St John Without
Encyclopedia
St John Without is a small civil parish
in the Lewes District
of East Sussex
, England, covering an area to the north-west of the town of Lewes
.
The parish was formed in 1894 as Lewes St John Without from the part of the ancient parish of Lewes St John outside the borough
of Lewes. From 1894 to 1974 it was in the rural district of Chailey
.
The parish includes the small hamlet of Chiltington and a few dispersed farms and houses along Allington Road to the foot of the South Downs
.
. A merger with East Chiltington
parish council has been suggested although no formal plans have been made.
The next level of government is Lewes District Council
. The District council supplies services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. St John Without is covered by the Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington and St John (Without) ward which returns a single seat. In the May 2007 election, a councillor from the local Liberal Democrat party was elected.
St John Without lies within the Chailey ward for the next tier of government, East Sussex County Council. The ward also includes Chailey
, Ditchling
, East Chiltington
, Newick
, Plumpton
, Streat
, Westmeston
and Wivelsfield
. The County Council provides services such as roads and transport, social services, libraries and trading standards. The June 2009 election resulted in a win for the Conservative Meg Stroude.
The UK Parliament constituency for St John Without is Lewes
. The Liberal Democrat
Norman Baker
has been serving as the constituency MP since 1997.
At European level, St John Without is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament
. The June 2004 election returned four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.
is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
, which stretches from Hassocks in the west and passes through many parishes including St John Without, to Lewes in the east. The site is of biological importance due to its rare chalk grassland habitat along with its woodland and scrub.
Ashcombe Bottom is a wooded area in the south of the parish, which forms part of the National Trust
Blackcap
reserve. The reserve makes up a section of the Clayton to Offham Escarpment SSSI.
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 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, covering an area to the north-west of the town of 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...
.
The parish was formed in 1894 as Lewes St John Without from the part of the ancient parish of Lewes St John outside the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Lewes. From 1894 to 1974 it was in the rural district of Chailey
Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located ten miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury...
.
The parish includes the small hamlet of Chiltington and a few dispersed farms and houses along Allington Road to the foot of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
.
Governance
St John Without is governed at local level by a parish meetingParish meeting
A parish meeting, in England, is a meeting to which all the electors in a civil parish are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of the parish council itself, with statutory powers, and electing a...
. A merger with East Chiltington
East Chiltington
East Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located four miles south-east of Burgess Hill and five miles north-west of Lewes. It is a narrow-shaped parish of some on the northern slope of the South Downs. The village church is 13th century...
parish council has been suggested although no formal plans have been made.
The next level of government is Lewes District Council
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...
. The District council supplies services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. St John Without is covered by the Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington and St John (Without) ward which returns a single seat. In the May 2007 election, a councillor from the local Liberal Democrat party was elected.
St John Without lies within the Chailey ward for the next tier of government, East Sussex County Council. The ward also includes Chailey
Chailey
Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located ten miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury...
, Ditchling
Ditchling
Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling....
, East Chiltington
East Chiltington
East Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located four miles south-east of Burgess Hill and five miles north-west of Lewes. It is a narrow-shaped parish of some on the northern slope of the South Downs. The village church is 13th century...
, Newick
Newick
Newick is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the A272 road six miles east of Haywards Heath....
, Plumpton
Plumpton, East Sussex
Plumpton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles north-west of Lewes. The parish includes the small village of Plumpton and the larger village of Plumpton Green to the north where most of the community and services are based...
, Streat
Streat
Streat is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles south east of Burgess Hill and eight miles west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs....
, Westmeston
Westmeston
Westmeston is a hamlet and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located four miles south southeast of Burgess Hill and west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs....
and Wivelsfield
Wivelsfield
Wivelsfield village, and larger adjacent village of Wivelsfield Green, are part of the civil parish of Wivelsfield in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The villages are located three miles south east of Haywards Heath...
. The County Council provides services such as roads and transport, social services, libraries and trading standards. The June 2009 election resulted in a win for the Conservative Meg Stroude.
The UK Parliament constituency for St John Without 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
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...
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, St John Without 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 four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.
Landmarks
Clayton to Offham EscarpmentClayton To Offham Escarpment
The Clayton to Offham Escarpment is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex, but extends in to West Sussex and thus can be found on the List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Sussex as well as the List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Sussex...
is a 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...
, which stretches from Hassocks in the west and passes through many parishes including St John Without, to Lewes in the east. The site is of biological importance due to its rare chalk grassland habitat along with its woodland and scrub.
Ashcombe Bottom is a wooded area in the south of the parish, which forms part of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
Blackcap
Blackcap, East Sussex
Blackcap is a National Trust owned area of countryside on the peak of the South Downs, just south east of the village of Plumpton in East Sussex. It is also mainly part of the Clayton to Offham Escarpment SSSI...
reserve. The reserve makes up a section of the Clayton to Offham Escarpment SSSI.