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Polegate in East Sussex

Google map showing area surrounding Polegate
(Fine old Tower Mill)
Location: 50.824012,0.243813
General Details
Polegate in East Sussex lies on the Roman road which ran from Pevensey Castle (Anderida) to Lewes.

To the north of the village lay Otham Priory which was built in 1175, and was closed in the 1200's when the monks moved to settle Bayham Abbey between Lamberhurst and Bells Yew Green. The remains of the abbey can be seen from the Cuckoo Trail. Otham was founded by Ralph de Dene (from West Dean near Seaford ), of the Premonstratensian Order who was a sub tenant of Pevensey Castle . The monks moved to Bayham Abbey because 'Otham was impossibly damp and inhospitable', as it lay in the Pevensey Marshes.

In 1817 the Polegate Windmill was built, replacing an old post mill on the South Downs. The mill is a tower type, which is now open to the public in the summer thanks to volunteers. The windmill can now be found in the middle of a housing estate, which has built up in the 20th century.

The Cuckoo Line (Steam Railway) track was started in 1849 with the single track link from Polegate to Hailsham . In September 1880 a further length of single track line from Eridge to Hailsham was opened, providing a service from Charing Cross to Eastbourne via Tunbridge Wells . Polegate became one of the main centres of rail travel, with its sidings for the Cuckoo Line , and its station on the main Hastings Eastbourne Lewes line.

The village is now a starting point for the Cuckoo Trail , a walk owned by the County Council, which meanders through the East Sussex countryside to Heathfield.

Polegate village is a fairly modern settlement built around the railway lines, the town of Eastbourne has grown significantly since the 1850's and now has absorbed Polegate a suburb .
Views
Polegate in East Sussex has the starting point for the picturesque walk of the Cuckoo Trail which can be cycled or walked to Heathfield , via Hailsham , Hellingly and Horam . To the south are the magnificent vistas of the South Downs.
Services
Polegate in East Sussex has many local services, the main shopping centres are in Hailsham to the north about 4 miles, or Eastbourne to the south, about the same distance.

The main line service from Hastings to Lewes runs through the village, and stops at the station.
Map
Polegate is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages

(click on symbol to see the village page)
Village= Town= Recorded in Domesday=
Alciston (Fifty thousand tiles on the Barn)
4.77 miles
Alfriston (Smuggling and Ghosts)
3.99 miles
Arlington (Peaceful Saxon Village)
2.74 miles
Berwick (Sharpen your arrows on the Church)
4.04 miles
Boreham Street (Picturesque village on top of the Ridge)6.55 miles
Chalvington (The miniature church)
4.66 miles
East Blatchington (Mutiny and the Edge of Space)7.05 miles
Exceat (Alfred the Great's Naval Base?)
5.25 miles
Folkington (Teasles and Badgers)
1.67 miles
Hailsham (Ropes and Napoleon)
2.87 miles
Jevington (Smugglers and Churchill Tanks)
2.58 miles
Litlington (Secret marriage of George IV)
4.45 miles
Lullington (destroyed by Cromwell ??)
3.86 miles
Normans Bay (Last Invasion in 1066)6.61 miles
Pevensey (Ancient Roman Fortification)
4.22 miles
Pevensey Bay (Fishing and Martello Towers)
4.38 miles
Ripe (Earl Harolds estate)
5.47 miles
Seaford (The cormorants or shags)7.19 miles
Selmeston (Tomb to store the Contraband)
4.58 miles
Wartling (World War II defence centre)
5.47 miles
Westham (Enclosure for the Castle)3.56 miles
Wilmington (The Long Man)
2.33 miles
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Local Interest
Just click an image
Roman, Saxon and Norman History of the South East
Winchelsea Museum
Battle and District Historical Society
Wealden Iron Research Group
World War 2 Vehicle database
Sigi
Hastings Rock the place to listen to
Wadhurst History Society
Battle Museum of Local History
(Hard to find but worth the Visit)
Hastings Area Archaeological Research Group
For all things mosaic, commissions workshops etc please contact Hannah
Bexhill Museum