Hailsham

Hailsham
Hailsham shown within the United Kingdom
Population	19,658 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	TQ590095
District	Wealden
Shire county	East Sussex
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAILSHAM
Postcode district	BN27
Dialling code	01323
Police	Sussex
Fire	East Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Wealden
European Parliament	South East England
List of places: UK • England • East Sussex

Coordinates: 50°′″N 0°′″E / 50.8635, 0.2587

Hailsham is one of four main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The town originally grew as an agricultural centre but is now mainly a commuter town.

Commerce

The Quintins shopping centre in the centre of town was opened in the late 1980s and was named after Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone. At the heart of the centre is the Co-op (supermarket). There is a Waitrose supermarket nearby in Vicarage Field, which was previously a Somerfield store. There is currently much controversy over the sale of Hailsham Cattle Market and its redevelopment into a supermarket. The land is currently owned by Supermarket chain Aldi,^[1] who plan to build a Supermarket and housing on the site. Hailsham was granted a charter to hold a market in 1252 by King Henry III . Should the market close, the nearest alternative would be in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Local MP Charles Hendry , and others, including the National Farmers Union , have spoken out against closure.

Another supermarket, Tesco , has recently been granted planning permission for a new store on land in North Street.^[2] The Tesco plans have been the subject of much debate in the town over the past 13 years, with Mayor Nick Ellwood in particular disagreeing with the planned development.

Education

The town has several primary schools, including Hawkes Farm, Grovelands, Marshlands and Whitehouse County Primary Schools. Recently, two of these - Marshlands and Whitehouse have been placed in Special Measures^[3] It has one secondary comprehensive school, Hailsham Community College , located in Battle Road, which has achieved a specialist status of sports college.

Industry

Hailsham's traditional industry was rope making, which included supplying ropes for public hanging to Great Britain and the Colonies.^[1]

Presently, light industry survives in two industrial estates to the East of the town, located in Diplocks Way and Station Road.

Railways

Hailsham used to have a railway station on the Cuckoo Line, running from Polegate to Tunbridge Wells. The line from Polegate was opened in May 1849 and closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1968. The southern 12 miles of disused line is now a cycleway and footpath between Polegate and Heathfield and is known as the Cuckoo Trail.

Hailsham survived the rest of the Cuckoo Line by three years, with the section North of Hailsham going to Heathfield cut in 1965. The track was retained, however, with a weekly freight service until April 1968, when a bridge at nearby Hamlet Horsebridge was damaged by a road vehicle. With the line due for closure, the damaged railway infrastructure was never repaired.

The closure of the section from Polegate to Hailsham was disputed - British Railways going so far as to admit that the town was growing at the time of closure, and that the town would soon outgrow other public transport. ^[4]Despite this, Passenger services finished on 8th September 1968, with the final train, comprising two DEMU units, leaving Hailsham Station to the sound of detonators on the line and the tune of Auld Lang Syne , sang by a large crowd who had gathered. After 119 years of Railway Operation into Hailsham, the line was gone.

Media

Hailsham is covered by BBC Southern Counties Radio , as well as independent stations Southern FM and Sovereign Radio , who are based in St Mary's Walk. Local newspapers include the Hailsham Gazette and the Sussex Express , both published by Beckett Newspapers.

The Hailsham music and social scene is also covered in the monthly East Magazine, an independent publication aimed principally at younger people. A similar publication is the more regional Magnet. Both are freely distributed throughout the town.

Hailsham Pavilion

Hailsham Pavilion is a Grade II listed cinema and concert hall built in 1921. After remaining empty, the Pavilion was refurbished in 1993 and reopened in 2000. The Pavilion was originally opened as a Cinema on Monday 28th November 1921 by local Justice A.K. Burtenshaw JP , with The Kid , starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin as the first picture.

Following many years of service, the Pavilion closed as a Cinema in 1965, the Pavilion served as a Bingo Hall until 1987, before being purchased using a Compulsory Purchase Order after its owners fell into receivership by Wealden District Council. By 1999, Hailsham Old Pavilion Society had raised enough money to restore the old cinema, and signed a 31-year lease at a 'peppercorn' rent .

Entertainment

Hailsham is the home of Wealden Brass, a brass band which rehearses at Union Corner Hall.

The 'Freedom Leisure' entertainment complex is in the town. Its facilities include a gym and a pool with a flume and water slide, and several bowling lanes have been added in 2006.

Several pubs remain in the three streets that make up the 'triangle' of Hailsham Town Centre - including The Grenadier, The Corn Exchange, The George and The Terminus . In addition, Hailsham has several members clubs in the town centre, including Slate Base, the Hailsham Memorial Institute and The Hailsham Club (also known locally as The Top Club. Local public houses and inns that have vanished over the years include: The Good Intent, The Fox, The Black Horse Inn, The Swan Inn, The Market House, The Cow, and The Brewers Arms (formerly the Railway Arms).

Hailsham Town Football Club play in the First Division of the Sussex County Football League , and are currently managed by Kenny McCreadie. The club, known as The Stringers , had their biggest success in 1989, when they reached the Fifth Round of the FA Vase , losing to Hungerford Town at The Beaconsfield, in front of an estimated crowd of 1200.

Twinnings

• Gournay-en-Bray, France

References

• Market Closure
• Ropemaking History
• Tesco Granted Planning Permission
• Schools Placed in Special Measures
• Railway closure - A.C. Elliott, The Cuckoo Line (Wild Swan Publications Ltd 1988, ISBN 0906867630)

External links

• Hailsham at the Open Directory Project
• Cuckoo Trail Information
• Freedom Leisure Centre
• Hailsham Pavilion
• Hailsham Town Council
• Hook and Son Organic Dairy Farm in Hailsham

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