Sussex Wildlife Trust

Sussex (), from the Old English Sūþsēaxe (lit. 'South Saxons'), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English Channel, and divided for many purposes into the ceremonial counties of West Sussex and East Sussex. Brighton and Hove, though part of East Sussex, was made a unitary authority in 1997, and as such, is administered independently of the rest of East Sussex. Brighton and Hove was granted city status in 2000. Until then, Chichester was Sussex's only city. The Brighton and Hove built-up area is the 15th largest conurbation in the UK and Brighton and Hove is the most populous city or town in Sussex. Crawley, Worthing and Eastbourne are major towns, each with a population over 100,000. Sussex has three main geographic sub-regions, each oriented approximately east to west. In the southwest is the fertile and densely populated coastal plain. North of this are the rolling chalk hills of the South Downs, beyond which is the well-wooded Sussex Weald. Sussex was home to some of Europe's earliest known hominids (Homo heidelbergensis), whose remains at Boxgrove have been dated to 500,000 years ago. Sussex played a key role in the Roman conquest of Britain, with some of the earliest significant signs of a Roman presence in Britain. Local chieftains allied with Rome, resulting in Cogidubnus being given a client kingdom centred on Chichester. The kingdom of Sussex was founded in the aftermath of the Roman withdrawal from Britain. According to legend, it was founded by Ælle, King of Sussex, in AD 477. Around 827, it was annexed by the kingdom of Wessex and subsequently became a county of England. Sussex played a key role in the Norman conquest of England when in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, landed at Pevensey and fought the decisive Battle of Hastings. In 1974, the Lord-Lieutenant of Sussex was replaced with one each for East and West Sussex, which became 2 separate ceremonial counties. Sussex continues to be recognised as a geographical territory and cultural region. It has had a single police force since 1968 and its name is in common use in the media. In 2007, Sussex Day was created to celebrate the county's rich culture and history and in 2011 the flag of Sussex was recognised by the Flag Institute. In 2013, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles formally recognised and acknowledged the continued existence of England's 39 historic counties, including Sussex.

Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse (which the line crosses just beyond the platforms) and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian.

Sheffield Park and Garden is an informal landscape garden five miles east of Haywards Heath, in East Sussex, England. It was originally laid out in the 18th century by Capability Brown, and further developed as a woodland garden in the early 20th century by its then owner, Arthur Gilstrap Soames. It is now owned by the National Trust.

Furner's Green is a hamlet in the civil parish of Danehill in East Sussex, England.

Sheffield Park is a cricket ground at the Sheffield Park estate, located near Uckfield, East Sussex, England. From 1881 to 1896 it was the home ground of Lord Sheffield's XI, organised by Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, who in 1891 donated £150 to the New South Wales Cricket Association which was used to purchase a plate and establish the competition known as the Sheffield Shield. Cricket had been played at the ground for the previous 30 years before 1881, but these matches were unrecorded. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1881, when Lord Sheffield's XI played Alfred Shaw's XI, which was also the first first-class match on the ground. From 1881 to 1896, Lord Sheffield's XI played 9 first-class matches, the last of which came against the touring Australians. During this match, 25,000 people were allowed to watch the match for free; Lord Sheffield never charged for people to come and watch matches at the ground.Lord Sheffield had an octagonal pavilion constructed during 1881-1882, and later a separate ladies pavilion was built. Following Lord Sheffield's death in 1909, with him cricket largely died out at the estate. During World War I the ground was requisitioned for farming, wiping out the cricket ground. Subsequently trees were planted on the site but most were blown down in the 1987 hurricane. In 2009, a new square was laid, a pavilion was built and the outfield was restored in its parkland setting. The reopening of the ground was celebrated with a match between an Old England XI and a Lord Sheffield Australian XI. Today, the restored ground is the home of the Armadillo Cricket Club.

Scaynes Hill is a 0.04-hectare (0.099-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Newick in East Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.This disused quarry and road section exposes yellow sandstone of the Grinstead Clay, dating to the Valanginian stage around 135 million years ago. The sandstone was deposited by a meandering river.

Zion Chapel is a former Strict Baptist place of worship in the village of Newick in Lewes District, one of six local government districts in the English county of East Sussex. The tiny building was opened for worship in 1834 in a part of Sussex which was a hotbed of Protestant Nonconformism, and remained as one of three places of worship in the small Wealden village until 2001, when it was sold for conversion to houses. The chapel is protected as a Grade II listed building.

Newick is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the A272 road six miles (9.7 km) east of Haywards Heath. The parish church, St. Mary's, dates mainly from the Victorian era, but still has a Norman window. Zion Chapel, a Strict Baptist chapel, was built in 1834 and converted to flats in 2001. Newick Evangelical Free Church, originally a mission hall, opened in 1892.The village is home to three pubs (The Crown Inn, The Royal Oak, and The Bull Inn), one restaurant (Newick Tandoori), a butcher, a baker, a pharmacy, as well as a number of other businesses. There is also a primary school, a health centre, a village hall known originally as the 'Derek Hall', and a post office. Like many other places in Sussex, Newick holds an annual Bonfire Night celebration on the Saturday before Lewes Bonfire Night. Many of the local bonfire societies join the procession.

Newick and Chailey was a railway station located in North Chailey and located near the villages of Newick and Chailey in East Sussex, England. It was part of the East Grinstead to Lewes line, part of which now makes up the Bluebell Railway.

Danehill is a village in East Sussex, England.

Chailey Common is a 169 hectare (417.4 acre) biological site of Special Scientific Interest in the East Sussex. It is close to the village of North Chailey to the west of Newick. The site was notified in 1985 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is also a Local Nature Reserve.The site consists of five enclosures: Romany Ridge Common, Red House Common, Pound Common, Memorial Common and Land End Common. The areas are maintained for species diversity through careful grazing and management. Lane End Common, (grid reference TQ 403 223) was separated from the bulk of the Chailey Common enclosures in the nineteenth century. Its heathy and bosky spaces are now fenced and grazed by mild park cattle. The Common supports various heath communities, including ling, cross-leaved heath and bell heather and other rare botanical species. Fifty years ago Garth Christian saved the marsh gentian from going extinct from the area and its trumpets full of tiny stars can still be seen there today. Meadow thistle, sundew and round-leaved sundew are still present in the area thanks to careful nursing and it is one of the few sites left in the Sussex Weald with bog asphodel. The botanical richness in turn supports important and rare invertebrate including bloody-nosed beetles, minotaur beetles, purse web spiders and black headed velvet ants. Up the food chain, the area can also support rare bird species, including woodcock and nightjar. The habitat also supports various butterflies which are rare in the county. Chailey Common was one of the last sites in the Sussex Weald that you could find Silver Studded Blue butterflies, but they seem to be gone from the area now.

Fletching is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles (4.8 km) to the north-west of Uckfield, near one of the entrances to Sheffield Park. The A272 road crosses the parish. The settlement of Piltdown is part of the parish. The Piltdown Man discovery in 1912 was thought to be the 'missing-link' between humans and apes. The significance of the specimen remained controversial until, amidst great publicity, and much embarrassment in scientific circles, it was exposed in 1953 as a forgery thought to have been committed by Charles Dawson. The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Flescinge, an Old English name meaning "(settlement of) the family or followers of a man called Flecci." Despite this, the name has given rise to a belief that the village was a medieval centre for arrow production.The hamlet of Sharpsbridge lies in the south of the parish. It has an historic church of St. Andrew and St. Mary the Virgin dating from the twelfth century. Simon de Montfort prayed there before the Battle of Lewes. Historian Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) is interred in the Sheffield Mausoleum attached to the north transept of the church, having died in Fletching while staying with his great friend, John Baker-Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield. The school is Fletching CE Primary school. There are two public houses in Fletching: The Griffin Inn (which calls itself a gastropub) and The Rose and Crown. Nearby is The Piltdown Man at Piltdown. The village was once the home of the comedian Jimmy Edwards (1920–1988). Fletching is home to Fletching Football Club also known as The Archers. Fletching 1st team play in the Mid-Sussex Football League division 2 - South with the 2nd team playing in Division 5 - South.