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Westfield in East Sussex

Google map showing area surrounding Westfield
(Bonfire Boys under suspicion)
Location: 50.907646,0.572934
General Details
St John the Baptist church (Westfield East Sussex)Westfield in East Sussex lies about 4 miles north of Hastings on the A28, it consists mostly of modern red brick houses, the original weather boarded centre lies on the back road to Guestling , around the Plough Inn.

In the Domesday Book, Westfield appears as Westwelle, and at this time there was a pit for 'trial by water', the village was owned by the Count of Eu .

In 1291 the responsibility of the Parish was given to the monks of Battle Abbey Westfield is another of the villages in the area, where the old village centre is quite a distance away from the church. This is likely to have been caused by the Black Death of 1348. The settlement that used to be based around the of church was moved because of the number of plague victims in the churchyard.

On November 5th 1908, Westfield's last windmill was burnt down. As it was the evening of the village Bonfire Societies torch light procession, naturally the Bonfire Boys fell under suspicion. However , nothing was ever proved and so the culprits were never found.

The church of St John the Baptist stands at the southern end of the village. It's south door is iron-banded, and made of oak, and dated 1542.

It was originally built by the Saxons, and later extended and expanded by the Normans. The pulpit is Jacobean, the font 14th century, and the tall wooden canopy covering it was carved in the late 17th century.
Views
Old village centre.The main high street is straight for a long distance, and provides a very open vista.

The old village has a number of timber framed houses, these can be found by turning towards Guestling from the cross roads in the village centre. The 1066 Country Walk runs through the village.
Services
The hourly Hastings to Tenterden bus route passes through the village.

The nearest station is in Hastings , with an hourly journey to London, Eastbourne and Ashford . The nearest local station is at Doleham Halt on the Ashford line.

The main shopping centre is Hastings about 4 miles South.
Map
Westfield is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages

(click on symbol to see the village page)
Village= Town= Recorded in Domesday=
Battle (William the Conqueror prevails)3.97 miles
Brede (Edward I inspects the Channel Fleet)2.26 miles
Broad Oak Brede (On the Crossroads)3.10 miles
Catsfield (Iron, Railways and Clocks)
5.38 miles
Cripps Corner (Home Guard surprises the Army)4.27 miles
Crowhurst (Village devastated by the Normans)
3.68 miles
Fairlight (Firehills and Views)
4.28 miles
Guestling (Changing guards at Buckingham Palace)
2.57 miles
Hastings Bulverhythe (Landing place of the citizens)4.51 miles
Hastings East Cliff (Beautiful Views and peaceful Walks)3.33 miles
Hastings Old Town (The ancient Cinque Port)3.59 miles
Hastings Ore (Iron and the Turnpike)3.04 miles
Hastings Sea Front (Modern amusements,pier and promenade)4.16 miles
St Leonards on Sea (an Edwardian family's gentile resort)3.73 miles
Icklesham (Paul McCartney's Recording Studio)4.38 miles
Mountfield (17th Century Coal !!)
5.29 miles
Netherfield (Village at the top of the Hill)
6.60 miles
Ninfield (Last of the Iron Stocks)
6.63 miles
Old Winchelsea (Abandoned after the Great Storm)6.79 miles
Pett (End of the Royal Military Canal)4.06 miles
Sedlescombe (Best gunpowder in Europe)
2.48 miles
Udimore (Angels move the Church)
4.13 miles
Whatlington (King Harold's Manor)
3.62 miles
Winchelsea (Inland Cinque Port !!)6.11 miles
Winchelsea Beach (Holidaymakers and Henry VIIIs Fort)6.62 miles
Copyright Villagenet 1998-2024
 
Local Interest
Just click an image
Bexhill Museum
Hastings Rock the place to listen to
Sigi
Battle Museum of Local History
(Hard to find but worth the Visit)
Rye Museum
Roman, Saxon and Norman History of the South East
For all things mosaic, commissions workshops etc please contact Hannah
The Bald Explorer for local documentaries
Wadhurst History Society
Ninfield History Group
Battle and District Historical Society
Winchelsea Museum