Cuckmere Valley
| Cuckmere Valley | |
|---|---|
 Cuckmere Valley
|
|
| Cuckmere Valley shown within East Sussex | |
| Area | 17.6 km2 (6.8 sq mi) |
| Population | 191 (2011) |
| • Density | 30/sq mi (12/km2) |
| OS grid reference | TQ523017 |
| • London | 50 miles (80 km) NNW |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| 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 | |
Cuckmere Valley is a civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. As its name suggests, the parish consists of a number of small settlements in the lower reaches of the River Cuckmere.
There are four villages within the Cuckmere Valley: Alfriston, Litlington, Lullington and West Dean. Archaeological remains nearer the coast at Exceat suggest a further settlement there in former times.
The civil parish of Cuckmere Valley was created in 1990 when Litlington, Lullington and Westdean parishes were abolished, with small areas transferred between Litlington and Alfriston, which remained a separate civil parish.
A significant settlement from early Saxon times, Alfriston is now the largest village in the valley. St. Andrews, Alfriston's fourteenth century church, is sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of the South Downs. It is built on the remains of a large Saxon burial mound said to be the site of the last resting place of St. Lewinna the seventh century Saxon princess and Christian martyr.
The name is Saxon, and probably indicates Litl's homestead. The twelfth- century church is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel.
Maria Fitzherbert (1756–1837), mistress of George IV, lived at Clapham House in the village.
In 1924 a chalk figure of a horse was cut into the downs to the west of the village, replacing one cut in the 19th century. The village inn is the Plough and Harrow.
Lullington is the most northerly of the three, about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Lewes. It lies on a shoulder of the South Downs at the point where the River Cuckmere cuts through the downs, on the opposite bank of the river to Alfriston. A medieval village, Lullington Court, was abandoned after the Black Death in the 14th century; its site was to the east of the present Lullington. The church, dedicated to the Good Shepherd, is believed to be the smallest in England, having been rebuilt using only the original chancel after a fire had destroyed the remainder of the building. Services are held only in the summer months, as the building has no electricity.
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Wikipedia