Ashurst Wood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ashurst Wood | |
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| Population | 2,000 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Mid Sussex |
| Shire county | West Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EAST GRINSTEAD |
| Postcode district | RH19 |
| Dial code | 01342 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | Mid Sussex |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • West Sussex | |
Ashurst Wood is a village in the north east corner of West Sussex, a county on the south coast of the United Kingdom. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Ashurst Wood is between the towns of East Grinstead and Forest Row, just off the A22 arterial road.
As well as residential buildings, the village has a church, village hall, primary school, two pubs, a general shop, post office, hairdressers, and several small business premises.
To celebrate the millennium, in January 2000 some residents of Ashurst Wood unofficially declared independence from the UK. The new state was known as The People's Republic of Ashurst Wood, a Nation State, which gave the amusing acronym P.R.A.W.N.S.. This was reported in the local and national media, notably by the radio DJ Chris Moyles on his popular show on BBC Radio 1. The "revolution" was said to be justified because of a ruling by King Ethelred in 979 that the village of Ashurst would be immune from taxation, after he fell ill there.
Bus routes run through the village with destinations of East Grinstead, Crawley and Tunbridge Wells.
[edit] Recreational facilities
There are two recreational fields in Ashurst Wood, the John Pears Recreation Ground and The Recreation Ground which is known locally as 'The Rec'. John Pears Recreation Ground became council property when it was donated by Mrs Pears as a memorial to her husband. The land covers just over two hectares and contains a pavilion, barbecue for public use, a tennis area, fenced-off play area, basketball hoop, parking spaces and recycling containers. The field is maintained by the local council. The ground used to be home to the Strawberry Fayre which was an annual event held in the village. In 2003 the pavilion was burnt down in an act of arson. After some fundraising, steps were made to have a new one built, and this was completed in 2005.
The Rec is where the Ashurst Wood F.C. plays its home games. As well as a football pitch and pavilion, there is a fenced play area. The field also contains an unused cricket pitch, where Ashurst Wood Cricket Club formerly played.
Ashurst Wood's phone system is provided by two BT telephone exchanges at East Grinstead and Forest Row. Both exchanges are ADSL capable so broadband is available to the residents and businesses of the village. No cable or wireless internet options are currently available.
