Falmer

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Falmer railway station, autumn 2005.
Falmer railway station, autumn 2005.
This article is about a village in England. For a fantasy race, see Falmer (Elder Scrolls)

Falmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately 5 miles (8 km) north-east of the former.

Due to the proximity of Falmer to the city of Brighton and Hove, the parish has been substantially affected by the twentieth-century development of its large neighbour. Since the 1960s it has been home to the University of Sussex campus, and in the 1990s, the former Brighton Polytechnic Falmer campus became a principal base of the University of Brighton.

The parish is also the site of a proposed new stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. After a lengthy process including a public enquiry it was approved by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005, but Lewes District Council have mounted a legal challenge and overturned the decision. The stadium is currently awaiting a second decision on planning permission due to be decided in July 2007.

Falmer village is divided by the A27 road. North of the dual carriageway are a few houses and a pub, with a footbridge linking to the southern part of the village, where a large pond is encircled by cottages and the parish church, dedicated to St. Lawrence. There is also a farm shop and (some distance away) a high school. The two halves of the village are also linked by a road bridge just outside this circle of houses. The village has a large pond, which is home to a population of ducks and geese.

Immediately towards Brighton is the 5000 acre (20 km²) Stanmer Park, and within it the village of Stanmer and its mansion, Stanmer House.

Falmer is served by Falmer Station which lies on the East Coastway line, and next to this lies a facility belonging to the local water supply and treatment company.

The village lends its name to the University of Sussex's alumni magazine.

The village church may be seen as the location of a funeral in an episode of the BBC television comedy, Waiting for God.

Falmer parish church, autumn 2005.
Falmer parish church, autumn 2005.

Coordinates: 50°51′45″N, 0°04′37″W