St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath
Encyclopedia
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath
in the district of Mid Sussex
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex
. It is Haywards Heath's parish church
, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches. Designed in the Decorated Gothic style by George Frederick Bodley
, it was built between 1863 and 1865 as the town began to grow rapidly, and stands in a prominent position on the highest ground in the area. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
, the area was heathland supporting some small farms and crossed by roads to the nearby villages of Cuckfield
and Lindfield
—both of which had churches by the 12th century. The heath itself was first named in documents in the early 16th century. It was used to muster troops during the Restoration
, when King Charles II
re-established the English monarchy, and as a venue for the sale of pigs. Most of the land belonged to large estates held by influential local families.
In the early 19th century, railway-building techniques were pioneered. One of the first routes planned in England was a connection between London
and the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton
, about 50 miles (80.5 km) to the south. Various routes were proposed between 1823 and 1837, when John Urpeth Rastrick
's plan for a direct route via Cuckfield was agreed as part of the Act of Parliament
which created the London and Brighton Railway Company
. However, many residents of both Cuckfield and Lindfield objected to the route: although it was preferred to George Stephenson
's suggested route further to the west, which was considered too far away from the villages, it was argued that instead of running through one village or the other, the line should pass through the mostly unoccupied heathland between them. After this was agreed in 1837, construction work proceeded rapidly, and the London and Brighton Railway opened between Norwood (the junction with the London and Croydon Railway
to London Bridge
) and a temporary terminus at Haywards Heath
on 12 July 1841. The extension to Brighton
followed on 21 September 1841.
The station offered rapid travel to London and Brighton, and was surrounded by low-grade, mostly empty land. Within 20 years, residential and commercial development had been stimulated and the population—about 100 in 1841—had risen significantly. The Inclosure Act of 1858 released more land for development; the heath was fully enclosed
in 1861. At this time there was no permanent Anglican place of worship, and the growing town was administered as part of the Parish of Cuckfield. The venue for Haywards Heath's first Anglican services was the loft of a carpenter's workshop on Milton Road near the station. Worshippers had to climb a ladder to get into the room. Clergy from Cuckfield held these services for several years, until Reverend Robert Wyatt moved from Staffordshire
to Haywards Heath and took on the ministry, starting the Wyatt family's 74-year association with Anglican worship in the town. In 1856, two unmarried sisters, Anne and Frances Dealtry, who lived locally in a mansion
called Bolnore, paid for the construction of Haywards Heath's first school. It was decided that the building should be used for religious services as well; the first was held in December 1856, and children enrolled at the school (named St Wilfrid's) from 1857.
Soon after this, plans were made to build a permanent church for the community. A site to the east of the school, at the highest point on the heath, was chosen. The Dealtry sisters laid the foundation stone on 12 October 1863 (St Wilfrid's Day). Architect George Frederick Bodley
had been commissioned by the Vicar of Cuckfield to design the church; the builder was John Fabian. It was completed in under two years at a cost of £6,000 (£ as of ). The stone used to build the church, quarried just outside the town, was donated free. The Bishop of Chichester
, Ashurst Turner Gilbert
, consecrated St Wilfrid's Church on Whit Monday
in 1865.
More work was carried out in the following decades. Vestries
and an organ
were added in 1880; Bodley added a clerestory
in the nave
in 1890; a clock was added in one face of the tower; the churchyard was extended in 1899; and a lychgate
was added at its southern entrance in 1909.
On 20 February 1866 an Order in Council made a part of the Parish of Cuckfield became "the District Chapelry
of St Wilfrid, Cuckfield"—this gave the church something close to parish status, though legally it remained part of the Parish of Cuckfield. By a further Order on 31 May 1910, the advowson
was transferred from the Vicar of Cuckfield to the Diocese of Chichester
, this also had the effect of turning the chapelry into a parish in its own right, and on 4 May 1911 the parish was extended, taking in more of the Parish of Uckfield, and also part of the Parish of Lindfield. Reverend Robert Wyatt was the first incumbent; he served for 35 years, and was succeeded by his son who was the incumbent for a further 39 years. The churchyard was no longer used for burials after 1918: a new cemetery
had been established elsewhere in the town.
St Wilfrid's Church was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
on 10 September 1951. As at February 2001, it was one of 54 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
was the main building material; the roof was tiled. The nave is of five bays
with buttress
ed north and south aisles and a clerestory, lit by quatrefoil and cinquefoil (four- and five-lobed) windows. A single-bay chancel
leads off from the nave. The tower, praised by Nikolaus Pevsner
, rises in three stages and is topped with a shallow octagonal cap. It is supported internally on transverse arches. William Morris
provided some stained glass
depicting saints, and the east window has an Expressionist
design of the early 1960s. Some of the stained glass was apparently restored by Hove
-based firm Cox & Barnard
.
Memorials in the church include a lectern
in the shape of an eagle, for Queen Victoria's
Golden Jubilee in 1887; a cross in the churchyard, dedicated in 1903 to local victims of the Second Boer War
; an altar piece commemorating the London Rifle Brigade, who used the church when they were based in Haywards Heath during World War I
; stained glass
depicting soldiers in combat and in hospital during the same war; and a brass plaque in memory of John Mason Neale
, warden of Sackville College
in nearby East Grinstead
who also translated and wrote many hymns and carols
, including "Good King Wenceslas
".
The Church of the Presentation on New England Road, Haywards Heath's second Anglican church, had its origins in a temporary iron building opened on 15 August 1882. It grew enough to justify an extension in 1886 and a permanent brick building in 1897. This had a capacity of 170 and was opened in August of that year. The iron building which it replaced survived as a church hall until the late 20th century.
The Church of the Good Shepherd, on the Franklands Village housing estate in the east of the town, was built in 1964–65 by architect William Newman. Before that, services had been held in the estate's Village Hall. The timber-walled building has large areas of glass and steep roofs. It was made redundant
as a place of worship in 2003, and the area previously covered by the church is now served by the Church of the Ascension. There are plans to use the building for the benefit of the community of Franklands Village.
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
in the district of Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It is Haywards Heath's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches. Designed in the Decorated Gothic style by George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
, it was built between 1863 and 1865 as the town began to grow rapidly, and stands in a prominent position on the highest ground in the area. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Until the mid-19th century, Haywards Heath—now a town of 30,000 people—did not exist as a settlement. In the medieval periodMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the area was heathland supporting some small farms and crossed by roads to the nearby villages of Cuckfield
Cuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
and Lindfield
Lindfield, West Sussex
Lindfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The parish lies to the north-east of Haywards Heath, of which the village is a part of the built-up area. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Ouse...
—both of which had churches by the 12th century. The heath itself was first named in documents in the early 16th century. It was used to muster troops during the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, when King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
re-established the English monarchy, and as a venue for the sale of pigs. Most of the land belonged to large estates held by influential local families.
In the early 19th century, railway-building techniques were pioneered. One of the first routes planned in England was a connection between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, about 50 miles (80.5 km) to the south. Various routes were proposed between 1823 and 1837, when John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick
John Urpeth Rastrick was one of the first English steam locomotive builders. In partnership with James Foster, he formed Foster, Rastrick and Company, the locomotive construction company that built the Stourbridge Lion in 1829 for export to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in America.-Early...
's plan for a direct route via Cuckfield was agreed as part of the Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
which created the London and Brighton Railway Company
London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
. However, many residents of both Cuckfield and Lindfield objected to the route: although it was preferred to George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
's suggested route further to the west, which was considered too far away from the villages, it was argued that instead of running through one village or the other, the line should pass through the mostly unoccupied heathland between them. After this was agreed in 1837, construction work proceeded rapidly, and the London and Brighton Railway opened between Norwood (the junction with the London and Croydon Railway
London and Croydon Railway
The London and Croydon Railway was an early railway which operated between London and Croydon in England. It was opened in 1839 and in July 1846 it merged with other railways to form a part of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway ....
to London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
) and a temporary terminus at Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
on 12 July 1841. The extension to Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
followed on 21 September 1841.
The station offered rapid travel to London and Brighton, and was surrounded by low-grade, mostly empty land. Within 20 years, residential and commercial development had been stimulated and the population—about 100 in 1841—had risen significantly. The Inclosure Act of 1858 released more land for development; the heath was fully enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
in 1861. At this time there was no permanent Anglican place of worship, and the growing town was administered as part of the Parish of Cuckfield. The venue for Haywards Heath's first Anglican services was the loft of a carpenter's workshop on Milton Road near the station. Worshippers had to climb a ladder to get into the room. Clergy from Cuckfield held these services for several years, until Reverend Robert Wyatt moved from Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
to Haywards Heath and took on the ministry, starting the Wyatt family's 74-year association with Anglican worship in the town. In 1856, two unmarried sisters, Anne and Frances Dealtry, who lived locally in a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
called Bolnore, paid for the construction of Haywards Heath's first school. It was decided that the building should be used for religious services as well; the first was held in December 1856, and children enrolled at the school (named St Wilfrid's) from 1857.
Soon after this, plans were made to build a permanent church for the community. A site to the east of the school, at the highest point on the heath, was chosen. The Dealtry sisters laid the foundation stone on 12 October 1863 (St Wilfrid's Day). Architect George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
had been commissioned by the Vicar of Cuckfield to design the church; the builder was John Fabian. It was completed in under two years at a cost of £6,000 (£ as of ). The stone used to build the church, quarried just outside the town, was donated free. The Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, Ashurst Turner Gilbert
Ashurst Turner Gilbert
Ashurst Turner Gilbert was an English churchman and academic, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford from 1822 and bishop of Chichester.-Life:...
, consecrated St Wilfrid's Church on Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
in 1865.
More work was carried out in the following decades. Vestries
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
were added in 1880; Bodley added a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
in the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
in 1890; a clock was added in one face of the tower; the churchyard was extended in 1899; and a lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
was added at its southern entrance in 1909.
On 20 February 1866 an Order in Council made a part of the Parish of Cuckfield became "the District Chapelry
Chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
of St Wilfrid, Cuckfield"—this gave the church something close to parish status, though legally it remained part of the Parish of Cuckfield. By a further Order on 31 May 1910, the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
was transferred from the Vicar of Cuckfield to the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
, this also had the effect of turning the chapelry into a parish in its own right, and on 4 May 1911 the parish was extended, taking in more of the Parish of Uckfield, and also part of the Parish of Lindfield. Reverend Robert Wyatt was the first incumbent; he served for 35 years, and was succeeded by his son who was the incumbent for a further 39 years. The churchyard was no longer used for burials after 1918: a new cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
had been established elsewhere in the town.
St Wilfrid's Church was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 10 September 1951. As at February 2001, it was one of 54 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
Architecture
St Wilfrid's Church was built in the Decorated Gothic style, popular in the mid-19th century. Locally quarried sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
was the main building material; the roof was tiled. The nave is of five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed north and south aisles and a clerestory, lit by quatrefoil and cinquefoil (four- and five-lobed) windows. A single-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
leads off from the nave. The tower, praised by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, rises in three stages and is topped with a shallow octagonal cap. It is supported internally on transverse arches. William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
provided some stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
depicting saints, and the east window has an Expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
design of the early 1960s. Some of the stained glass was apparently restored by Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
-based firm Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard Ltd is a stained glass designer and manufacturer based in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. The company was founded in Hove in 1919 and specialises in stained glass for churches and decorative glass products. Many commissions have come from Anglican and Roman...
.
Memorials in the church include a lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
in the shape of an eagle, for Queen Victoria's
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
Golden Jubilee in 1887; a cross in the churchyard, dedicated in 1903 to local victims of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
; an altar piece commemorating the London Rifle Brigade, who used the church when they were based in Haywards Heath during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
; stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
depicting soldiers in combat and in hospital during the same war; and a brass plaque in memory of John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
, warden of Sackville College
Sackville College
Sackville College is a Jacobean almshouse in town of East Grinstead, West Sussex, England.It was founded in 1609 with money left by Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset...
in nearby East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
who also translated and wrote many hymns and carols
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
, including "Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas
"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen . During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step,...
".
Parish
The parish of St Wilfrid covers a large part of the south side of Haywards Heath and the surrounding countryside, and includes two daughter churches—one of which is outside its boundary. The newly developed Bolnore Village estate, which does not have its own church, is part of the parish.The Church of the Presentation on New England Road, Haywards Heath's second Anglican church, had its origins in a temporary iron building opened on 15 August 1882. It grew enough to justify an extension in 1886 and a permanent brick building in 1897. This had a capacity of 170 and was opened in August of that year. The iron building which it replaced survived as a church hall until the late 20th century.
The Church of the Good Shepherd, on the Franklands Village housing estate in the east of the town, was built in 1964–65 by architect William Newman. Before that, services had been held in the estate's Village Hall. The timber-walled building has large areas of glass and steep roofs. It was made redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
as a place of worship in 2003, and the area previously covered by the church is now served by the Church of the Ascension. There are plans to use the building for the benefit of the community of Franklands Village.