Uckfield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Uckfield | |
  Uckfield shown within East Sussex |
|
| Area[1] | 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km²) |
|---|---|
| Population | 13,873 (2007)[1] |
| - Density | 4,810/sq mi (1,857/km²) |
| OS grid reference | |
| - London | 38 miles (61 km) NNW |
| District | Wealden |
| Shire county | East Sussex |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UCKFIELD |
| Postcode district | TN22 |
| Dialling code | 01825 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Wealden |
| Website: http://www.uckfieldtc.co.uk/ | |
| List of places: UK • England • East Sussex | |
Uckfield is a town in the Wealden district of East Sussex, in southern England. It is located on the southern edge of the Weald and on the River Uck, one of the tributaries of the River Ouse.
Contents |
[edit] Etymology
The town was originally called Uccafield[citation needed]. Uccafield derives from the Celtic word for 'High' or 'Height' - Uchafedd.(This in turn coming from the Indo European `Uchch'ya'). When the Anglo Saxons heard this word they changed the 'fedd' part to something they understood - 'Feld' from which 'field' derives. The original river Uck name was most likely related to the ancient Celtic word for 'water' or 'stream' - Uisge, derivations uske,usci, that give river names still existing such as the Usk. When the P celts came along the sound of the river name was so close to the sound of Ucha that the name became Uch or Ucca over time and eventually Uck. So Uckfield really means something like 'high place' - Uchafedd - and the river derived its modern name from this Celtic word. there are, however, other theories as to how the name came about. One theory suggests that it came from "Oak in Field", something which is reflected in several town crests. Another theory is that it used to be the free land of a Saxon man called Ucca.
[edit] History
- A comprehensive historical timeline can be found at The Weald of Kent. Surrey and Sussex website’’ [2]
The first mention in historical documents is in the late thirteenth century, although evidence has been found of stone age tribes here c9000 BC Uckfield developed as a stopping-off point on the pilgrimage route between Canterbury, Chichester and Lewes. The settlement began to be develop around the bridging point of the river: including the locally-famous Pudding Cake Lane where travellers visited a public house for slices of Pudding Cake; and the 15th century Bridge Cottage, the oldest house still standing in Uckfield today, now a museum. The town developed in the High Street and in the New Town areas (the latter to the south of the original town centre).
The Eversfield family, who would later become prominent in Sussex history, giving their name to the prime waterfront street of St. Leonards-on-Sea, first settled in Uckfield from their Surrey beginnings.[3] The family, who later owned the mansion Denne Park in Horsham, which they represented in Parliament, acquired a large fortune through marriage, real estate acquistion and iron foundering.
[edit] Governance
The town council consists of 15 councillors, representing four wards: Central ward (3 councillors); New Town (3); North (6); and Ridgewood (3). The current mayor (2007-2008) is Louise Eastwood: mayoral elections take place every year[4].
[edit] Geography
The town of Uckfield[5] has grown up as road hub, and on the crossing point of the River Uck. Traffic on the A26 between Tunbridge Wells and Lewes, from the north-east to the south-west, joins with that on the A22 London - Eastbourne road around the town on its bypass; whilst the long-distance cross-country A272 road (the old pilgrimage route) crosses them both north of the town.
As the town has grown, new housing estates were developed: Harlands Farm, Rocks Park, West Park, Manor Park and Ringles Cross among them.
Parts of Uckfield, owing to its location on the river, have been subject to extensive flooding on a number of occasions, the earliest recorded being in 1800 [6]. More recent floods have occurred approximately every nine years: in 1962, 1974, 1989, 1994, 2000 and 2007 (although those in 2007 were not as severe as previous floods)[7] Members of the Uckfield and surrounding area have long been lobbying for flood defences in the town, although at present there is little progress on this front.
The ‘’West Park Nature Reserve’’ contains a wide variety of habitats; it is located on the western edge of the town [8]
[edit] Demography
The population of Uckfield in 1811 was 916; in 1841 was 1,534; in 1861 was 1,740; in 1871 was 2,041; in 1881 was 2,146; in 1891 was 2,497; in 1901 was 2,895; in 1911 was 3,344; in 1921 was 3,385; and in 1931 was 3,555. In 2001 it was 13,697.
[edit] Transport
Uckfield is connected to London Bridge railway station by Southern rail services on its Oxted Line via East Croydon. Until 1969 the rail link continued to Lewes; after it was closed Uckfield became the terminus; the station building was rebuilt in 1991 to avoid the necessity of a level crossing. The Wealden Line Campaign hopes to reopen the closed section to Lewes.
There is a total of 20 local bus services in the Uckfield area; and National Express coaches operate to London.[9]
[edit] Education
Uckfield Community Technology College is the secondary school in the town. There are five primary schools: Manor Primary School, Harlands Primary School, Holy Cross CE Primary School: [10] Rocks Park Primary School[11]; and St Philips Catholic Primary School.[12]
[edit] Churches and chapels
The Church of England parish church is named Holy Cross. The Roman Catholic church is dedictaed to Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri. Other churches and chapels include Baptist, Methodist, Evangelical, United Reformed Church and the King’s Church.
[edit] Notable people
Emma Lee French was born in Uckfield in 1836. Uckfield was the last place Lord Lucan was seen, at Grants Hill House, the home of his friends Ian and Susan Maxwell-Scott. Nicholas van Hoogstraten, the property developer, owns property in the area. He is engaged in a long-running dispute with the Ramblers' Association about a local footpath running through his land. Van Hoogstraten is currently building a mansion, Hamilton Palace, on the outskirts of Uckfield.
[edit] Mysteries
There are a number of mysteries and myths associated with the town and surrounding areas. The disappearance of Lord Lucan is one. In addition, the hoax of the Piltdown Man occurred in the nearby village of Piltdown. There is also the tale of Nan Tuck's Ghost, in which an old witch is said to have lived in a wood in nearby Buxted. There is an area of the wood where nothing grows, and the ghost is said to chase people who wander along Nan Tuck's Lane at night.
[edit] Culture
Uckfield is twinned with the town of Quickborn, Germany.
The Picture House is the town's cinema, opened originally in 1915, and refurbished twice since then, the latest reopening being in February 2000 [13]. Uckfield FM is the community radio station that supports Uckfield for its four-week festival in June and at Christmas each year [14]
Uckfield has featured several times in notable literary works.
- Uckfield was the setting for the book Maximum Diner by Christopher Nye. It is an autobiographical work which tells of Nye's successful attempt to establish an American-style restaurant in a small town. The Maximum Diner, under new management, is still in operation.
- Uckfield was featured in Julian Fellowes's novel Snobs, which included the fictional characters the Marquess and Marchioness of Uckfield.
- Uckfield was also mentioned in the last chapter of John le Carré's The Honourable Schoolboy.
- The manic playwright Roland Maule, in the play Present Laughter by Noel Coward, is from Uckfield.
- The river Uck was mentioned in the 1990 novel Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
[edit] References
- ^ a b East Sussex in Figures. East Sussex County Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ Historical notes about Uckfield
- ^ A Compendious History of Sussex: Topographical, Archaeological & Anecdotical, Vol. I, Mark Antony Lower, London, 1870
- ^ Uckfield Town Council
- ^ Website includes maps of the town
- ^ ’’ibid’’ The Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex’’
- ^ Report on the flooding of the Ouse catchment in 2000
- ^ [http://www.biols.susx.ac.uk/westpark/startset.html West Park Local Nature Reserve}
- ^ Bus and coach services
- ^ Holy Cross CE Primary School
- ^ [1]
- ^ St Philips Catholic Primary School
- ^ [2]
- ^ Uckfield FM Community Radio for Uckfield
- See also Uckfield at the Open Directory Project
|
|||||||||||||||||
