Westfield is a village and

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 ...

in the Rother district of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

. It is one of the largest villages in the area with a population of around 2,750. The village lies five miles (8 km) north of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. It was known as Westewelle in the

Domesday survey Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

. The parish includes the linear hamlet of Kent Street along the A21 road. This spans 800 yards from Carpenter's Barn Farm at the southern end past Claverton Country House Hotel up to Sedlescombe Golf Club at the northern end. A prominent sight when entering the village from the south is the church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Its many features include extensive buttressing, a 12th-century porch and a 14th-century font with an elaborate 17th-century cover. Above the door to the tower there is carved a Royal

Coat of Arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

with the list of vicars since 1250 set below. Looking towards the nave there is a Norman arch with squint windows to the side, cut through the 32 inches of stone. Another feature at the road entrance is the

lychgate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...

, with its four carved angels; this was added in 1887. The history of Westfield has been extensively researched by a resident of Westfield descended from a family who appear in the records from 1552. Westfield Football Club play in the Sussex County League Division Two.

Christmas festivities

Around the Christmas period, the residents of Westfield band together to raise money for the charity St Michael’s Hospice using the village’s popular Christmas lights display. Every year, the locals will go around with buckets collecting money from spectators viewing the lights to donate to the charity. As of Christmas 2017, the village have amassed a total of over £75,000 in donations to St Michael’s Hospice.

Amenities

Carr-Taylor Vineyards is situated nearby. There is still a village shop with Post Office, butchers and hairdressers. There is one pub currently ''The New Inn''(previously called "The Old Courthouse". The village's second pub "The Plough" closed down in 2018. Westfield School opened in 1877 and is a popular choice with parents within the surrounding areas.

Landmarks

The parish contains a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

—

Maplehurst Wood Maplehurst Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Hastings in East Sussex. This wood has probably existed since the Middle Ages and a large part of it is still semi-natural. It has a variety of w ...

. This is a ancient woodland containing a range of flora and avian fauna. The village has significant areas of verge, which is purposely left wild in order to preserve nature - this is most notable on approach to the village on the A28, alongside Hole Farm. The woods mentioned is the only

site for Herb Paris ( Paris quadrifolia).

Sport and leisure

Westfield has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is s ...

club Westfield (Sussex) F.C. who play at The Parish Field. There is a small recreation area with swings, etc. in the field opposite the church for the children of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. The countryside surrounding Westfield offers a good number of walking routes. The village has two

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, notably The New Inn and The Plough Inn. The local

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

has a hall attached to it, which can be used by the community. Many years ago Westfield was known for its witches and it is lost in antiquity about the East Sussex witch burnings.

References

External links

Sussex OPC page for Westfield

Westfield Horticultural Society

Westfield's Christmas Lights
{{authority control Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Rother District