Balcombe drilling protest

Balcombe railway station is on the Brighton Main Line in England, serving the village of Balcombe, West Sussex. It is 33 miles 64 chains (54.4 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill and is situated between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath. It is managed by Southern. Trains calling at Balcombe are operated by Thameslink.

Balcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies 31 miles (50 km) south of London, 16 miles (26 km) north of Brighton, and 32 miles (51 km) east north east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the north west and Haywards Heath to the south south east.

The Ouse Valley Viaduct (or the Balcombe Viaduct) carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex. It is located to the north of Haywards Heath and the south of Balcombe. Known for its ornate design, the structure has been described as "probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain."Construction of the Ouse Valley Viaduct commenced by the London & Brighton Railway company in 1839. It was designed by the principal engineer for the line, John Urpeth Rastrick, in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a jack arch with a semi-circular soffit, which had the benefit of reducing the number of bricks required. The roughly 11 million bricks required for its construction were mostly shipped up the River Ouse (via Newhaven and Lewes) from the Netherlands. On 12 July 1841, the viaduct was officially opened to train services, although the structure was not fully completed until the following year. Despite the structure's fine design, materials, and architectural features, the viaduct has had an expensive and problematic history. The first major restoration work occurred during the 1890s, during which sections of the original brickwork were entirely replaced in the belief that this would increase the structure's strength. However, the viaduct suffered considerable decay during the majority of the twentieth century. By May 1983, the viaduct had been recognised as a Grade II* listed structure. Between March 1996 and September 1999, the viaduct was subject to an extensive restoration by national rail infrastructure owner Railtrack; this work was part-funded by the Railway Heritage Trust, English Heritage and West Sussex County Council.

Mid Sussex is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2019 by Mims Davies, a Conservative. She is currently a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Ouse Valley Railway was to have been part of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR). It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1864 and construction of the 20 miles (32 km) long line was begun, but not completed. It never opened to traffic.

Balcombe Place is a Grade II* Listed Building, built in 1856 in West Sussex, with a south view across the Ouse Valley. It now forms part of The Balcombe Estate.The architect was Henry Clutton. It was built for John Alexander Hankey, whose family had been living at Naylands, a house about 1 mile away. The Gentleman's Magazine in 1864 refers to a meeting where “members adjourned to Balcombe Place, a residence recently erected by John Alexander Hankey, Esq., who hospitably entertained them”.The main living area was connected to the servant's areas, a rear courtyard and stables. A photograph in 1897 shows a tall, large glass and wood conservatory on the east side. By the 1960s, that structure had fallen in disrepair and had either been demolished on purpose, or had simply fallen down. Images in 2013 suggested it was overgrown, but still protected by walls on each side, and probably still growing plants from earlier plantings. Descriptions refer to the Denmans 'lawn tennis' courts, but their location is unclear. No courts are shown in the 1910 OS map, a (hard) court existed in the 1960s and appears in the 1974 OS map. At 2013, the OS (and Google Earth) show the hard court to have gone.Early maps show wooded areas around the main building, but with a generally unobstructed view to the south. By the 1960s, some trees to the east and south had been removed. This may have occurred during the war years, or when the land was used as a school, but may have been arranged beforehand by Lady Denman, who recorded 'bonfires' as a hobby and was once described as 'indiscriminately lopping' trees.

Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English non-metropolitan county of West Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill. The district was created on 1 April 1974 from parts of East Sussex: the urban districts of Cuckfield, Burgess Hill, and East Grinstead and nearly all of Cuckfield Rural, the far north-west of which was transferred to Crawley. The district borders the Tandridge district of Surrey to the north, Wealden and Lewes districts to the east, and Brighton and Hove to the south, all in East Sussex, and Horsham district to the west and Crawley, northwest, equally in West Sussex.The Prime Meridian passes through the district. The district contains most headwaters of the River Ouse, Sussex and its largest body of water is Ardingly reservoir which is used by watersports clubs. The north of the area is the High Weald and has sections of Ashdown Forest.

Ardingly Reservoir is west of Ardingly in West Sussex. The southern end is a 74.5-hectare (184-acre) Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by South East Water.The reservoir feeds the River Ouse located in West Sussex, England 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Haywards Heath. The villages of Ardingly and Balcombe are immediately to the east and north of the reservoir respectively. It was created in 1978 by damming Shell Brook, a tributary of the River Ouse which flows into the Ouse about 500m south of the reservoir. It is filled with water pumped from the River Ouse when river flows are high. The water is stored in the reservoir before being treated and distributed to consumers. The Ardingly Activity Centre provides watersports for the public including wind surfing, kayaking, powerboating, paddle boarding and dinghy sailing. The reservoir is also used by Ardingly Rowing Club.The west bank of the reservoir is private property of the Balcombe Estate but the north, south and east shores offer public rights of way and bridleways. Ornithologists are catered for with two bird hides situated on the east bank.

Borde Hill Garden is a garden located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Haywards Heath, West Sussex in southern England. It is set in over 200 acres (80 ha) of garden, park and woodlands which has views across the Sussex High Weald. Borde Hill Garden is planted in “living garden rooms”, each offering a different character and style. It is home to many rare shrubs: from rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias to roses, as well as numerous trees including one of the largest collections of champion trees in a private property in Britain (82 specimens as of 2013).

Balcombe tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Brighton Main Line through the Sussex Weald between Three Bridges and Balcombe. It is 1,034 metres (1,131 yards) long. The track is electrified with a 750 V DC third-rail.

Brantridge Park, Balcombe, West Sussex, England is a 19th-century country house, formerly one of the lesser royal residences. It is a Grade II listed building.

Cuckfield & Lucastes is an electoral division of West Sussex in England, and returns one member to sit on West Sussex County Council.