walter Hindes Godfrey, CBE, FSA, FRIBA (1881–1961), was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also a landscape architect and designer, and an accomplished draftsman and illustrator. He was ...
in the 1930s, and is Grade I listed.
Hospitals
There are two
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
mental health sites within the parish of Hellingly, one is th
Amberstone Hospital a specialist rehabilitation unit to help people recover from long-term mental health issues, and the other site is th
Hellingly Centre a medium secure unit for people between the ages of 18-65 who have mental health problems and who have become involved with the criminal justice system. Both sites are managed by
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Hellingly Hospital
Hellingly Hospital, formerly the East Sussex County Asylum, was a large psychiatric hospital close to the village of Hellingly, east of Hailsham, in the English county of East Sussex.
History
The County Authority of East Sussex decided to bui ...
once dominated the area east of the village and was the principal mental hospital for East Sussex. Opened in 1903 it remained in use until 1994. The buildings maintenance were under-invested before being sold by the NHS and demolished to be replaced by a housing estate, named by the developer as Roebuck Park.
Sport
The main sports clubs in the village are Hellingly Rugby Club and
Hellingly cricket club, which are both at Horsebridge recreation ground.
Governance
Hellingly civil parish is administered at the lowest level of local government by Hellingly Parish Council.
Hellingly civil parish forms part of the larger Hellingly district ward, which also includes the village of
Magham Down
Magham Down is a village between Herstmonceux and Hailsham in the Wealden district of East Sussex. It lies on the A271 road. It has a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has bee ...
and the settlement of Ginger’s Green, in the
Wealden District
Wealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Hailsham. The district's name comes from the Weald, the remnant forest which was once unbroken and occupies much of the centre and north of the area.
Histo ...
, with Wealden District Council being the middle level of local government for Hellingly.
Hellingly district ward forms part of the even larger Arlington, East Hoathly & Hellingly county electoral division for
East Sussex, with
East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex.
East Sussex is divided into five local government districts. Three are larger, rural, districts (from west to east: Lewes; Wealden; and Rother). ...
being the highest level of local government for Hellingly.
The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 5,940.
Hellingly is in the
Wealden parliamentary constituency, the MP since 2015 has been
Nus Ghani,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
.
Religion
![HellinglyChurch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/HellinglyChurch.jpg)
The 13th-14th century parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. It is the only remaining example of a church built on a Saxon ''ciric'', a circular mound, in the county. The chancel dates from about 1200, and the shafts with annulets round the windows and the band of palmettes under them are substantially original. There is stained glass in the east lancet windows by
Morris & Co. The church is Grade I listed.
Zoar Strict Baptist Chapel
Zoar Strict Baptist Chapel is a Strict Baptists, Strict Baptist place of worship in the Hamlet (place), hamlet of Lower Dicker (village), Lower Dicker in the English county of East Sussex. Founded in 1837 and originally known as The Dicker Chape ...
was founded in 1837 at Lower Dicker.
Transport
The
Cuckoo Trail
The Cuckoo Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield in East Sussex. It passes through the towns of Polegate and Hailsham, as well as the villages of Hellingly and Horam.
History
The Trail largely foll ...
is a 14-mile (23 km) footpath and cycleway that passes through the parish.
This parish had a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
on the
Polegate to Eridge line which closed in 1968.
The parish is served by buses run by
Stagecoach and by Seaford & District Buses
Seaford & District bus services
/ref>
Notable people
*Margaret Fairchild
Margaret Mary Fairchild (4 January 1911 – 28 April 1989), also known as Mary Teresa Sheppard, Miss Shepherd and M T Sheppard, was a British homeless woman who is the title character in the 2015 film ''The Lady in the Van'' by Alan Bennett in w ...
(1911-1989) aka Miss Shepherd, the subject of the 2015 film ''The Lady in the Van
''The Lady in the Van'' is a 2015 British comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner, and starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings, based on the memoir of the same name created by Alan Bennett. It was written by Bennett, and it tells the (most ...
'', was born here
* Peter Grant (1935–1995), actor and music executive, lived in Hellingly, at Horselunges Manor, which was featured in the opening scene of the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
film, '' The Song Remains the Same'', and is buried in the civil cemetery.
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in East Sussex
Civil parishes in East Sussex
Wealden District