Maidenbower

Coordinates: 51°06′14″N 0°08′57″W / 51.1040°N 0.1493°W / 51.1040; -0.1493

Maidenbower
Maidenbower  Maidenbower shown within West Sussex
Population	8,070 (2001 census[1])
OS grid reference	TQ295355
District	Crawley
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Crawley
Postcode district	RH10
Dialling code	01293
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Crawley
Website	www.maidenbower.org.uk
List of places: UK • England • West Sussex

Maidenbower is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Maidenbower is located in the south east corner of the town bordering the M23 motorway. It is bordered by Pound Hill to the north and Furnace Green to the west across the railway line.

Maidenbower is the newest of the neighbourhoods in Crawley. In 1986 Crawley Borough Council declared the farmland between the M23 and the London-Brighton railway line would be the 13th neighbourhood.^[1] A consortium of builders was formed to develop the site which was to include community facilities and a construction of a new junction to give access to the M23.

By the beginning of this century the development was almost complete, although small areas of infill development continue.

The original 16th century Frogshole farm building, unlike the adjoining Maidenbower farm that gave the area its name, remains as the public house for the neighbourhood. It was refurbished and opened in 1994. On 8 February 2007 it suffered a major fire. Froghole Farm Pub re-opened its doors in July 2008 after a major refurbishment.^[2]

A secondary school, the Oriel High School, has been built at Maidenbower under the Private Finance Initiative where a private company have designed and built the school and now provide facilities management for the next 25 years. West Sussex County Council provide all the educational services and staff. Maidenbower also has two infant schools and a large junior school.

There is a parade of shops and a community centre that provides daycare facilities for elderly people and people with disabilities.

In September 2006, close to one of the entrance roads to Maidenbower leading from the Balcombe Road, a large piece of public art was installed. A community project, it was created in five pieces by the four schools in the neighbourhood and one piece by the community. The pieces fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle to form an outline representing a map of the neighbourhood. The streams that run through it create the joins between each of the pieces. The overall theme of the piece is the history and development of Maidenbower.

References

1. ^ "Maidenbower Virtual Village: Maidenbower history". http://www.maidenbower.org.uk/forum/viewpost.php?p=64892. 
2. ^ "BBC News: Firefighters tackle blaze in pub". 8 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6343489.stm. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 

External links

• Neighbourhood Website
• Oriel High School
• Brook School