Fairlight, East Sussex
Encyclopedia
Fairlight is a village in East Sussex
, England
within Rother
district, three miles (5 km) to the east of Hastings
. Fairlight is also the name of the civil parish
forming part of the Rother district which includes the villages of Fairlight and Fairlight Cove.
The village of Fairlight lies on a minor road between Ore, Pett
and Winchelsea
. St Andrew's Church (built 1845) has a tall tower and beacon turret, and can be seen for some distance around. The church is one of three in the United Benefice of Fairlight, Guestling and Pett. Richard D'Oyly Carte
, founder of the Savoy Theatre
, Savoy Hotel
, and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
, which produced the Gilbert and Sullivan
light operas, is buried in the churchyard. So also are Sir James Roberts of Saltaire
and his wife.
Fairlight Cove, the neighbouring settlement and part of the parish, suffered from coastal erosion and landslip at Rockmead Road and Sea Road. A number of houses there are very close to the sea edge and, whilst enjoying spectacular views, those roads suffered through demolition and abandonment of a number of properties. The Fairlight Preservation Trust - a registered charity was set up with a view to combating the loss by erosion and more generally to enhance and protect the village. Sea defences were built in the 90s at Sea Road and at Rockmead Road in 2007. The 2007 works are intended to be effective for 50 years from 2007, and are regularly monitored by Rother District Council and by the Trust.
Although the nearest railway station is Three Oaks, Hastings offers a much better service and can be reached by bus from Fairlight. Rye and its station is also accessible by bus from Fairlight.
-hunters. The park also gives access to the beach at Fairlight Glen
.
The country park is part of the larger Site of Special Scientific Interest
called Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
which extends into neighbouring parishes. The site is of both geological and biological interest.
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
within Rother
Rother
Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.-History:...
district, three miles (5 km) to the east of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
. Fairlight is also the name of the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
forming part of the Rother district which includes the villages of Fairlight and Fairlight Cove.
The village of Fairlight lies on a minor road between Ore, Pett
Pett
Pett is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles north-east of Hastings on the edge of Pett Level, the one-time marshes stretching along the coast of Rye Bay....
and Winchelsea
Winchelsea
Winchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
. St Andrew's Church (built 1845) has a tall tower and beacon turret, and can be seen for some distance around. The church is one of three in the United Benefice of Fairlight, Guestling and Pett. Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
, founder of the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
, Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
, and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
, which produced the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
light operas, is buried in the churchyard. So also are Sir James Roberts of Saltaire
Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
and his wife.
Fairlight Cove, the neighbouring settlement and part of the parish, suffered from coastal erosion and landslip at Rockmead Road and Sea Road. A number of houses there are very close to the sea edge and, whilst enjoying spectacular views, those roads suffered through demolition and abandonment of a number of properties. The Fairlight Preservation Trust - a registered charity was set up with a view to combating the loss by erosion and more generally to enhance and protect the village. Sea defences were built in the 90s at Sea Road and at Rockmead Road in 2007. The 2007 works are intended to be effective for 50 years from 2007, and are regularly monitored by Rother District Council and by the Trust.
Although the nearest railway station is Three Oaks, Hastings offers a much better service and can be reached by bus from Fairlight. Rye and its station is also accessible by bus from Fairlight.
Landmarks
Hastings Country Park stretches from Hastings to Cliff End, where it gives access to the beach; this is a favoured spot for fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
-hunters. The park also gives access to the beach at Fairlight Glen
Fairlight Glen
Fairlight Glen lies about two miles east of the fishing port of Hastings and west of the small village of Fairlight Cove on the East Sussex coast. It is a wooded area forming part of the Hastings country park and leading down to Covehurst Bay. This is a nudist beach, but is shared by ordinary...
.
The country park is part of the larger Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
called Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach
Hastings Cliffs to Pett Beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, England. It is of geological and biological importance....
which extends into neighbouring parishes. The site is of both geological and biological interest.