Whatlington

Whatlington is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located seven miles (11 km) north of Hastings, just off the A21 road.

Whatlington

Whatlington Church
Whatlington
Location within East Sussex
Area6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) [1]
Population374 (Parish-2011)[2]
• Density172/sq mi (66/km2)
OS grid referenceTQ762185
• London47 miles (76 km) NW
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBATTLE
Postcode districtTN33
Dialling code01424
PoliceSussex
FireEast Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament

The village is in two parts, one in the valley on the road from Battle, where the church and the parish hall lie on either side of the stream, and one a mile or so further on the main A21 to Hastings, with a triangular village green in front of the Royal Oak pub. Like most country pubs, the Royal Oak is now part restaurant. For many years, it underwent a one-night transformation when the entire London Philharmonic Orchestra would stop for a pint in evening dress on the way back from playing at Hastings.

The Norman parish church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene;[3] the yew tree which stood there until 1987[4] was traditionally thought to be one thousand years old, and to have been used by William the Conqueror to hang members of King Harold's personal guard. Malcolm Muggeridge lived with his family in Whatlington; both he and his wife are buried in the churchyard.

A large, now disused, chapel is a prominent feature on the main road: it now serves as a commercial business.[5]

The early feminist Barbara Bodichon was born here in 1827.[6]

Governance

The lowest level of government is the Whatlington parish council. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises five councillors with elections being held every four years.

Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Whatlington lies within the Darwell ward, which provides two councillors.

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Whatlington falls within the Battle and Crowhurst ward.

The UK Parliament constituency for Whatlington is Bexhill and Battle. Huw Merriman was re-elected in the 2019 election.[7]

  • The church from the north-east
  • The Royal Oak pub, on the green

References
  1. "East Sussex in Figures". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. "St Mary Magdalene, Whatlington, East Sussex". roughwood.net. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  4. Sussex online parish clerks 'Historical Notes about St Mary Magdalene Church'
  5. "White Chapel, Woodmans Green, Whatlington, East Sussex". roughwood.net. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. Hirsch, Pam. "Bodichon, Barbara Leigh Smith". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2755. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. "Bexhill & Battle Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
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