Difference between revisions of "Streat"

Latest revision as of 19:44, 5 February 2023

Streat
Sussex
Streat Hill in the National Park
Location
Grid reference:	TQ351151
Location:	50°55’12"N, 0°4’48"W
Data
Population:	158  (2011)
Post town:	Hassocks
Postcode:	BN6
Local Government
Council:	Lewes
Parliamentary constituency:	Lewes

Streat is a village in Sussex, three miles south-east of Burgess Hill and five miles west of Lewes, and a mile north of the looming escarpment of the South Downs.

There is a 11th-century parish church; a neat, flint-built building which is a Grade II* listed building.^[1] The church has a small shingled bell-turret with spirelet. The nave was built around 1200 and the chancel in the 13th century. Both were restored in 1854 and a south aisle was added. The ecclesiastical parish is joined with Westmeston.

Church

Streat Parish Church

The parish church commands grand views from the Greensand Ridge. It has two cast iron grave slabs, likely mined from the Wadhurst Clay in nearby the mine ore pits, in the church aisle, commemorating an 18th century Wadhurst iron master's family. Nearby north of the church and west of Streat Lane the footpath bisects one of a cluster of unimproved meadows that has many archaic meadow species.

History

Bevern Stream

There is a lot of evidence of human activity, such as flint digging, working and cooking, from around seven thousand years ago.^[2]

The Lower Greensand ridge is cut deep by the old swine pasture droves. Streat Lane itself is an example of such an ancient droveway, used by villagers to seasonally move their livestock and crops. The partial survival of archaic pasture vegetation on the linear greens gives evidence of this history.

As is true in most of the Weald, Mediæval Streat had much common land for people to graze their animals, make hay and garner other resources. A quarter of the common was ploughed up in 1258. Much later, between 1600 and 1684, the rest of the main commons of Streat were enclosed. Before its nineteenth century enclosure there was a third arm to Streat Green which tracked south through Riddens Wood (TQ358170) down to Riddens Farm, by the railway line. The braided paths can still be made out in the wood. It used to be called "Chinese Wood" because there was a Chinese temple there. The temple is now gone, but its existence explains the presence of bamboo and other exotic plants in the wood, alongside the sessile oak, gean, hornbeam and a wild service tree on the western boundary still bears seasonal fruits.^[3] Now all that is left of the Commons are the two Streat greens, Streat Lane Green and Shergold's Farm Green, only parts of which are registered as common land, but remain open and public areas.

Streat Place

East aspect of Streat Place

South aspect of Streat Place

Streat Place is a manor house built in the early 17th century, next to the church, by Walter Dobell who died in 1624. It is a huge Jacobean mansion of flint, with stone details and a Horsham stone roof. In an otherwise modest place such as Streat, this upmarket manor house seems rather incongruous and perhaps it is not surprising that it was let as a farmhouse for a long time. The building has an E shaped plan with central porch and projecting wings.^[4] It is a Grade II* listed building.^[5]

Jubilee plantation

To the west of the Streat Hill bostal there is the Queen Victoria Jubilee Plantation (TQ348130), which forms the sign of a V on the middle of the bare scarp slope. Six species were planted in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Silver Jubilee, including pine.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Streat)

References