Turners Hill
Encyclopedia
Turners Hill is a village
and civil parish in the Mid Sussex
District of West Sussex
, England
. The civil parish covers an area of 1390 hectares (3,434.8 acre), and has a population of 1,849 (2001 census).
The village is located three miles (5 km) south-west of East Grinstead
, four miles (6 km) to the south-east of the Crawley New Town
area and stands on a steep ridge line at one of the highest points (580 feet above sea level) of the High Weald, where two historically important routes, the B2110 and B2028, cross.
which, together with the shops and the Crown pub, form the focal point. The village has two churches, St Leonard's Anglican
church, on a ridge of the hill, and Turners Hill Free Church. St Leonard's was built in 1895-7 by Lacy Ridge, with porches and the rock-faced tower added by Sir Aston Webb
in 1923. The stained glass windows are all by Charles Eamer Kempe
. The reredos
seems to be a composite of salvaged pieces from different sources. The Free Church building dates from 1906 and replaced by a church on the same site built by the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
.
The village has two pubs, the Crown and the Red Lion. Facilities for football, netball, five-a-side and tennis are available on the large recreation ground while the cricket club now has its own ground. There is a Victorian
primary school, Turners Hill Church of England primary school, which has recently been extended, and has a wind turbine. Pupils usually move to Imberhorne School after year six. A community centre, The Ark, and parish council facilities involving a village housing scheme has been built adjacent to the recreation ground.
The area to the north of the cross-roads represents the major residential development in recent years while the older parts of the village, and in particular Lion Lane, have retained their historic character. Many buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries and a number have been listed by the Department of the Environment. The village centre with its pubs and churches has been designated a conservation area.
The village is known as one of the hardest sections of the London to Brighton bike ride, perhaps second only to Ditchling Beacon, and every year causes severe congestion.
also called Turners Hill
. This is a disused quarry whose workings have left vertical sections in the sandstone
making it a valuable resource for paeleoenvironmental research.
Worth Abbey
and Worth School
are situated near the village.
David Battie
, who is an expert on Antiques Roadshow
and previously at Sotheby's
.
Olympic athlete Daley Thompson
lived in the village for a short time.
Jimmy Page
, former guitarist for Led Zeppelin
, currently owns a house near the village.
Phatfish
singer Lou Fellingham
grew up in the village.
in the Île-de-France
region of France. The active Turners Hill Twinning Association meets at monthly social events and has an annual exchange visit with the residents of St Leger, each town visiting the other on a bi-annual rotation.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the 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....
District 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The civil parish covers an area of 1390 hectares (3,434.8 acre), and has a population of 1,849 (2001 census).
The village is located three miles (5 km) south-west of 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...
, four miles (6 km) to the south-east of the Crawley New Town
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
area and stands on a steep ridge line at one of the highest points (580 feet above sea level) of the High Weald, where two historically important routes, the B2110 and B2028, cross.
The village
In the centre is the village greenVillage green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
which, together with the shops and the Crown pub, form the focal point. The village has two churches, St Leonard's Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church, on a ridge of the hill, and Turners Hill Free Church. St Leonard's was built in 1895-7 by Lacy Ridge, with porches and the rock-faced tower added by Sir Aston Webb
Aston Webb
Sir Aston Webb, RA, FRIBA was an English architect, active in the late 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century...
in 1923. The stained glass windows are all by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
seems to be a composite of salvaged pieces from different sources. The Free Church building dates from 1906 and replaced by a church on the same site built by the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is a small society of evangelical churches, founded in 1783 by Selina, Countess of Huntingdon as a result of the Evangelical Revival. For years it was strongly associated with the Calvinist Methodist movement of George Whitefield...
.
The village has two pubs, the Crown and the Red Lion. Facilities for football, netball, five-a-side and tennis are available on the large recreation ground while the cricket club now has its own ground. There is a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
primary school, Turners Hill Church of England primary school, which has recently been extended, and has a wind turbine. Pupils usually move to Imberhorne School after year six. A community centre, The Ark, and parish council facilities involving a village housing scheme has been built adjacent to the recreation ground.
The area to the north of the cross-roads represents the major residential development in recent years while the older parts of the village, and in particular Lion Lane, have retained their historic character. Many buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries and a number have been listed by the Department of the Environment. The village centre with its pubs and churches has been designated a conservation area.
Sport
Football (soccer) is a very popular sport in the village. There are two football teams; Turners Hill and Turners Hill reserves. Football is often played at the recreation ground (always called "the rec or the ark" by villagers) for fun as well as by all three teams. There is a traditional rivalry with the nearest village Crawley Down. The rec also holds events such as the annual village fair.The village is known as one of the hardest sections of the London to Brighton bike ride, perhaps second only to Ditchling Beacon, and every year causes severe congestion.
Landmarks
Within the parish, there is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
also called Turners Hill
Turners Hill SSSI
Turners Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Mid Sussex in the county of West Sussex, England. It is situated in the parish of Turners Hill....
. This is a disused quarry whose workings have left vertical sections in the sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
making it a valuable resource for paeleoenvironmental research.
Worth Abbey
Worth Abbey
The Abbey of Our Lady, Help of Christians, commonly known as Worth Abbey, is a community of Roman Catholic monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict near Turners Hill village, in West Sussex, England....
and Worth School
Worth School
Worth School, near the village of Turners Hill, Crawley, West Sussex, England, is a co-educational Roman Catholic boarding and day independent school for pupils aged between 11–18 years. The school is located with Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, in of Sussex countryside...
are situated near the village.
Notable residents
Antiques appraiserAppraiser
An appraiser , is one who sets a value upon property, real or personal. In England the business of an appraiser is usually combined with that of an auctioneer, while the word itself has a similar meaning to that of "valuer." In the United States, the most common usage relates to real estate...
David Battie
David Battie
David Battie FRSA is a British expert on ceramics with a particular emphasis on Japanese and Chinese works.After attending art school where he studied as a graphic designer, Battie joined Reader's Digest magazine for three years. In 1965, he join the auction house Sotheby's...
, who is an expert on Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
and previously at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
.
Olympic athlete Daley Thompson
Daley Thompson
Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE , is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times....
lived in the village for a short time.
Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, former guitarist for Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, currently owns a house near the village.
Phatfish
Phatfish
Phatfish are a Christian rock, CCM and Worship Band. They live in Brighton, England and have spent many years writing and performing their own brand of worship-oriented rock, as well as leading worship both in the UK and across the world...
singer Lou Fellingham
Lou Fellingham
Louise "Lou" Fellingham , , is a Christian worship leader, singer and songwriter from Brighton in East Sussex, England. She is a founding member of the British band Phatfish and has also pursued a solo career....
grew up in the village.
Twin towns
In 1992 Turners Hill entered into a Town Twinning relationship with St Leger en YvelinesSaint-Léger-en-Yvelines
Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-Site:The district of Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines is in the centre of the department and in the heart of the Forest of Rambouillet...
in the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region of France. The active Turners Hill Twinning Association meets at monthly social events and has an annual exchange visit with the residents of St Leger, each town visiting the other on a bi-annual rotation.