Hellingly

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Hellingly
Sussex
Hellingly Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul.jpg
Aerial view of Hellingly village centre
Location
Grid reference: TQ581122
Location: 50°53’24"N, 0°15’0"E
Data
Population: 1,820  (2011)
Post town: Hailsham / Heathfield
Postcode: BN27 / TN21
Dialling code: 01323
Local Government
Council: Wealden
Parliamentary
constituency:
Wealden
Website: http://www.hellingly-pc.org.uk/

Hellingly (pronounced 'Helling-lye') is a village in Sussex, at the confluence of the River Cuckmere and one of its tributaries, the Bull River, close to the centre of the historic Hellingly village. The parish stands on the lower southern slopes of the gentle uplands forming the Weald.

The wider parish includes Lower Dicker, Lower Horsebridge, and Grove Hill.

This parish had a railway station on the Polegate to Eridge line which closed in 1968.

Church

The tower of the parish church

The 13th-14th century parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. It is the only remaining example of a church built on a Saxon ciric, a circular mound, in the county.[1] The chancel dates from about 1200, and the shafts with annulets round the windows and the band of palmettes under them are substantially original. There is stained glass in the east lancet windows by Morris & Co. The church is Grade I listed.[2]

Zoar Strict Baptist Chapel was founded in 1837 at Lower Dicker.[3]

History

The villages and settlements in the parish, like many others on the Weald, were involved in the Wealden iron industry.

Horselunges Manor, Hellingly

The watermill in the village of Hellingly connected with the industry is no longer in operation. The mill building is a Grade II* listed building[4] and the associated miller's house is Grade II.[5] Horselunges Manor is a moated Tudor manor house, originally built for the Devenish family and restored by Walter Godfrey in the 1930s, and is Grade I listed.[6]

Hospitals

There are two NHS mental health sites within the parish of Hellingly: Amberstone Hospital and Hellingly Centre. Both sites are managed by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Hellingly Hospital once dominated the area east of the village and was the principal mental hospital for this part of Sussex. Opened in 1903 it remained in use until 1994. The buildings maintenance were under-invested before being sold by the NHS and demolished to be replaced by a housing estate, named by the developer as Roebuck Park.

Sport

  • Cricket: Hellingly Cricket Club
  • Rugby: Hellingly Rugby Club

Leisure

The Cuckoo Trail is a 14-mile footpath and cycleway that passes through the parish.

Outside links

Commons-logo.svg
("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Hellingly)

References

  1. "St Peter & St Paul". https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4968/about-us/. 
  2. National Heritage List 1043186: Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade I listing)
  3. Smith, Lez (2003). A History of the Dicker: Two Sussex Villages. Hailsham: Lez Smith. p. 13. ISBN 0-9546322-0-6. 
  4. National Heritage List 1180390: The mill building at the old water mill (Grade II* listing)
  5. National Heritage List 1043194: The house at the old water mill (Grade II listing)
  6. National Heritage List 1285385: Horselunges Manor (Grade I listing)