Gossops Green, Crawley
Encyclopedia
Gossops Green is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley
in West Sussex
, England
. Gossops Green is located in the west of the town and is bordered by Bewbush
to the south west, Ifield
to the north and Southgate
to the east across the ring road. Gossops Green is also a local government ward.
.
A road led south from Gossipsgreen approximately along what is now Dower Walk, past Dower House and Woldhurstlee estate and on towards Buxwood (later Buckswood) Farm. Woldhurstlee was demolished during the New Town development. The site of the house is now in public woodland off Buckswood Drive.
The railway was built in the 1830s to the north of Gossipsgreen and ran by Hazelwood, a wooded area behind the hamlet, then past The Craigans before dividing Ifield
Mill Pond to the west. Ifield railway station was first a halt on the road leading from Gossipsgreen to Ifield.
During Victorian times, Gossipsgreen disappeared from published maps, though The Craigans, Dower House and Woldhurstlee continued to be marked. By 1946, a year before the formation of the Crawley Development Corporation, the hamlet reappeared on the map but the name had changed to Gossops Green.
. At this time, Crawley had a population of 6,000 people. It was a declared objective that the New Town would be home to 50,000 people by 1961. It had achieved this by 1958 before Gossops Green was built.
According to A History of the County of Sussex (1987, Hudson et al, online), the new neighbourhood of Gossops Green was ninth and last of the original New Town communities laid out during 1956-7 and built between 1958 and 1961. Later developments include The Holy Trinity School (1967), Hillmead and Parkhurst Close (formerly The Craigans) and private housing between The Holy Trinity School and Buckswood Drive (1970-80s).
The old road into Ifield was reconstructed as an extension to Ifield Drive leading into another new neighbourhood of Ifield over a manually operated railway crossing similar to that still found down the line at Littlehaven railway station
. The road name was changed to Craigans (after the adjacent, demolished house of the same name) after the construction of a road bridge over the railway at Overdene Drive, following which the railway crossing was closed.
The Holy Trinity CoE School as well as others.
is a voluntary aided church school of approximately 1200 pupils between 11 and 19 years old. It takes pupils from a wide area including Horsham and Crawley Down
.
Gossops Green is on the A23 trunk road which was the main London
to Brighton
route before the M23 motorway was opened in the 1970s, which by-passed Crawley. The main estate road is Gossops Drive which leads off the A23 and links up with Mowbray Drive in Bewbush.
Ifield railway station
serves western Crawley and is on the Arun Valley Line
from Three Bridges
to Horsham
and Bognor Regis
and the station is on the northern edge of the neighbourhood. Trains run regularly to and from London (45 minute journey) and Gatwick Airport (10 minute journey).
Regular buses run to and from Crawley town centre along Gossops Drive.
Adjacent to the shops is the Community Centre operated by Crawley Borough Council. There is also a church hall at St. Alban's Church.
To the south of Eden Road and Rother Crescent runs a long narrow park area. Adjacent to this is Ifield Mill Pond. There is another small park in Dormans, off Dower Walk, which is also home to local allotments.
Over the A23 from Gossops Drive is Goffs Park, one of Crawley's main parks. There is an 18-hole pitch and putt golf course, a model railway, woodland with play areas and a pond.
and at Gatwick Airport, which is in Crawley. There is a significant number of people who take the train to work in places like London, Croydon
and Horsham.
In Gossops Green, employment is limited and is mainly in the retail sector at the shopping parade though some local people may be employed at the schools and small service-sector employers.
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, 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...
. Gossops Green is located in the west of the town and is bordered by Bewbush
Bewbush, Crawley
Bewbush is a neighbourhood of Crawley in West Sussex, England and is one of the town's 13 designated neighbourhoods. Bewbush is located in south west Crawley and is bordered by Broadfield to the south, Ifield to the north and Gossops Green to the north east. The neighbourhood has a population of...
to the south west, Ifield
Ifield, Crawley
Ifield is a former village and now a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Ifield is in the west of the town and is bordered by Ifield West, Horsham, Langley Green to the north east, West Green to the east across the ring road and Gossops Green and Bewbush to the south...
to the north and Southgate
Southgate, Crawley
Southgate is one of the 13 residential neighbourhoods in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. Crawley was planned and laid out as a New Town after the Second World War, based on the principle of self-contained neighbourhoods surrounding a town centre of civic and commercial buildings...
to the east across the ring road. Gossops Green is also a local government ward.
Before 1946
There is mention of Gossipsgreen on a map dated 1795. Maps in the first half of the 1800s show Gossipsgreen in varying layouts surrounded by farmland and close to a few small estates. Gossipsgreen amounted to a hamlet along the north side of what is now known as Gossops Green Lane. The main road ran east-west through the settlement. At the west end the road turned north towards the village of Ifield passing The Craigans, a house with gardens which was demolished and developed as private housing in the 1970s. To the east the road ran to Crawley through what is now Goffs Park and West GreenWest Green, Crawley
West Green is one of the 13 residential neighbourhoods in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. Crawley was planned and laid out as a New Town after the Second World War, based on the principle of self-contained neighbourhoods surrounding a town centre of civic and commercial buildings...
.
A road led south from Gossipsgreen approximately along what is now Dower Walk, past Dower House and Woldhurstlee estate and on towards Buxwood (later Buckswood) Farm. Woldhurstlee was demolished during the New Town development. The site of the house is now in public woodland off Buckswood Drive.
The railway was built in the 1830s to the north of Gossipsgreen and ran by Hazelwood, a wooded area behind the hamlet, then past The Craigans before dividing Ifield
Ifield, Crawley
Ifield is a former village and now a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Ifield is in the west of the town and is bordered by Ifield West, Horsham, Langley Green to the north east, West Green to the east across the ring road and Gossops Green and Bewbush to the south...
Mill Pond to the west. Ifield railway station was first a halt on the road leading from Gossipsgreen to Ifield.
During Victorian times, Gossipsgreen disappeared from published maps, though The Craigans, Dower House and Woldhurstlee continued to be marked. By 1946, a year before the formation of the Crawley Development Corporation, the hamlet reappeared on the map but the name had changed to Gossops Green.
1946 and After
Crawley Development Corporation was formed in 1947 as a result of the New Towns Act 1946New Towns Act 1946
The New Towns Act 1946 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which allowed the government to designate areas as new towns, and passing development control functions to a Development Corporation. Several new towns were created in the years following its passing...
. At this time, Crawley had a population of 6,000 people. It was a declared objective that the New Town would be home to 50,000 people by 1961. It had achieved this by 1958 before Gossops Green was built.
According to A History of the County of Sussex (1987, Hudson et al, online), the new neighbourhood of Gossops Green was ninth and last of the original New Town communities laid out during 1956-7 and built between 1958 and 1961. Later developments include The Holy Trinity School (1967), Hillmead and Parkhurst Close (formerly The Craigans) and private housing between The Holy Trinity School and Buckswood Drive (1970-80s).
The old road into Ifield was reconstructed as an extension to Ifield Drive leading into another new neighbourhood of Ifield over a manually operated railway crossing similar to that still found down the line at Littlehaven railway station
Littlehaven railway station
Littlehaven Railway Station serves the areas of Littlehaven, Holbrook and Roffey in the northeast of the town of Horsham, West Sussex. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is the first station out of Horsham on that route going towards London.- History :...
. The road name was changed to Craigans (after the adjacent, demolished house of the same name) after the construction of a road bridge over the railway at Overdene Drive, following which the railway crossing was closed.
Primary
Gossops Green Community Primary School has approximately 500 pupils from 4 to 11 years old. It is a feeder school for Ifield Community CollegeIfield Community College
Ifield Community College is a maintained comprehensive secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18.-Admissions:It caters for around 1000 pupils in years 7 to 13, including over 100 in its sixth form. It is in the west of Crawley, next to the A23...
The Holy Trinity CoE School as well as others.
Secondary
The Holy Trinity SchoolHoly Trinity School, Crawley
The Holy Trinity Secondary School is a comprehensive school in Crawley, West Sussex, UK. The school has a roll of around 1300 students.- History :...
is a voluntary aided church school of approximately 1200 pupils between 11 and 19 years old. It takes pupils from a wide area including Horsham and Crawley Down
Crawley Down
Crawley Down is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. There is one church, one school, and a number of social groups. It lies seven miles from Gatwick Airport. Nearest railway stations are Three Bridges and East Grinstead...
.
Transport
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to 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...
route before the M23 motorway was opened in the 1970s, which by-passed Crawley. The main estate road is Gossops Drive which leads off the A23 and links up with Mowbray Drive in Bewbush.
Ifield railway station
Ifield railway station
Ifield railway station serves the neighbourhoods of Ifield and Gossops Green in the West Sussex town of Crawley. It is on the Arun Valley Line, and is miles from London Bridge. Train services are provided by Southern.-History:...
serves western Crawley and is on the Arun Valley Line
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
from Three Bridges
Three Bridges
Three Bridges is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley, in the county of West Sussex in England.-History:Three Bridges was a tiny hamlet, which first began to grow with the coming of the London and Brighton Railway in 1841...
to Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
and Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
and the station is on the northern edge of the neighbourhood. Trains run regularly to and from London (45 minute journey) and Gatwick Airport (10 minute journey).
Regular buses run to and from Crawley town centre along Gossops Drive.
Amenities
The local shops are at Gossops Parade, off Gossops Drive. Also at Gossops Parade is the Windmill pub.Adjacent to the shops is the Community Centre operated by Crawley Borough Council. There is also a church hall at St. Alban's Church.
To the south of Eden Road and Rother Crescent runs a long narrow park area. Adjacent to this is Ifield Mill Pond. There is another small park in Dormans, off Dower Walk, which is also home to local allotments.
Over the A23 from Gossops Drive is Goffs Park, one of Crawley's main parks. There is an 18-hole pitch and putt golf course, a model railway, woodland with play areas and a pond.
Church of England
St. Alban's Church, Medway Road (opposite Gossops Parade)Catholic
St. Theodore Roman of Canterbury Catholic church, Gossops Green Lane (off Craigans)Spiritualist
Crawley Spiritualist Church, Capel Lane (between Gossops Parade and Gossops Green Community Primary School)Economy
Being a neighbourhood, there is no industry in Gossops Green. Many residents work in the town, on the industrial estate at Manor RoyalManor Royal, Crawley
Manor Royal is an industrial zone within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Manor Royal is in the north of the town near to Gatwick airport. The area is devoted to light industry and offices and was designed for industry as part of the Crawley new town project...
and at Gatwick Airport, which is in Crawley. There is a significant number of people who take the train to work in places like London, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Horsham.
In Gossops Green, employment is limited and is mainly in the retail sector at the shopping parade though some local people may be employed at the schools and small service-sector employers.
Crawley Borough Council
Gossops Green has two councillors elected to the Borough Council. The council elects a mayor every year who then chairs full council meetings and undertakes ceremonial duties. There is also an executive, of which a leader is elected annually by the council and the leader selects seven councillors to manage portfolios, like a cabinet. The Council maintains a dedicated web page for the neighbourhood, which shows demographic statistics and useful contacts and community information.West Sussex County Council
The neighbourhood forms part of the Bewbush, Gossops Green and Southgate constituency and has one elected member.Sources
- Hudson T.P. (Ed), A History of the County of Sussex. 1987, Vol 6 Part 3, online last accessed 04 January 2010
- Pre-1946 maps and Crawley Development Corporation records are located at Crawley Library in the local studies reference section.
- Other Wiki references and external websites are noted.