Ashburnham and Penhurst

Ashburnham and Penhurst are civil parishes in the Rother district of the local government county of East Sussex, England, within historic Sussex, situated to the west of Battle. The two parishes share a joint parish council which also covers the settlements of Brownbread Street, Ponts Green and Ashburnham Forge. Neither of the parishes have many dwellings, Ashburnham having a population of 303, whilst Penhurst has just 52 inhabitants.[4]

[1]

Ashburnham and Penhurst

St Peter's Church, Ashburnham
Ashburnham and Penhurst
Location within East Sussex
Area22.4 km2 (8.6 sq mi) [2]
Population397 (2011)[3]
• Density43/sq mi (17/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ666179
• London44 miles (71 km) NNW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBATTLE
Postcode districtTN33
Dialling code01424
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament

Governance

At a local level, Ashburnham and Penhurst are governed by a joint parish council, The Parish Council of Ashburnham with Penhurst. Parish councils are the third (bottom) tier of local government. The second tier is the District (Rother District Council) and the top tier is the County (East Sussex County Council). The district council is the local planning authority and must consult the parish council about all planning applications made concerning land and property in the parish. The parish council provides a local voice to the district and county councils and manages recreational spaces within the parish. It has numerous other powers, such as managing allotments, but none are exercised in this essentially very rural parish. The parish council is made up of seven councillors, split into two wards: five councillors from Ashburnham ward and two from Penhurst ward.[5] The May 2019 election had four candidates standing in the Ashburnham ward who were returned unopposed.[6]The Penhurst ward was uncontested. Since then one councillor has been co-opted to fill the remaining vacancy in the Ashburnham ward and two have been co-opted to the Penhurst ward's two vacancies.

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Ashburnham and Penhurst are within the Crowhurst ward, along with the parishes of Catsfield, Crowhurst, and part of Battle. In the May 2007 election Crowhurst ward was won by the Conservative candidate.[7]

East Sussex county council is the top tier of local government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Ashburnham with Penhurst falls within the Battle and Crowhurst ward. Kathryn Margaret Field, Liberal Democrat, was elected in the May 2005 election with 48.8% of the vote.[8]

The UK Parliament constituency for Ashburnham and Penhurst is Bexhill and Battle.

Prior to Brexit in 2020, the village was part of the South East England constituency in the European Parliament.

Ashburnham

In 1086, Ashburnham was known as Esseborne, a settlement in the ancient hundred of Foxearle.[9] Ashburnham takes its contemporary name from Ashburnham Place, a country house built by the Ashburnham family (now a Christian conference and prayer centre), a name which derived from the local stream named the Ashbourne. The 14th-century parish church, dedicated to St Peter, was rebuilt in 1665. The village was in the iron making district of the Weald, and its blast furnace was, in 1813, the last in Sussex to be closed.

Until 2006, Ashburnham was the home of musician James "Tate" Arguile, guitarist in the alternative band Mumm-Ra.

Penhurst

Penhurst is a village located on the Weald, four miles (7 km) west of Battle. In 1086, Penhurst was in the hundred of Hailesaltede; the Abbey of Battle was its tenant-in-chief.[10]

Penhurst Manor is now a Christian retreat centre and is used much in the support of missionaries from overseas.

The 14th-century parish church is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel. The actor Harry H. Corbett (1925–82) lies buried in the rear churchyard. His daughter Susannah lives in Ashburnham.

Landscape

Ashburnham and Penhurst are located in the heart of the Sussex Weald within the designated High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Landmarks

Ashburnham Park falls within the area and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It comprises 100.7 hectares (249 acres) ancient woodland and medieval deer park, containing a wide spread of flora and avian fauna.[11] In 1767 the 2nd Earl of Ashburnham commissioned Lancelot ("Capability") Brown to remodel the park which he did by including three large lakes. Part of the park lies in the neighbouring Catsfield parish.

Several features of the old iron industry can be found along the track from the hamlet of Ashburnham Forge up to the furnace site near Lakehurst Lane.[12]

References
  1. "Election and Referendum Results". Rother District Council. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  3. "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  4. Census 2001
  5. "Notice of Election" (PDF). Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
  6. "Election and Referendum Results". Rother District Council. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  7. "Declaration of Result of Poll—Crowhurst". Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  8. "County Council election". Rother District Council. 5 May 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  9. Open Domesday: Ashburnham, Sussex. Accessed September 2020.
  10. Open Domesday: Penhurst. Accessed September 2020.
  11. "SSSI Citation — Ashburnham Park" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 25 May 2008. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. Pearce, H, Hammer and Furnace Ponds, Pomegranate Press, 2011
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