Berwick, East Sussex

Berwick

Berwick
Berwick shown within East Sussex
Area	5.0 km² (1.9 sq mi)
Population	380 (Parish-2011)
• Density	149/sq mi (58/km²)
OS grid reference	TQ518051
• London	48 miles (77 km) NNW
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	POLEGATE
Postcode district	BN26 5
Dialling code	01323

Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Lewes
List of places UK England East Sussex 50°50′N 0°09′E / 50.83°N 0.15°E / 50.83; 0.15Coordinates: 50°50′N 0°09′E / 50.83°N 0.15°E / 50.83; 0.15

Berwick (pronounced BURwick or, more recently, BErrick) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex in England. The village lies immediately to the south of the A27 road between Lewes and Polegate, about three miles (4.8 km) west of the latter. The parish is located in the River Cuckmere floodplain, north of the South Downs.

The place-name 'Berwick' is here first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Berewice. The name means 'corn farm'.

There are two public houses in the parish: the Berwick Inn near the railway station, and the The Cricketers, in the village itself. The village also has an example of a "K6" red telephone box.

Part of the United Benefice of Arlington, Berwick, Selmeston-with-Alciston and Wilmington, the church dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, is a Grade 1 listed building. Built on what may be a pre-Christian sacred site, the church dates back at least to the 12th century, although the Saxon frontage appears to be earlier. Additions were made in the 14th century, and a tower built in 1603, originally with a spire. The building suffered in the 18th century, losing its spire to lightning on 8 August 1773.

Several Victorian leaded windows were damaged by World War II bombs on 17 October 1944. They were replaced by clear glass, unusual in churches, for fear of further damage. However, some of the church's stained-glass windows survived.

The clear-glass windows help to illuminate the church's unique murals. Partly inspired by the pre-Reformation practice of decorating churches with murals, these were painted in 1941 by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and Quentin Bell, of the Bloomsbury Group. The murals depict local people, sometimes in period clothes, but set in biblical scenes.

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