Уэстместон: Шығыс Сассекс ауылының тарихы мен географиясы

Village in East Sussex, England

Westmeston is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England heavily dependent in amenities on larger Ditchling to the near immediate northwest. It is four miles (6 km) south southeast of Burgess Hill and (10 km) west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs. The name Westmeston comes from Saxon English meaning the most westerly farm, probably from Plumpton.

Like much of the Wealden landscape, most of this area was common land. There was Westmeston Common and Middleton Common both enclosed within twelve years of each other in 1672 and 1684. The name Middleton is Saxon and is thought to be so called as it sits between Streat and Westmeston. A stone marking the resting place of King Ealdwulf of Sussex, circa 765, lies opposite St. Martin's Church at the village centre.

Westmeston is a thin parish that stretches from the southern parish of Falmer on the South Downs, down the Clayton to Offham Escarpment and to the Wivelsfield parish in the north. It sits between the Streat parish to the east and Ditchling to the west. The parish has some rich, ancient woodlands and the Bevern Stream, which feeds the River Ouse, starts here.

The parish church is dedicated to St Martin and is of Anglican denomination. Of modest size it dates, with much restoration and addition, from the 12th and 14th centuries. The nave was built by the Normans soon after 1100, and the original north doorway remains. The ecclesiastical parish is today united with Streat and Ditchling. The church had frescoes painted by the Lewes Group which were only uncovered in 1862, although they were not preserved.

Gallops Farm has a part ancient and timber framed farmhouse and a small, weather boarded barn. It is special as it has retained most of its pattern of little fields and hedgerows and the geese and chickens foraged on the lane side waste until recently.

The Bevern Stream starts at Westmeston and flows east into the River Ouse. It is fed by the Westmeston Stream and multiple other small tributaries that arise in the chalk. It still has both brown trout and migratory sea trout, although the latter is rare and threatened.

The Roman Sussex Greensand Way passes through the parish and the Westmeston boundary is one of the best places to see it. The raised agger of the road can be seen running right along the north side of an east–west hedgerow When the field is fallow there can be an obvious vegetation change marking the agger. On top of the agger the vegetation (often feral oats and sow thistle) is taller and below the agger the vegetation (often dock and black grass) is shorter. High Park's farmstead sit on the border of Westmeston parish and next to High Park Corner , which is actually in the neighbouring Ditchling parish. Until the second world war, the Corner was level, common ground and a favourite site for gypsy encampments. Unfortunately, there are accounts of regular visits from farmers and other thugs using violence to evict the gypsies, who must have included many small children, often organised by the Ditchling Constable.