Falmer
| Falmer | |
 Church of St. Laurence |
|
  Falmer Falmer shown within East Sussex | |
| Area | 17.0 km2 (6.6 sq mi) [1] |
|---|---|
| Population | 281 (Parish-2007)[1] includes St Ann Without |
| - Density | 43 /sq mi (17 /km2) |
| OS grid reference | TQ347105 |
| - London | 43 miles (69 km) N |
| District | Lewes |
| Shire county | East Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIGHTON |
| Postcode district | BN1 |
| Dialling code | 01273 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Lewes |
| |
Falmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles (8 km) north-east of the former. It is also the site for Brighton & Hove Albion's new stadium.
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. Laurence. There is also a farm shop. 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, and which accounts for the name of the village: Old English for 'fallow (pale-coloured) pond'[2] (though the reason for this precise choice of colour-term is unclear nowadays).
Campuses of the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton are nearby, as is The Keep—East Sussex County Council's new archive and record office, due for completion in 2013.[3]
History
Before the Norman conquest of England the manor of Falmer was held by Wilton Abbey.[4] After the conquest most of it appears to have been given to Gundred, wife of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey.[4] In the 11th century the village name was variously spelled Falemela, Falemere or Felesmere.[4]
Edward II visited Falmer in 1324.[4] Charles I granted the manor to Edward Ditchfield in 1628 or 1629.[4] He sold it to William Craven, who lost it because of his support of the King during the English Civil War.[4]
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 village lends its name to the University of Sussex's alumni magazine.
Governance
At a local level Falmer is governed by Falmer Parish Council. Its responsibilities include footpaths, street lighting, playgrounds and minor planning applications. The parish council has five seats available which were uncontested in the May 2007 election.[5]
The next level of government is the district council. The parish of Falmer lies within the Kingston ward of Lewes District Council, which returns a single seat to the council. The election on 4 May 2007 elected a Liberal Democrat[6]
East Sussex County Council is the next tier of government, for which Falmer is within the Newhaven and Ouse Valley West division, with responsibility for Education, Libraries, Social Services, Civil Registration, Trading Standards and Transport. Elections for the County Council are held every four years. The Liberal Democrat David Rogers OBE was elected in the 2005 election.[7]
The UK Parliament constituency for Falmer is Lewes. The Liberal Democrat Norman Baker has been serving as the constituency MP since 1997.
At European level, Falmer is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green.[8]
Sport
Lewes Priory Cricket Club play some home games in Falmer and have Sussex and Brighton universities students and staff as members.
Stadium
The parish is also the site of The Amex 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 subsequently mounted a legal challenge and overturned the decision on a technicality. The stadium was finally approved by Secretary of State Hazel Blears on 24 July 2007. The 22,500-seater stadium opened in July 2011.
Transport
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.
Media
The village church may be seen as the location of a funeral in an episode of the BBC television comedy, Waiting for God.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
- ↑ "A Key to English Place-Names". Institute for Name-Studies. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ↑ "Project timeline". East Sussex County Council. 2012. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7, edd. L.F. Salzman
- ↑ "Results – Town and Parish Council Elections" (PDF). Lewes District Council. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ↑ "Election Results". Lewes District Council. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ↑ "Councillor David Rogers OBE". Find your Councillor. East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ↑ "UK MEPs". UK Office of the European Parliament. Archived from the original on 2007-09-17. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
External links
Media related to Falmer at Wikimedia Commons
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