Polegate

Until the coming of the railways in the 1840s, Polegate was a small settlement within the parish of Hailsham. The Roman road from Pevensey to Lewes passed through here, and the turnpike between London and Eastbourne was developed in the 18th century; but it was the opening of the railway between Lewes and Hastings, with later branches to Eastbourne and Hailsham, that meant growth for Polegate. It became a significant junction, with a freight terminal serving both the nearby market town of Hailsham and the local brick making industry. The town grew partly to accommodate the railway employees.

In the 12th century, the Premonstratensian order of monks occupied Otham Abbey in the parish, before relocating around 1208 to Bayham Abbey, near Lamberhurst.[3] Two buildings remain of that time, Otteham Court[3] and its Chapel.[4]

In 1851 a church school was established in Polegate.

St John's Church was opened on 10 November 1876. The site of the church and the parsonage was donated by Mr Fuller-Meyrick, owner of the Brightling Park Estate. The separate parish of St John's was formed on 26 October 1937, with the first vicar being Rev. John Catterall Salisbury (he had been curate since 1933). In 2013 the Parsonage building in Church Road was sold by the Diocese.

In the 21st century, with the closure of the line to Hailsham and the once direct route to Hastings, its importance as a railway hub has gone. It remains a road junction, with the erstwhile turnpike now being the A22 road; the junction with the A27 lies within the town boundary.

There are four streets in today's Polegate named for the Levett family (Levett Close, Levett Road, Levett Avenue and Levett Way). The Anglo-Norman family were early Sussex landowners, and held manors and lands across the county, including Firle, Bodiam, Hollington and elsewhere. The family's lands were carried into the families of Gildredge (and then to the Davies-Gilbert family of Eastbourne), the Eversfields of St. Leonards-on-Sea, the Ashburnhams, the Chaloners and others.

Polegate is located on a ridge in the gap between the Weald to the north and the South Downs. To the east lie the Pevensey Levels, the one time bay now converted into farmland with the buildup of the coastal shingle bank during the early Middle Ages. Both the roads and the railway use the gap.

The town is gradually becoming part of the greater Eastbourne conurbation, connecting with Willingdon to the south. Many of the town's working population work away: either in Eastbourne or Willingdon.[5] Due to its location situated on the corner of the A27 and A22, it allows easy access to larger cities like Brighton and Hastings in less than an hour.

Polegate is split into two wards for local elections, North and South Polegate. North Polegate with 4000 electors is twice the size of South Polegate's 2000 electors, returning twice as many councillors.[7] The Parish is represented at the lowest tier by Polegate Town Council. Fifteen councillors are elected from the two wards every four years. Public meetings are held monthly at the council chambers in Polegate. The 2007 election returned twelve councillors representing the Polegate residents association, two Liberal Democrats and an Independent.[8]

The district council for Polegate is Wealden District Council. District council elections are held every four years. Fifty-five councillors in total are elected, three of these from the Polegate wards. The May 2007 election returned 34 Conservative, 12 Liberal Democrat, 3 Independent Democrat, 3 Wealden Independent, 2 Green Party and 1 no party allegiance.[9] The Polegate councillors parties were 2 Liberal Democrats and 1 Independent Democrat.[7]

The next tier of government is the East Sussex County Council with responsibility for education, libraries, social services, civil registration, trading standards and transport. Elections for the County Council are held every four years. For these elections Polegate is combined with Willingdon and East Dean to return two seats.[10] The 2009 East Sussex County Council election resulted in 29 Conservatives, 13 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour and 3 Independent, of which the Polegate, Willingdon and East Dean ward provided two Independent councillors.[10]

Polegate is represented in the UK Parliament by the Lewes constituency. The current serving MP is the Conservative Maria Caulfield who won the seat in the 2015 general election.

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

Chaucer Industrial Business Park Estate is located on Dittons Road where the major part of Polegate's industrial businesses are located.[11] A number of small-town shops and businesses occupy the High Street, including a supermarket, hair salons, and convenience store, as well a Premier Inn hotel to the north of the town.

The tower windmill was built in 1817. It is now a working museum.[12]

Old Polegate Station before it was demolished in 2017

Polegate crossroads, Horse and Groom pub and Polegate annual carnival procession

State primary education is served by Polegate County Primary School.[13]

There are four churches in Polegate: the Church of England parish church, dedicated to St John;[14] the Roman Catholic church of St George; a Seventh-day Adventist Church; and a United Reformed Church. Quakers also meet at the Bernard Baron Homes.

Polegate is covered by BBC Sussex, Heart Sussex and Sovereign FM. Local newspapers include the Eastbourne Herald, Eastbourne Gazette, Hailsham Gazette and the Sussex Express; all published by Beckett Newspapers.

Polegate formed a twinning association in 1981 and is twinned with two towns:[15]

• Saintry-sur-Seine, France since 1991.
• Appen, Germany since 1981.

• David Dimbleby, television commentator, who included the town as a destination in his 2007 television series How We Built Britain; Denis Healey, politician and writer, both have links with the town.
• Tim Rice-Oxley, multi-instrumentalist. Composer, pianist and backing vocalist of British piano rock band Keane.
• Trevor Geer, Speedway rider and Manager for the Eastbourne Eagles Speedway team.
• Dan Gasser, radio presenter on Radio X.[16]