
Arlington 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Wealden district of
East Sussex
East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
, England. The parish is on the
River Cuckmere
The Cuckmere River 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 in its initial . It flows into ...
, and is the location of
a medieval priory,
a reservoir and
a car racetrack.
History
Arlington is recorded in the
Domesday Book
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 when it comprised five households and ploughing lands,
but the area has been settled since
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
times. It is suggested that the wooden church in Arlington built by them, having been destroyed by invaders, was later rebuilt with bricks from the nearby
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
road. Apart from the Anglo-Saxon type of quoin stones, the church shows a
splayed window
In architecture, a splayed opening (also splayed reveal) is a wall opening that is narrower on one side of the wall and wider on another. When used for a splayed window, it allows more light to enter the room. In fortifications, a splayed opening ...
of Anglo-Saxon type next to the porch. Supporting an early date is the dedication of the church to St Pancras, the Roman martyr, relics of whom were given to one of the Anglo-Saxon kings: he was reputed to be a teenager when put to death in one of the Roman persecutions of Christians. There is a statue of this saint in the RC church at Lewes: it is reasonable, therefore, to suppose that the church at Arlington dates from early in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was enlarged in the 13th century.
Michelham Priory, at Upper Dicker, was founded by the
Augustinians
Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
in 1229. Today it is a tourist site.
Geography
Arlington village stands above the left bank of the River Cuckmere. The parish includes the two villages of Arlington and Upper Dicker. It is on a minor road leading north from the
A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 road, A36 at Whiteparish (near Salisbury, England, Salisbury) in the county of Wiltshire, follows the south coast of Hampshire and West Sussex, and terminates at Pevense ...
between
Polegate
Polegate is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampt ...
and
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
, and near
Berwick railway station on the
East Coastway Line. The village of Upper Dicker, the site of a medieval trade centre (Dicker = barter), is on the river, to the north.
Arlington Reservoir
Arlington Reservoir is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Hailsham in East Sussex, England. It is also a Local Nature Reserve and it is owned and managed by South East Water.
Wildlife
The site is of ornithological interes ...
, on the opposite side of the river, was opened in 1971, and supplies water to the local area, including Eastbourne. It is situated at the foot of the
South Downs
The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the ...
and is a conservation site, being both a local nature reserve and 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 ...
. It is an important site for bird life, with up to 170 species breeding in the area and 10,000 migrating birds using it each year and is popular with walkers, and for horse riders and anglers.
Another SSSI within the parish is
Lower Dicker
Lower Dicker is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Hailsham in East Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
Geology
Exposures of a sand member are present in the quarry. The sand is of the lower division of ...
, a disused quarry and an important site for the study of the
palaeogeography
Palaeogeography (or paleogeography) is the study of historical geography, generally physical landscapes. Palaeogeography can also include the study of human or cultural environments. When the focus is specifically on landforms, the term pale ...
of the Weald. Its geology of sand and sandstone indicating ancient river flows in the area.
Some wild privet of the native species can be observed growing in the hedges in winter time.
Amenities
There are two village halls in the parish, at Arlington and Upper Dicker. That at Arlington holds a weekly Art Club and a village market. There are three
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
s: The ''Yew Tree Inn'' situated near the church; ''The Old Oak Inn'' in Caneheath, a hamlet to the east of Arlington; and ''The Plough Inn'' at Upper Dicker. Arlington also has its very own Tea Garden/ Nursery on Wilbees Road. Education is provided at Park Mead Infants School; and at
St Bede's Independent Boarding School, Upper Dicker. The post office at Upper Dicker (first mentioned in 1852, when a type of
postmark
A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...
known as an undated circle was issued), was closed in 2008.
Religion
Arlington parish church is dedicated to St Pancras. The church at Upper Dicker is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
Raceway
Arlington Stadium, near Michelham Priory, used regularly in the summer for race meets. Arlington is also often referred to as Eastbourne and is one of the longest serving stock car tracks in the UK having opened in 1955. Racing contested is
Superstox
Superstox is a type of single seat formula racing, similar to Sprint car racing developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom. Racing is 'contact' whereby drivers can use the front bumper to help dislodge any car in front. Like most other forms ...
,
Banger racing
Banger racing is a type of motorsport event in which Car, automobiles, traditionally derelict or totalled classic cars from scrapyards, are Auto racing, raced on Oval track racing, oval, tri-oval, or Figure 8 racing, figure-eight race tracks o ...
and
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
. The stadium is the home of
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida.
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta.
*Indianapolis Motor Spe ...
team the
Eastbourne Eagles
The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000. The team last raced on 31 July 2021.
Hist ...
.
Arlington Stadium
The stadium had its own team in the car racing leagues contested in the 1966 and 1972 seasons, also known as the Eastbourne Eagles.
Stock Car racing normally takes place on Wednesday evenings and Bank Holidays during the summer months.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Villages in East Sussex
Civil parishes in East Sussex
Wealden District