Southease

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Southease
Southease shown within East Sussex
Area-Rodmell & Southease^[1]	4.3 sq mi (11.26 km²)
Population	502 (2007)^[1]
- Density	115.5/sq mi (44.6/km²)
OS grid reference	TQ421053
- London	47 miles (76 km) N
District	Lewes
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEWES
Postcode district	BN7 3
Dialling code	01273
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Lewes
Website: http://southeasevillage.info/index.htm
List of places: UK • England • East Sussex

Coordinates: 50°50′N 0°01′E / 50.83, 0.02

Southease is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, in South East England just west of the A26 road. The village is just to the west of the River Ouse, Sussex and has a church dedicated to Saint Peter. Southease railway station lies roughly a kilometre east over the river and may be reached via a swing bridge. The bridge was built in the 1880s, is the second bridge on the site and though the swing mechanism remains, it has not been opened since 1967^[2].

The South Downs Way winds its way through the village towards the nearby River Ouse and the railway station. A new bridge has been built over the A26^[3].

It is downstream of Lewes, the County town of East Sussex and upstream of Newhaven. Paths along both the banks of the river allow hiking in either direction along the river. The remains of a slipway on the west bank of the Ouse just north of the bridge faces Mount Caburn. The neighbouring village of Rodmell lies to the northwest of Southease.

The church has one of only three round towers in Sussex, all of which are located in the Ouse Valley and all three built in the first half of the 12th century.

The body of Virginia Woolf was found at Asham Wharf, on the east bank of the Ouse, to the north of the bridge^[4]

At the time of the Domesday Book a thriving community was in place and the village appears to have been the biggest herring fishery in the district, having been assessed for 38,500 herring while Brighton had a mere 4,000.