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Wivelsfield
The old village
Area	10.8 km (4.2 sq mi)
Population	1,959 (Parish-2007)
• Density	181/sq mi (70/km)
OS grid reference	TQ341204
• London	37 miles (60 km) north
Civil parish	Wivelsfield
District	Lewes
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAYWARDS HEATH
Postcode district	RH17
Dialling code	01444
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Lewes
Website	Wivelsfield Parish Council
List of places UK England East Sussex

Wivelsfield village, and larger adjacent village of Wivelsfield Green, are part of the civil parish of Wivelsfield in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The villages are located three miles (5 km) south east of Haywards Heath. It is one of the larger parishes in the county, although the growth of Burgess Hill to the west has reduced what was originally the ecclesiastical parish. The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St John the Baptist. Wivelsfield railway station (called Keymer Junction until 1896) is located on the Brighton Main Line, in the north of Burgess Hill, some two miles (3 km) from Wivelsfield.

In 1994 Wivelsfield played host to the Tour de France, on its way to Brighton.

The new school has been opened since September 2007. The logo, which stands at the front of the school, was designed by the school's pupils. The old school is now used for residential purposes; a nursery rents the Old Church Hall.

The village pub, which for years had been called the Cock Inn, was recently refurbished and re-named The Pear Tree. In December 2008 it was announced that the pub would be taken over by the owners of The Fountain in nearby Plumpton Green, who will attempt to revive the pub (now renamed The Cock Inn) and the once lively, centre of the village.

The village has its own theatre, named The Wivelsfield Little Theatre, holding productions in the Village Hall and the Church.

History

In the 18th and early 19th centuries Wivelsfield was the focus of a small group of local dissenters (Particular Baptists) who in 1763 broke from the larger Ditchling General Baptist community and formed a new meeting under Henry Booker. The surviving records and memorandum books, as well as Henry Booker's memoirs, allow a fascinating insight into a small rural religious community of the period.

Governance

Wivelsfield is governed at the local level by Wivelsfield Parish Council which consists of nine councillors meeting twice monthly. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The May 2007 election was uncontested.

The next level of government is Lewes District Council. The District council supplies services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Wivelsfield is covered by the Chailey and Wivelsfield ward which returns two seats. In the May 2007 election, two councillors from the local Conservative party were elected.

Wivelsfield lies within the Chailey ward for the next tier of government, East Sussex County Council. The ward includes the parishes of Chailey, Ditchling, East Chiltington, Newick, Plumpton, St John Without, Streat and Westmeston. The County Council provides services such as roads and transport, social services, libraries and trading standards. The June 2009 election resulted in a win for the Conservative Meg Stroude.

The UK Parliament constituency for Chailey is Lewes. The Liberal Democrat Norman Baker has been serving as the constituency MP since 1997.

At European level, Chailey is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.

Landmarks

In the south west of the parish is Great Ote Hall, a grade I listed building. The main part of the building dates from 1600,although its history can be traced back to the 13th century.

References

1. ^ "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
2. "Candidates - Town and Parish Council Elections" (PDF). Lewes District Council. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
3. "Election Results: 4 May 2007". Lewes District Council. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
4. "Find your councillor". Lewes District Council. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
5. "UK MEP's". UK Office of the European Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 January 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
6. Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England. English Heritage Retrieved on 7 June 2009
7. "The History of Great Ote Hall". Ote Hall Farm. Retrieved 7 June 2009.

• Local government in East Sussex
• Villages in East Sussex
• Lewes