Westham is a large 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 village is adjacent to

Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The ...

five miles (8 km) north-east of

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

. The parish consists of three settlements: Westham; Stone Cross; and Hankham. The parish is virtually part of the Greater Eastbourne conurbation, and much expansion has been occurring here: hence the large population.

History

Although overshadowed by its close neighbour, Pevensey, Westham 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 ...

. Its name derives from being a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

to the west of

Pevensey Castle Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman Saxon Shore fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex. The site is a scheduled monument in the care of English Heritage and is open to visitors. Built around 290 AD and known to ...

Governance

The parish council has thirteen elected members.

Geography

The parish lies along a ridge at the western end of the Pevensey Levels, the area once an inlet of the sea. The main village centre, Westham, is at the eastern end of the parish, and is virtually coterminous with

village.

Demography

Economy

Landmarks

Stone Cross is the home to a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

which is located on high ground in the village. This tower mill was built between 1875 and 1876, the last of the type built in Sussex. Although ceasing commercial operation in 1937, it has since been refurbished and is open to the public. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Pevensey Levels Pevensey Levels is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Bexhill-on-Sea and Hailsham in East Sussex. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, a Ramsar site and a Special Area of Conservation. An area of is a nation ...

, 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 ...

, lies partially in the parish. The site is of biological interest consisting of low-lying grazing meadows, hosting a wide variety of wetland flora and fauna.

Transport

The village is served by Pevensey and Westham railway station on the East Coastway Line. The A27 trunk road crosses the parish from west to east.

Education

There are three primary schools serving the parish: Pevensey and Westham School; Hankham County Primary School; and Stone Cross School.

Religious sites

There are two churches in the civil parish. The 11th-century St Mary's church at Westham is reputed to be the first

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

church in England, although the church at

Bramber Bramber is a former Manorialism, manor, village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It has a ruined mediaeval castle which was the ''caput'' of a large English feudal barony, feudal barony. B ...

also claims that title. St Mary's is depicted in a number of paintings by the Victorian landscapist Lewis Pinhorn Wood (1848–1918), including ' Westham Church from Pevensey Castle looking West'. St Luke's parish church at Stone Cross (also serving the settlement of North Langney) is a more recent building of 1926; it stands at a crossroads near the windmill. The church fell into disrepair during the 1970s and was refurbished and re-opened in 1988. The church hall is a recent addition to the church and was built in 2003. To the front of the church is the war memorial with the names of local people who lost their life during two world wars, whose names are read out during each

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

service.

Leisure and culture

Notable people

Ian Gow Ian Reginald Edward Gow (; 11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British politician and solicitor. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne from 1974, until he was assassinated in 1 ...

(1937–90), politician, was assassinated at his home in Hankham by an IRA bomb.

References

{{authority control Villages in East Sussex Civil parishes in East Sussex Wealden District