Northiam
Encyclopedia
Northiam is a village and civil parish
in the Rother
District of East Sussex
, England
. The village is located thirteen miles (21 km) north of Hastings
in the valley of the River Rother
. The main road that passes through it is the A28 which goes to Canterbury
and Hastings.
Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Northiam lies within the Rother Levels ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned two Conservatives councillors.
East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Northiam falls within the Northern Rother ward. Peter Jones, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 49.7% of the vote.
The UK Parliament constituency for Northiam is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker
was re-elected in the May 2005 election.
At European level, Northiam 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, none of whom live in East Sussex.
within the parish. Officially designated as Northiam
, it refers to a disused and partially flooded quarry on the outskirts of Northiam village. It is of geological, palaeoenvironments and palaeogeography
interest.
The historic house Great Dixter
is found within the village.
Many parts of the village are listed including Frewen College, which is a day and boarding school for dyslexic
children. It is believed to have been the first such school in the country. Centred on a Grade 1 listed Jacobean mansion named Brickwall after the extensive boundary walls, many period features have been retained in both the house and gardens.
Brickwall is where Elizabeth I's slippers could for many years be found, given as a memento after she rested under the oak on Church Road. The slippers were retained by the Frewen family when the rest of the property was gifted to The Frewen Educational Trust in 1972.
On 12 May 1944, four prime ministers visited the troops before D-Day in Normandy. The village field gates were erected to commemorate the visit. The four Prime ministers were:
- Attended school in the village and is seen regularly.
Christopher Lloyd
- Owner and gardener of Great Dixter
Neil Buchanan
- TV Artist And Children TV Presenter
Moreton Frewen
. However the closest station is Doleham being 6.5 miles, this station is not served by regular stopping trains.
Hourly bus services (except Sunday) operates to Tenterden
, Rye, and Hastings
. The bus services are operated by Stagecoach in Hastings. The bus route 344 runs from Northiam (Coppards Lane) and Hastings, via Rye. Route 340 runs from Tenterden
to Hastings via the Westfield and the Conquest Hospital.
The Kent and East Sussex Railway
manages Northiam station
which operates for tourists between Bodiam
and Tenterden.
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...
in the 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 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...
. The village is located thirteen miles (21 km) north 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....
in the valley of the River Rother
River Rother (Eastern)
The River Rother , at 35 miles , is a river flowing through both East Sussex and Kent, England. Its source is near Rotherfield , and its mouth is on Rye Bay, part of the English Channel....
. The main road that passes through it is the A28 which goes to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and Hastings.
Governance
The lowest level of government is the Northiam parish council. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises nine councillors with elections being held every four years. Twelve candidates stood in the May 2007 election.Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Northiam lies within the Rother Levels ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned two Conservatives councillors.
East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Northiam falls within the Northern Rother ward. Peter Jones, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 49.7% of the vote.
The UK Parliament constituency for Northiam is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker
Gregory Barker
Gregory Leonard George "Greg" Barker is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle...
was re-elected in the May 2005 election.
At European level, Northiam 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, none of whom live in East Sussex.
Landmarks
There is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite 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...
within the parish. Officially designated as Northiam
Northiam SSSI
Northiam is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the county of East Sussex, England. It is a disused quarry, partially flooded, revealing structures of geological interest....
, it refers to a disused and partially flooded quarry on the outskirts of Northiam village. It is of geological, palaeoenvironments and palaeogeography
Palaeogeography
Palaeogeography is the study of what the geography was in times past. It is most often used about the physical landscape, although nothing excludes its use in reference to the human or cultural environment...
interest.
The historic house Great Dixter
Great Dixter
Great Dixter is a house in Northiam, East Sussex close to the South Coast of England. It has a famous garden which is regarded as the epitome of English plantsmanship. - House :...
is found within the village.
Many parts of the village are listed including Frewen College, which is a day and boarding school for dyslexic
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
children. It is believed to have been the first such school in the country. Centred on a Grade 1 listed Jacobean mansion named Brickwall after the extensive boundary walls, many period features have been retained in both the house and gardens.
Brickwall is where Elizabeth I's slippers could for many years be found, given as a memento after she rested under the oak on Church Road. The slippers were retained by the Frewen family when the rest of the property was gifted to The Frewen Educational Trust in 1972.
St. Marys church and war memorial
The parish church is dedicated to St Mary which is home to six bells and over the years was funded and supported by the Frewens (which is now the private school).Four Prime Ministers for D-Day
- Rt. Hon. Winston S. Churchill P.C., O.M., C.H., F.R.S. - Great Britain
- Rt. Hon. Mackenzie King P.C., C.M.G. - Canada
- Rt. Hon. Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts P.C., O.M., C.H., K.G., F.R.S. - South Africa
- Hon. Sir Godfrey M. Huggins C.H., K.C.M.G., F.R.C.S. - Southern Rhodesia
Notable people
Joanna LumleyJoanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
- Attended school in the village and is seen regularly.
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd (gardener)
Christopher Hamilton Lloyd, OBE was a British gardener and author. He was the 20th Century chronicler for the heavily planted, labour-intensive, country garden.-Life:...
- Owner and gardener of Great Dixter
Great Dixter
Great Dixter is a house in Northiam, East Sussex close to the South Coast of England. It has a famous garden which is regarded as the epitome of English plantsmanship. - House :...
Neil Buchanan
Neil Buchanan
Neil Buchanan is an English television presenter best known for his work on the CITV programme Art Attack, a television programme that he presented during its run from 1990 to 2007...
- TV Artist And Children TV Presenter
Moreton Frewen
Moreton Frewen
Moreton Frewen was an Anglo-Irish writer on monetary reform who served briefly as a Member of Parliament .-Life:...
UK's first green village
Northiam is in contention to be the UK's First green village. With plans for a biomass power station providing power to the whole village.. The first planning application was declined in 2009.Proposal of Blue Cross Closure
The Blue Cross animal charity which is within the village has proposed to close the centre after it opened in the 1960s. The Blue Cross chief executive, Kim Hamilton commented on the proposal via a press release on the 26th January 2010.Public transport
The nearest mainline train station is RyeRye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
. However the closest station is Doleham being 6.5 miles, this station is not served by regular stopping trains.
Hourly bus services (except Sunday) operates to Tenterden
Tenterden
Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....
, Rye, and 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....
. The bus services are operated by Stagecoach in Hastings. The bus route 344 runs from Northiam (Coppards Lane) and Hastings, via Rye. Route 340 runs from Tenterden
Tenterden
Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....
to Hastings via the Westfield and the Conquest Hospital.
The Kent and East Sussex Railway
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
manages Northiam station
Northiam railway station
Northiam is a railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway. It is located to the west of the level crossing on the A28 road linking the Kentish village of Newenden and the East Sussex village of Northiam...
which operates for tourists between Bodiam
Bodiam
Bodiam is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the valley of the River Rother near to the villages of Sandhurst and Ewhurst Green. It is home to Bodiam Castle, a small range of houses, a pub opposite Bodiam Castle, and a restaurant...
and Tenterden.