POLEGATE

'Polegate' is a commuter town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A27 and A22 five miles (8km) north of the seaside resort of Eastbourne. Polegate originally lay on the edge of the Pevensey Levels, and on a Roman road from Pevensey to Lewes.

Contents

History

Commerce

Attractions

Local Arts

Transport

Railways

Buses

Religion

Media

Twinnings

Famous Residents

References

External link

History

The town of Polegate was, until the development of the railways, a small settlement in the Parish of Hailsham. In the 1840’s with the construction of the railway from Lewes to Hastings, with branches to Eastbourne and Hailsham, Polegate became a significant junction for the railway with a freight terminal for the market town of Hailsham and the local brick making industry. It was with this development that the town grew to accommodate the railway employees. Over the 20th Century the town continued to grow and although no longer a significant railway junction it was now the junction of the A27 and A22. Polegate currently has a population of 7929 people, a third (35%) of these are over 65.

Commerce

Most of commerce in Polegate is located in the High Street, including the Co-op (supermarket), One Stop is another chain of stores. Most of the shops in Polegate are mainly small businesses. Tesco and Somerfield have a presence as petrol stations outside of the town.

Attractions

Polegate has a Tower windmill, built in 1817, and the footpath and cycleway, built on a disused railway called the Cuckoo Trail.
Nearby attractions are.

★ Long Man of Wilmington, chalk figure on the South Downs

★ Drusillas Zoo Park, Near Alfriston

★ South Downs Way.

Local Arts

A group of young Polegate residents working under the name "Innit Crew" have made several contributions to the local arts scene. They work as a loose collective under the guidance of "King (MC) Clarence" and their graffiti art can be seen around the town at locations, such as:
The bus stop on Hailsham Road
The road sign at the Polegate A27 roundabout
A wall of the Post Office
Outside the 24 hour Somerfield

Transport

Railways

The railway arrived in Polegate in 1846, built by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway on the extension from Brighton to Hastings. In 1849 branches extended to Eastbourne and Hailsham (later to Eridge). The line to Hailsham was named the Cuckoo Line.
Polegate now has its third railway station, the first being on the site of the third and present station. The second station was built further away from the High Street.
In 1968 the Cuckoo Line to Eridge closed and became a footpath and in the 1990's converted into a cycleway and called the Cuckoo Trail.

Buses

Polegate is served by:

★ Cavendish Motor Services Routes: 18 and 56

★ Cuckmere Community Bus

★ Eastbourne Buses: Routes 4, 51, 52 and 54

★ Renown Coaches: Route 126

★ Stagecoach in Hastings: Route 98

Religion

Polegate has four churches.

★ Parish church is dedicated to St John

★ Roman Catholic church (St George).

★ Seventh day Adventist Church

★ United Reformed Church

Media

Polegate is covered by BBC Southern Counties Radio , as well as independent stations Southern FM and Sovereign Radio Local newspapers include the ''Eastbourne Hearld'', ''Eastbourne Gazette'', ''Hailsham Gazette'' and the ''Sussex Express'' , all are published by ''Beckett Newspapers''.

Twinnings

Polegate is twinned with two towns

★ Saintry sur Seine, France

★ Appen, Germany.

Famous Residents

★ David Dimbleby, who also included the town as a destination in his 2007 TV series ''How We Built Britain''

References

★ National Statistics

External link

★ Notes on Polegate

★ Polegate Windmill

★ Polegate Town Council