Offham, Sussex
| Offham | |
| Sussex | |
|---|---|
 Offham Down | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ400121 |
| Location: | 50°53’31"N, 0°-0’38"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | BN7 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Lewes |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Lewes |
'Offham, pronounced "Oaf-um", is a village in the south of Sussex, on the A275 just north of Lewes, the townscape if which creeps up the valley towards Offham, without quite reaching it. Offham has a pub, the Blacksmiths Arms and the "new" St. Peter's Church built to replace the Church of Old St Peter in 1840s.
The village sits at the foot of the escarpment of the South Downs, beneath Offham Hill. To the south and west are the meadows of the tidal River Ouse.
About the village
The scarp rising to the south of Offham is designated a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest', by the name 'Clayton to Offham Escarpment'. Nearby too is a contrasting site, the Offham Marshes.
To the west Offham has two chalk pits with a new scrub woodland surrounding them. Historically the artisanal chalk pits would have been grazed and past owners have made an effort to manage the area. The managed chalk pits were a place of rich biodiversity with many rare species and were used by local people for recreation and wild camping. More recently the chalk pits appear to have been left unmanaged and much of the grasslands have turned to scrub. Now the scrub is heavily encroaching on the Offham double-bostal on the north-west side of the spur, which is extremely biodiverse. Spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) grow here and glowworms flit in the dark.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Offham, Sussex) |