Falmer
Encyclopedia
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 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, and which accounts for the name of the village: Old English for 'fallow (pale-coloured) pond' (though the reason for this precise choice of colour-term is unclear nowadays).
the manor of Falmer was held by Wilton Abbey
. After the conquest most of it appears to have been given to Gundred, wife of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
. In the 11th century the village name was variously spelled Falemela, Falemere or Felesmere.
Edward II
visited Falmer in 1324. Charles I
granted the manor to Edward Ditchfield in 1628 or 1629. He sold it to William Craven, who lost it because of his support of the King during the English Civil War
.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 is opened in July 2011.
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.
television comedy, Waiting for God
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the Lewes District
Lewes (district)
Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex in southern England covering an area of , with of coastline. It is named after its administrative centre, Lewes. Other towns in the district include Newhaven, Peacehaven, and Seaford. Plumpton racecourse is within the district...
of East Sussex
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...
, lying between Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, approximately five miles (8 km) north-east of the former. It is also the site for Brighton & Hove Albion's new stadium
Falmer Stadium
Falmer Stadium, known for sponsorship purposes as the American Express Community Stadium, or The Amex, is a football stadium near the village of Falmer in Brighton and Hove and is the home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. The stadium was handed over from the developers to the club on 31 May 2011...
.
Falmer village is divided by the A27 road
A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish in the county of Wiltshire. It closely parallels the south coast, where it passes through West Sussex and terminates at Pevensey in East Sussex.Between Portsmouth and Lewes, it is one of the busiest trunk...
. North of the dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
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 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, and which accounts for the name of the village: Old English for 'fallow (pale-coloured) pond' (though the reason for this precise choice of colour-term is unclear nowadays).
History
Before the Norman conquest of EnglandNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
the manor of Falmer was held by Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
. After the conquest most of it appears to have been given to Gundred, wife of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
. In the 11th century the village name was variously spelled Falemela, Falemere or Felesmere.
Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
visited Falmer in 1324. Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
granted the manor to Edward Ditchfield in 1628 or 1629. He sold it to William Craven, who lost it because of his support of the King during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
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
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
campus, and in the 1990s, the former Brighton Polytechnic Falmer campus became a principal base of the University of Brighton
University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is an English university of the United Kingdom, with a community of over 23,000 students and 2,600 staff based on campuses in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. It has one of the best teaching quality ratings in the UK and a strong research record, factors which...
. 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.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
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
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
David Rogers OBE was elected in the 2005 election.
The UK Parliament constituency for Falmer is Lewes
Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewes is a constituency located in East Sussex and centred on the town of Lewes. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a safe Conservative seat until 1997, but the Liberal Democrats have gained a strong foothold.-Boundaries:The constituency is...
. The Liberal Democrat Norman Baker
Norman Baker
Norman John Baker is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewes in East Sussex since 1997. Since May 2010 he has been Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport....
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
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green.
Stadium
The parish is also the site of the new stadiumFalmer Stadium
Falmer Stadium, known for sponsorship purposes as the American Express Community Stadium, or The Amex, is a football stadium near the village of Falmer in Brighton and Hove and is the home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. The stadium was handed over from the developers to the club on 31 May 2011...
for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
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
Hazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
on 24 July 2007. The 22,500-seater stadium is opened in July 2011.
Transport
Falmer railway station
Falmer Railway Station is operated by Southern and lies on the East Coastway Line.The station serves the village of Falmer as well as the University of Sussex campus and the University of Brighton Falmer Campus. It also serves Falmer Stadium, the new home of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C....
which lies on the East Coastway
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
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 BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television comedy, Waiting for God
Waiting for God (TV series)
Waiting for God was a British sitcom that ran on BBC1 for five series from 1990 to 1994. It starred Stephanie Cole and Graham Crowden as two spirited residents of a retirement home who spend their time running rings around the home's oppressive management and their own families. It was written by...
.