Patcham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patcham is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is approximately 3 miles north of the city centre, bounded by the A27 (Brighton bypass) to the north, Hollingbury to the east and southeast, Withdean to the south and the Brighton Main Line to the west. The A23 passes through the area.

1 History
2 Modern Patcham
3 Places of Interest
4 Transport

[edit] History

Patcham was originally a separate village based around the partly 12th- and 13th-Century All Saints church. The parish of Patcham extended to 32 square miles and encompassed large parts of what are now adjacent suburbs, such as Withdean, Westdene, Hollingbury and Tongdean. It extended eastwards into modern-day Moulsecoomb, westwards beyond Dyke Road into Hove, and northwards across the sparsely-populated South Downs towards the parishes of Pyecombe and Ditchling. The centre of the original village, based around the church (on Church Hill) and the Old London Road - now bypassed by the modern A23 - is a conservation area, and several buildings are listed.

[edit] Modern Patcham

Sir Herbert Carden, a prominent Brighton solicitor who served as Mayor for three years from 1916 and who served on the council from 1895 until 1941, was responsible for the boundary changes on 1 April 1928 which brought Patcham within the "Greater Brighton" area. To commemorate this, two large stone pillars, known as the "Pylons", were erected on the A23 just north of Patcham. [1] The land around the village was mostly undeveloped at this time, which allowed substantial housebuilding work to commence. Many of the estates built around the old village date from the 1930s. The Ladies Mile Estate, built around the former drove road from the village to Stanmer Park, is one such example; it is separated from Hollingbury to the southeast by Carden Avenue, named after Sir Herbert.

[edit] Places of Interest

Patcham Mill [2] is a disused mill on high ground west of the old village (but within the former Patcham Parish). Also known as Waterhall Mill, it was built in 1884 and was used for 40 years. Patcham Mill website

Patcham Place [3] (Photo) is the city's Youth Hostel, located in the old village centre opposite the post office. It is situated in a large area of open parkland, beneath which runs the Brighton Main Line through the 492-yard Patcham Tunnel.

All Saints church (Photo) is one of Brighton's oldest churches. A church was recorded on this site in the Domesday Book.

[edit] Transport

Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company routes 5 and 5A (from Hangleton via the city centre) undertake a circular tour of the eastern side of Patcham. Route 5A travels through the centre of the old village, while Route 5 deviates on to Carden Avenue. Both of these routes have a 20-minute daytime frequency. The hourly Route 56 starts in the village centre and passes through the Ladies Mile Estate en route to Hollingbury, the City Centre and the Knoll Estate in Portslade.

Some other services stop on the A23 outside the Black Lion pub near the Youth Hostel: