Ardingly

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude =51.04848
longitude = -0.0781
official_name = Ardingly
static_

static_image_caption= Ardingly Church
population = 1,833 (2001 Census)
civil_parish = Ardingly
shire_district = Mid Sussex
shire_county = West Sussex
region = South East England
constituency_westminster = Mid Sussex
post_town = HAYWARDS HEATH
postcode_district = RH17
postcode_area = RH
dial_code = 01444
os_grid_reference = TQ348294

Ardingly (pronEng|ˈɑrdɪŋlaɪ) is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, on the B2028 road, north of Haywards Heath, approximately halfway between London and the coastal city of Brighton. The parish covers an area of 1609.08 hectares (3974 acres). In the 2001 census 1833 people lived in 627 households of whom 830 were economically active.

This area is part of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the High Weald.

Points of interest are the Ardingly Reservoir and the extensive grounds of "Kew in the Country" at Wakehurst Place. St Peter's Church, situated towards the western end of the village, dates from the 14th century. The rock formation of Big-Upon-Little lies close to a footpath between Ardingly and Horsted Keynes.

Jon Snow, the television newscaster, was born in Ardingly.

Events

This rural village is quiet for most of the year with notable exceptions being the month of June in which two major events take place. The South of England Agricultural show in early June and the London to Brighton cycle event (usually held on Father's Day) attract visitors from across the country. Also small scale Field Social events are known to occur in fields close to Ardingly Reservoir, though are usually not approved by local authorities. The South of England showground hosts regular antiques fairs, which are often featured on the BBC TV game show "Bargain Hunt". Every four years an international scout camp is held on the showground, when about 3000 scouts from West Sussex and around the world come to Ardingly. The most recent event called WS2008 (West Sussex 2008) was held in August 2008. [ [http://www.gscmma.org/ws2008.php Girl Scout Council of Mount Magazine Area] ]

Educational Establishments

At the southern edge of the village lies Ardingly College, a well-known independent school. The village also has a state primary school, St. Peters CE which has approximately 100 pupils. Most secondary school age children attend Oathall Community College in Haywards Heath.

Transport

Ardingly is served by an infrequent bus service to the nearby towns of Haywards Heath and Crawley.

Ardingly station was opened 1 october 1864 by LBSCR [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/a/ardingly/index.shtml Ardingly railway station] on Disused-Stations.org.uk - Nick Catford - Accessed 9 September 2007] . It was electrified in the 1930s, but low traffic levels and the rise of the car was the line closed 28 October 1963 . The goods yard and connection to the main line remained open as an ARC Aggregates terminal . The nearby Bluebell Railway owns the spur to the old station and has long term aspirations to re-open the line .

References

External links

* [http://www.level-two.co.uk/report.php?locname=ardingly Ardingly Reservoir Overflow] Exploring the outfall drain
* [http://www.seas.org.uk/ South of England Agricultural Society]
* [http://www.ardingly.com/ Ardingly College]
* [http://www.st-peters-ardingly.w-sussex.sch.uk/ St. Peters CE Primary School]
* [http://www.ardinglyfc.co.uk/ Ardingly Football Club]
* [http://www2.prestel.co.uk/aspen/sussex/philhill.html#arch4 Big-Upon-Little]
* [http://localwebsuk.com/sussex/ardingly.shtml Ardingly Overview]
* [http://www.ardinglycc.org Ardingly Cricket Club]
* [http://www.ardinglyrowingclub.co.uk Ardingly Rowing Club]