Southease

Infobox UK place
official_name=Southease
country=England
region=South East England
static_

static_image_caption=
area_footnotes= -Rodmell & Southeasecite web |url=http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/ |title=East Sussex in Figures |accessdate=2008-04-26 |publisher=East Sussex County Council]
area_total_km2 = 11.26
population=502 (2007)
population_density= Pop density mi2 to km2|115.5|precision=1|abbr=yes
os_grid_reference=TQ421053
latitude=50.83
longitude=0.02
post_town=LEWES
postcode_area=BN
postcode_district=BN7 3
dial_code=01273
constituency_westminster=Lewes
london_distance=convert|47|mi N
shire_district=Lewes
shire_county=East Sussex
website=http://southeasevillage.info/index.htm

Southease is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, in South East England between the A26 road and the road from Lewes to Newhaven, just being off the latter. The village is to the west of the River Ouse, Sussex and has a church dedicated to Saint Peter. Southease railway station lies roughly a kilometre east over the river and may be reached via a swing bridge. The bridge was built in the 1880s, is the second bridge on the site and though the swing mechanism remains, it has not been opened since 1967. [http://www.snowing.co.uk/sias/articles/main_9.htm Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society page with information on Southease Bridge and railway] ]

The South Downs Way winds its way through the village towards the nearby River Ouse and the railway station. A new bridge has been built over the A26. [http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Southdowns/article.asp?PageId=3&ArticleId=5 New Bridge over A26 near Southease] ]

It is downstream of Lewes, the county town of East Sussex and upstream of Newhaven. Paths along both the banks of the river allow hiking in either direction along the river. The remains of a slipway on the west bank of the Ouse just north of the bridge faces Mount Caburn.The neighbouring village of Rodmell lies to the northwest of Southease.

The church has one of only three round towers in Sussex, all of which are located in the Ouse Valley and all three built in the first half of the 12th century.

The body of Virginia Woolf was found at Asham Wharf, on the east bank of the Ouse, to the north of the bridge. [http://www.riverocean.org.uk/ocean/webwalks/Newhaven%20to%20Lewes%20(linear).html Newhaven to Lewes walk] - mentions Asham Wharf]

At the time of the Domesday Book a thriving community was in place and the village appears to have been the biggest herring fishery in the district, having been assessed for 38,500 herring while Brighton had a mere 4,000.

The village also has a horticultural nursery. [ [http://southeasevillage.info/southease%20plants.htm Plant nursery details] on village homepage.]

External links

* [http://southeasevillage.info Website about the village]
* [http://www.visitbytrain.freeuk.com/esussex/southease.htm Page of local attractions and a map]
* [http://www.sussex-opc.org/ParishPages/S/SoutheaseMain.htm Details about the church]
* [http://www.southdownsway.co.uk/sdw_lewes_southease.html South Downs Way page section covering Southease]
* [http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/ed/sx/sechu/index.htm Details of church architecture from Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TQ4205 Photos of Southease from geograph.org.uk]

References