Moulsecoomb
| Moulsecoomb | |
|---|---|
 The junction of Moulsecoomb Way and Halland Road |
|
| Population | 17,472 (2011. Ward) |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIGHTON |
| Postcode district | BN2 |
| Dialling code | 01273 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | East Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Moulsecoomb is a suburb of Brighton, part of the city of Brighton and Hove. The electoral ward is called Moulsecoomb and Bevendean. It is located on the northeastern side of Brighton, around the A270 Lewes Road, between the areas of Coldean and Bevendean and approximately 2¼ miles (3½ km) north of the seafront. The eastern edges of the built-up area adjoin Falmer Hill, on the South Downs. As the suburb is so large, and developed over an extended period, it is often divided into smaller sections on maps and similar: North Moulsecoomb, East Moulsecoomb and Moulsecoomb itself (also described as South Moulsecoomb).
The name is sometimes pronounced as if spelled Mools-coomb, though perhaps more often the first part is pronounced like the animal "mole". It derives from the Old English for Muls Valley: Mul was a Saxon nobleman.
It suffers however from high social-deprivation and crime rates. Alongside neighbouring district Whitehawk, it can be considered socially-deprived, in 2001 being considered within the top 5% of socially deprived areas in England.
Before and during the First World War, the land around the Lewes Road was open downland, sloping towards the valley bottom through which the road and railway line ran. The land reached a height of 508 feet (155m) at Falmer Hill, approximately 0.9 miles (1½ km) east of the point where the railway crossed the road on a viaduct. In the valley bottom, some market gardens and small nurseries were maintained.
The South Moulsecoomb area was developed first: the Borough Council acquired land at the existing edge of the built-up area, close to the former Preston Barracks on the Lewes Road, in November 1920 and constructed 478 semi-detached houses with large gardens and three bedrooms each. The "Homes fit for Heroes" campaign, started after the War in response to the poor housing conditions faced by returning soldiers, helped to drive this, but the houses were generally too expensive for the families at whom they were aimed.
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Wikipedia