Known as Westewelle in the Domesday survey, Westfield in the Rother District of East Sussex is one of the largest villages in the area with a population of around 2750. The village lies five miles (8 km) north of Hastings. Carr-Taylor Vineyards is local. There is still a village shop, newsagents, butchers and hairdressers, although the post office closed in November 2000. There are two pubs: The Old Courthouse originally The New Inn and The Plow.
Westfield Board School opened in 1877 and is a popular choice with parents within the surrounding areas.
A prominent sight when entering the village from the south is the church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Its many features include extensive buttressing, a 12th-century porch and a 14th-century font with an elaborate 17th-century cover. Above the door to the tower there is carved a Royal Coat of Arms with the list of vicars since 1250 set below. Looking towards the nave there is a Norman arch with squint windows to the side, cut through the 32 inches of stone. Another feature at the road entrance is the lychgate, with its four carved angels; this was added in 1887.
The history of Westfield has been extensively researched by a resident of Westfield descended from a family who appear in the records from 1552.[2]
Westfield Football Club play in the Sussex County League Division Two.[3]
Landmarks[]
The parish contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest—Maplehurst Wood. This is a 78 acres (31.6 ha) ancient woodland containing a range of flora and avian fauna. It is the only East Sussex site for Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia).[4]
This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Westfield, East Sussex. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
