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London, Brighton and South Coast Railway

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129-736: The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway ( LB&SCR (known also as the Brighton line , the Brighton Railway or the Brighton )) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, covering a large part of Surrey . It was bounded on its western side by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth . On its eastern side

258-796: A Lib Dem-Independent coalition ( Mid Sussex ) one was run by an Independent-Labour-Lib Dem-Green coalition ( Rother ) and one had a Lib Dem-Green coalition ( Wealden ). Conservative Katy Bourne is the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner , having first been elected in 2012. In the 2016 referendum on UK membership of the EU , the people of Sussex voted to leave the EU by the narrowest of margins, by 50.23% to 49.77% or 4,413 votes. Headquartered in Lewes, Home Office policing in Sussex has been provided by Sussex Police since 1968. The first-tier Crown Court for all of Sussex

387-582: A blue background, blazoned as Azure , six martlets or . Recognised by the Flag Institute on 20 May 2011, its design is based on the heraldic shield of Sussex . The first-known recording of this emblem being used to represent the county was in 1611 when cartographer John Speed deployed it to represent the Kingdom of the South Saxons . However, it seems that Speed was repeating an earlier association between

516-527: A ceremonial county. Sussex is widely regarded as a single unified entity for some purposes, such as the environment, food and drink and sport . In 2007, Sussex Day was created to celebrate the county's culture and history . The name "Sussex" is derived from the Middle English Suth-sæxe , which is in turn derived from the Old English Sūþseaxe , meaning "(land or people) of

645-549: A lesser scale, with several people being executed for their Catholic beliefs. In Elizabeth's reign, Sussex was open to the older Protestant forms practised in the Weald as well as the newer Protestant forms coming from Continental Europe; combined with a significant Catholic presence, Sussex was in many ways out of step with the rest of southern England. Sussex escaped the worst ravages of the English Civil War , although control of

774-657: A line between West Horsham and the L&;SWR near Guildford. It constructed a line from Leatherhead to Dorking in March 1867, continued to Horsham two months later. This enabled alternative LB&SCR routes from London to Brighton and the West Sussex coast and further reduced the distance of its route from London to Portsmouth. The LB&SCR supported the independent Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway , which obtained powers in July 1865 to build

903-516: A line from Croydon to Tunbridge Wells via Oxted , to be worked by the LB&;SCR. The involvement of LB&SCR directors in this scheme was interpreted by the SER as a breach of the 1849 agreement, and in retaliation the SER and LC&DR obtained an act of Parliament approval to build a rival 'London, Lewes and Brighton Railway', which would undermine the profitable LB&SCR monopoly to that town. Neither scheme

1032-399: A major incursion into its territory. However, the LB&SCR had one important playing card not available to the L&BR—control of the SER main line between New Cross and Croydon. In 1849 the LB&SCR appointed a new and capable chairman, Samuel Laing , who negotiated a formal agreement with the SER that would resolve their difficulties for the time being and would define the territories of

1161-445: A means for preventing competition from neighbouring railways. The committee recommended the abandonment of several projects, and that the LB&SCR should enter into a working agreement with the SER. The new board of directors accepted many of these recommendations, and they managed to persuade Samuel Laing to return as chairman. It was through his business acumen and that of the new secretary and general manager J. P. Knight that

1290-474: A modest degree of expansion elsewhere, most notably the acquisition of a branch line from the main line at Three Bridges to the market town of East Grinstead in July 1855. Some of the directors of the LB&SCR were closely involved with the company that purchased The Crystal Palace after the completion of The Great Exhibition in October 1851 and arranged for its removal to a site on Sydenham Hill , close to

1419-498: A number of technical problems, the LB&SCR abandoned atmospheric operation in May 1847. This enabled it to build its own lines into London Bridge, and have its own independent station there, by 1849. The history of the LB&SCR can be studied in five distinct periods. The LB&SCR was formed at the same time as the bursting of the railway mania investment bubble, and so it found raising capital for expansion extremely difficult during

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1548-511: A period of rule by King Offa of Mercia , Sussex regained its independence but was annexed by Wessex around 827 and was fully absorbed into the crown of Wessex in 860, which later grew into the Kingdom of England. The Battle of Hastings was fought in Sussex, the victory that led to the Norman conquest of England . In September 1066, William of Normandy landed with his forces at Pevensey and erected

1677-409: A regional power. Shortly afterwards, Cædwalla returned to Sussex, killing its king and oppressing its people, putting them in what Bede called "a worse state of slavery". The South Saxon clergy were put under the control of West Saxon Winchester . Only around 715 was Eadberht of Selsey made the first bishop of the South Saxons , after which further invasion attempts from Wessex ensued. Following

1806-455: A report for its shareholders outlining a long list of the difficulties between the two companies, and the reasons why they considered that the LB&SCR had broken the 1848 agreement. The main areas of disagreement listed were at Hastings , allowing the LC&;DR to use its lines to Victoria , a proposed LB&SCR branch to Bromley , the new LB&SCR line to Dorking , LB&SCR opposition to

1935-476: A result of the crisis. Several country lines were losing money – most notably between Horsham and Guildford, East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells, and Banstead and Epsom – and the LB&SCR was committed to building or acquiring others with equally poor prospects. The report was extremely critical of the policies of Schuster and the company secretary, Frederick Slight, both of whom resigned. It did however point out that these lines had been built or acquired as

2064-440: A result of the railway, the rural area between New Cross and Croydon rapidly became built up, and the population of Croydon increased 14-fold, from 16,700 to 233,000, during the LB&SCR's existence. During the 1860s the LB&SCR began to develop new traffic from the growing number of middle-class commuters who were beginning to live in the south London suburbs and working in central London. As part of its suburban expansion,

2193-516: A through (albeit roundabout) route from its main line near Croydon to a terminus in the West End of London. Following the acquisition of the WEL&;CPR, a new 'cut-off' line between Windmill Bridge Junction (Norwood) and Balham was constructed during 1861 and 1862, which had the effect of reducing the distance from East Croydon to Victoria. The VS&PR line was also connected with another joint venture

2322-529: A turn for the worse with an increasing amount of them becoming unemployed, those in work faced their wages being forced down. Conditions became so bad that it was even reported to the House of Lords in 1830 that four harvest labourers (seasonal workers) had been found dead of starvation. The deteriorating conditions of work for the agricultural labourer eventually triggered riots, first in neighbouring Kent, and then in Sussex, where they lasted for several weeks, although

2451-614: A wooden castle at Hastings , from which they raided the surrounding area. The battle was fought between Duke William of Normandy and the English king, Harold Godwinson , who had strong connections with Sussex and whose chief seat was probably in Bosham . After having marched his exhausted army 250 miles (400 km) from Yorkshire, Harold fought the Normans at the Battle of Hastings, where England's army

2580-457: Is Bewl Water on the Kent border, while the largest wholly within Sussex is Ardingly Reservoir . The coastal resorts of Sussex and neighbouring Hampshire are the sunniest places in the United Kingdom. The coast has consistently more sunshine than the inland areas: sea breezes, blowing off the sea, tend to clear any cloud from the coast. The sunshine average is approximately 1,900 hours a year; this

2709-436: Is Lewes Crown Court , which has courts in Lewes, Brighton and Hove. Like other first-tier Crown Courts it has its own resident High Court Judge . There is also a third-tier Crown Court at Chichester. The local prison in Sussex for men is Lewes Prison and there is also a Category D prison at Ford . A rape is a traditional territorial sub-division of Sussex, formerly used for various administrative purposes. Their origin

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2838-483: Is celebrated annually on 16 June, the feast day of St Richard of Chichester , Sussex's patron saint , whose shrine at Chichester Cathedral was an important place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages . Sussex's motto, We wunt be druv , is a Sussex dialect expression meaning "we will not be pushed around" and reflects the traditionally independent nature of Sussex men and women. The round-headed rampion , also known as

2967-783: Is currently divided into Horsham railway station Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex , England. It is 37 miles 56 chains (60.7 km) down the line from London Bridge , measured via Redhill , on the Arun Valley Line and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines , and train services are provided by Southern and Thameslink . Services on the Sutton & Mole Valley Line from London Victoria via Dorking terminate here, as do Thameslink services from Peterborough via London Bridge. The other services continue into

3096-614: Is much higher than the UK average of 1,340 hours a year. Most of Sussex lies in hardiness zone 8; the exception is the coastal plain west of Brighton, which lies in the milder zone 9. Rainfall is below average with the heaviest precipitation on the South Downs with 950 mm (37 in) of rainfall per year. The close proximity of Sussex to the Continent of Europe, results in cold spells in winter and hot, humid weather in summer. The climate of

3225-428: Is reduced to 1 tph and runs to Bedford , instead of Peterborough. Mainline services are reduced to 1 tph and trains divide at Barnham instead of at Horsham. A small wooden motive power depot was built at the station in 1876. This was replaced by a brick-built ten-road semi-roundhouse together with a 46 ft (14 metre) turntable in 1880. This in turn was extended with a further eight-roads in 1900. In 1927

3354-617: Is the 20th-century north–south development on the A23 - Brighton line corridor , Sussex's main link to London. Sussex's population is dominated by the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation that, with a population of over 470,000, is home to almost 1 in 3 of Sussex's population. According to the ONS urban area populations for continuous built-up areas, these are the five largest conurbations: The combined population of Sussex as of 2021

3483-565: Is the highest point in Sussex, or county top . With a height of 248 metres (814 ft) Ditchling Beacon is the highest point in East Sussex. At 113 kilometres (70 miles) long, the River Medway is the longest river flowing through Sussex. The longest river entirely in Sussex is the River Arun , which is 60 kilometres (37 mi) long. Sussex's largest lakes are man-made reservoirs. The largest

3612-600: Is unknown, but they appear to predate the Norman Conquest Each rape was split into several hundreds and may be Romano-British or Anglo-Saxon in origin. At the time of the Norman Conquest, there were four rapes: Arundel, Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings. The rape of Bramber was created later in the 11th century and the rape of Chichester was created in the 13th century. Local government in Sussex has been subject to periodic review over time . Currently, Sussex

3741-555: The Adur valley but in the event Sir John Rennie 's proposed direct line through Three Bridges (in east Crawley ) and Haywards Heath was given parliamentary approval. As a result, the original Horsham station was the terminus of a single track branch line from Three Bridges opened by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in February 1848. Between 1859 and 1867, the station

3870-494: The American Revolution . Known as 'the radical duke', Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond , was an early supporter of parliamentary reform and US independence. Richard Cobden was a product of Sussex's rural radicalism, and became a campaigner for free trade and peace. Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was another influential radical from Sussex. At the beginning of the 19th century agricultural labourers' conditions took

3999-574: The Bishop of Chichester and the Earl of Gloucester . These three were to elect a council of nine, to govern until a permanent settlement could be reached. During the Hundred Years' War , Sussex found itself on the frontline, convenient both for intended invasions and retaliatory expeditions by licensed French pirates. Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea were all burnt during this period and all three towns became part of

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4128-530: The Catuvellauni , a tribe based around modern Hertfordshire. Much of Sussex was a Roman canton of the Regni , probably taking a similar area to the pre-Roman tribal area and kingdom. Its capital was at Noviomagus Reginorum , modern-day Chichester, close to the pre-Roman capital of the area, around Selsey. Sussex was home to the magnificent Roman Palace at Fishbourne , by far the largest Roman residence known north of

4257-602: The Cinque Ports , a loose federation for supplying ships for the country's security. Also at this time, Amberley and Bodiam castles were built to defend the upper reaches of navigable rivers. One of the impacts of the war and the Black Death , which killed around half of the population of Sussex, was the perceived injustice that led many Sussex people to participate in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. Coastal areas suffered most from

4386-618: The Hayling Railway , but it was leased to the LB&SCR in 1874. Following the 1862 agreement with the L&SWR, a line was built from near Pulborough to a junction with the West Sussex coast line near Ford in 1863. This provided a shorter LB&SCR route from London to Portsmouth via Three Bridges and Horsham. The Epsom and Leatherhead Railway was an independent line from the L&SW main line at Wimbledon through Epsom and Leatherhead towards Guildford . The LB&SCR entered into an agreement to share its station at Epsom and to use

4515-643: The Roman departure from Britain around 410 AD. The foundation legend of Sussex is provided by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , which states that in the year AD 477 Ælle landed with his three sons. Having fought on the banks of the Mearcredesburna , it seems Ælle secured the area between the Ouse and Cuckmere in a treaty. Traditionally this is thought to have been against native Britons, but it may have been to secure

4644-464: The South Eastern Main Line to Dover following the opening of the 'Sevenoaks cut off' line between St Johns and Tonbridge railway station . A ten-year agreement between the SER and the LB&SCR over the use of the station and lines to Coulsdon was signed 1 February 1869 and renewed ten years later. The collapse of the bankers Overend, Gurney and Company in 1866 and the financial crisis

4773-500: The South Eastern Railway (SER). There were two branch lines under construction at the time of the amalgamation: the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines from Croydon to Epsom (opened 10 May 1847), and the Arun Valley Line from Three Bridges to Horsham (opened 14 February 1848). The West Sussex coast line originated with a branch line from Brighton to Shoreham , opened 12 May 1840. This had been extended to Chichester by

4902-571: The South Saxons " (cf. Essex , Middlesex and Wessex ). The South Saxons were a Germanic tribe that settled in the region from the North German Plain during the 5th and 6th centuries. The earliest-known usage of the term South Saxons (Latin: Australes Saxones ) is in a royal charter of 689 which names them and their king, Noðhelm , although the term may well have been in use for some time before that. The monastic chronicler who wrote up

5031-481: The Southern Railway installed a 55 ft (16.8 metre) turntable. This depot was closed in 1964. Nearby is the type 13 signal box dating from 1938, which is also Grade II listed. It closed in 2005 when its controls were transferred to Three Bridges Integrated Electronic Control Centre. New services from Horsham have been introduced to destinations north of central London from December 2018. The new timetable

5160-540: The UK Parliament , Sussex is represented by 17 MPs. At the 2024 general election , 6 Labour and Labour Co-op MPs, 5 Conservative MPs, 5 Lib Dem MPs and 1 Green MP were elected from Sussex constituencies. Amongst top-tier local authorities, East and West Sussex County Councils are both held by the Conservatives and Brighton and Hove City Council is led by Labour. Amongst district councils, as of June 2024,

5289-596: The Weald were all part of changes as significant to Sussex as those brought by the neolithic period, by the Romans and the Saxons. Sussex also experienced the most radical and thorough reorganisation of land in England. The county's existing sub-divisions, known as rapes, were made into castleries and each territory was given to one of William's most trusted barons. Castles were built to defend

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5418-467: The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway (WEL&CPR), to construct a new line extending in a wide arc round south London from the LB&SCR Crystal Palace branch to Wandsworth in 1856 and to Battersea in 1858 with a temporary terminus at Battersea Pier. Shortly after this line was completed, the LB&SCR leased it from the WEL&CPR and incorporated it into its system. Between 1858 and 1860

5547-550: The West London Extension Joint Railway , jointly financed by the LB&SCR, L&SWR, GWR and the L&NWR, to permit goods transfers between the companies and cross-London passenger trains. This line was opened in 1863, and in the same year the LB&SCR and L&SWR jointly opened a large interchange station named Clapham Junction . The LB&SCR also operated passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Addison Road . The West Croydon to Wimbledon Line

5676-445: The union with Scotland two members represented the county in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. The Reform Act 1832 led to the disenfranchisement of some of the smaller Sussex boroughs and divided what had been a single county constituency into eastern and western divisions, with two representatives elected for each division. The reforms of

5805-609: The "Pride of Sussex", was adopted as Sussex's county flower in 2002. The physical geography of Sussex relies heavily on its lying on the southern part of the Wealden anticline , the major features of which are the high lands that cross the county in a west to east direction: the Weald itself and the South Downs . Natural England has identified the following seven national character areas in Sussex: At 280 metres (920 feet), Blackdown

5934-669: The 17th century, after which it began to decline. It also brought widespread deforestation of parts of the Sussex Weald. Henry VIII 's separation of the Church of England from Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries led to the demolition of Lewes Priory and Battle Abbey and the sites being given to Henry's supporters. The shrine to St Richard at Chichester Cathedral was also destroyed. Mary I returned England to Catholicism and in Sussex 41 Protestants were burned to death . Under Elizabeth I , religious intolerance continued albeit on

6063-413: The 19th century made the electoral system more representative, but it was not until 1928 that there was universal suffrage. There was a strong radical and republican tradition in Sussex from the 19th century. For most of the 20th century Sussex was a Conservative Party stronghold—from the 1906 to 1997 general elections the only seats in Sussex won by parties other than the Conservatives were in

6192-471: The 5th century; during Roman Britain the area was inhabited by the Regni tribe. In about 827, shortly after the Battle of Ellendun , Sussex was conquered by Wessex . From 860 it was ruled by the kings of Wessex , and in 927 it became part of the Kingdom of England . By the Norman period , Sussex was subdivided into six administrative districts known as rapes , which were themselves divided into hundreds . By

6321-515: The Alps. The Romans built villas, especially on the coastal plain and around Chichester, one of the best preserved being that at Bignor . Christianity first came to Sussex at this time, but faded away when the Romans left in the 5th century. The nationally important Patching hoard of Roman coins that was found in 1997 is the latest find of Roman coins found in Britain , probably deposited after 475 AD, well after

6450-478: The Arun Valley: a half-hourly service from London Victoria to Bognor Regis , and a half-hourly service to Portsmouth Harbour . These trains usually divide here with the front (Portsmouth) portion travelling fast (next stop Barnham ) and the rear (Bognor Regis) half providing stopping services. Horsham would have been an important midway point in two of the original proposals for a London to Brighton railway via

6579-777: The Black Death, and took longest to recover. Instead much economic activity in Sussex was focused on the Weald. Merchants moved north from the coastal towns and many Continental craftsmen, fleeing religious persecution, brought their expertise to the timber, iron, clothmaking and glass industries. Economic and social tensions continued for many years as Sussex people were also involved in Jack Cade 's rebellion of 1450, in which Cade may have been killed at Cade Street , near Heathfield. Demands grew more radical in Sussex in 1451 when John and William Merfold advocated rule by common people. They also demanded that Henry VI be deposed and publicly incited

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6708-456: The Brighton main line at Keymer Junction near Haywards Heath to the Brighton–Lewes line was under construction at the time of amalgamation, opening in October 1847. A short line from New Cross to Deptford Wharf , proposed by the L&CR, was approved in July 1846, shortly before amalgamation, but was not opened until 2 July 1849. The use of this line for passengers would have contravened

6837-425: The Brighton mainline at the LB&SCR Godstone Road station (later renamed Caterham Junction). Both companies objected to the other operating the branch line, which resulted in a delay of a year between the completion of the work and the opening of the line in 1856. Their failure to agree on such matters as through ticketing quickly drove the independent company into bankruptcy. Even after the SER took over running of

6966-510: The L&CR and L&BR who were dissatisfied with the early returns from their investments. The LB&SCR existed for 76 years until 31 December 1922, when it was wound up as a result of the Railways Act 1921 and merged with the London and South Western Railway and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway to form the Southern Railway . (Dates of opening from F. Burtt The Locomotives of

7095-475: The L&SWR from Fareham in October 1848. In 1853 the Direct Portsmouth Railway gained parliamentary authority to build a line from Godalming to Havant with the intention of the company selling itself either to the L&SWR or the LB&SCR. This scheme would provide a far more direct route to Portsmouth but involved sharing the LB&SCR tracks for the five miles (8 km) between Havant and

7224-413: The LB&SCR built a line from Peckham Rye roughly parallel to the main line, through East Dulwich , Tulse Hill , Streatham and Mitcham to Sutton and Epsom Downs , which opened in October 1868. Relations between the LB&SCR and the SER and the interpretation of the 1848 agreement continued to be difficult throughout the 1850s and 1860s. They reached a low point in 1863 when the SER produced

7353-518: The LB&SCR gradually recovered its financial health during the early 1870s. As a result, all construction of lines was suspended. Three important projects then under construction were abandoned: the Ouse Valley Railway , its extension to St Leonards, and the Surrey and Sussex Junction Railway . The line between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne was shelved until the financial situation improved. For

7482-775: The LB&SCR was a major shareholder in the Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway (VS&PR), together with the East Kent Railway (later the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR)), the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). This enterprise constructed the Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames at Battersea and the line to the Victoria Station , thereby creating

7611-427: The LB&SCR was anxious in case the SER should venture into this territory. As a result, in 1864 it sought powers to build a line between these two towns. It also obtained powers for the Ouse Valley Railway , from the south of Balcombe and north of Haywards Heath on the Brighton main line to Uckfield and Hailsham ; an extension to St Leonards was also approved in May 1865. However, some work had been carried out by

7740-401: The LB&SCR was bounded by the South Eastern Railway (SER)—later one component of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR)—which provided an alternative route to Bexhill , St Leonards-on-Sea , and Hastings . The LB&SCR had the most direct routes from London to the south coast seaside resorts of Brighton , Eastbourne , Worthing , Littlehampton and Bognor Regis , and to

7869-445: The LB&SCR, others by independent local companies set up with the intention of connecting a town to the railway network with the intention of sale or lease to the LB&SCR. Schuster accelerated the rate of mileage increase after appointing Frederick Banister as Chief Engineer in 1860. As a result, a further 177 miles (285 km) were constructed or authorised between 1857 and 1865. Schuster also encouraged an independent concern,

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7998-427: The Lib Dems had a majority in three local authorities ( Chichester , Eastbourne and Horsham ) and the Labour Party had a majority in three local authorities ( Adur , Crawley and Worthing ). Of the six local authorities in no overall control , one had a minority Green administration ( Hastings ), one was run by a Lib Dem-Labour-Green coalition ( Arun ), one was run by a Green-Labour coalition ( Lewes ), one as run by

8127-422: The London Brighton and South Coast Railway 1839–1903 .) At the time of its creation the LB&SCR had around 170 route miles (274 km) in existence or under construction, consisting of three main routes and a number of branches. The main line to Brighton from London Bridge opened in 1841. The sections between Corbett's Lane ( New Cross ) and London Bridge and between Croydon and Redhill were shared with

8256-564: The London to Brighton main line, which they purchased from Leo Schuster . The Crystal Palace became a major tourist attraction and the LB&SCR built a branch line from Sydenham to the new site, which was opened in June 1854, and enlarged London Bridge station to handle the additional traffic. The attraction proved to be an enormous success with 10,000 passengers conveyed daily to and from the new branch. On one day in 1859, 112,000 people were conveyed to Crystal Place by train, 70,000 of which from London Bridge. Samuel Laing retired as chairman at

8385-406: The Roman army under Julius Caesar that temporarily occupied south-eastern Britain in 55 BC. Soon after the first Roman invasion had ended, the Celtic Regni tribe under their leader Commius initially occupied the Manhood Peninsula . Eppillus , Verica and Cogidubnus followed Commius as rulers of the Regni or southern Atrebates, a region which included most of Sussex, with their capital in

8514-427: The SER attempts at building a line to the west end , the LB&SCR agreement to let the LC&DR use its goods facilities at Bricklayers Arms , and the perennial problem of the shared main line between Redhill and Croydon . The most flagrant example of the lack of cooperation between the two companies, however, was with respect to the independent Caterham Railway , which ran in South Eastern territory, but joined

8643-400: The SER never took effect but remained under active consideration by both parties, and later involved the LC&DR. It was not until 1875 that the idea was dropped, after the SER pulled out of negotiations due to the conditions imposed by Parliament on the proposed merger. The LB&SCR continued as an independent railway but the SER and LCDR eventually formed a working relationship in 1899 with

8772-420: The Selsey area. A number of archaeologists now think there is a strong possibility that the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43 started around Fishbourne and Chichester Harbour rather than the traditional landing place of Richborough in Kent. According to this theory, the Romans were called to restore the refugee Verica , a king whose capital was in the Selsey and Chichester area, who had been driven out by

8901-412: The Sussex Downs were the location of the Battle of Lewes , in which Simon de Montfort and his fellow barons captured Prince Edward (later Edward I ), the son and heir of Henry III . The subsequent treaty, known as the Mise of Lewes , led to Montfort summoning the first parliament in English history without any prior royal authorisation. A provisional administration was set up, consisting of Montfort,

9030-440: The Wealden iron industry was strategically important to both sides. In 1642 there was a skirmish at Haywards Heath when Royalists marching towards Lewes were intercepted by local Parliamentarians . The Royalists were routed with around 200 killed or taken prisoner. Shortly after there were sieges at Chichester and Arundel , and a smaller battle at Bramber Bridge . Despite its being under Parliamentarian control, Charles II

9159-400: The amalgamation of a number of railway companies: Only the first two were independent operating railways: the Brighton and Chichester and the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings had been purchased by the L&BR in 1845, and the Croydon and Epsom was largely owned by the L&CR.) The amalgamation was brought about, against the wishes of the boards of directors of the companies, by shareholders in

9288-578: The area east of the Saxon Shore fort of Anderida from the influence of the Kingdom of Kent, with whom the South Saxons may have had occasional disputes. Ælle was recognised as the first ' Bretwalda ' or overlord of southern Britain. He was probably the most senior of the Anglo-Saxon kings and led the ill-fated campaign against King Arthur at Mount Badon . By the 7th century, South Saxon kings were ruling from sites around Selsey (the pre-Roman capital of

9417-457: The area) and Chichester (the Roman capital of the area) initially with similar borders to the pre-Roman kingdom and Roman canton. For much of the 7th and 8th centuries, Sussex suffered attempts at invasion from the Kingdom of Wessex to its west. King Æðelwealh formed an alliance with Christian Mercia against Wessex, becoming Sussex's first Christian king. With support from St Wilfrid , Sussex became

9546-456: The armistice to be offered to Germany at the end of World War I were agreed at a meeting at Danny House , Hurstpierpoint . With the declaration of World War II , Sussex found itself part of the country's frontline with its airfields playing a key role in the Battle of Britain and with its towns being some of the most frequently bombed. Sussex was garrisoned by multiple British and Canadian Army units from 1940 until at least May 1942. During

9675-399: The branch in 1859, the squabbling and bloody mindedness continued to the great detriment of the passengers. Eventually the matters reached the leader columns of The Times newspaper in 1862 before the companies would negotiate with one another. The chronic congestion over the shared line between East Croydon railway station and Redhill eased after 1 May 1868 when the route ceased to be on

9804-412: The breadline and receiving regular relief. Socially acceptable crimes, including protest, riot, collective action and smuggling were commonplace in Sussex and were seen by many as a legitimate way to address grievances and assert freedoms. At this time, Sussex became a centre for radicalism . Thomas Paine developed his political ideas in Lewes, and later wrote Common Sense which was influential in

9933-521: The ceremonial counties of East and West Sussex in 1974. Boundaries were changed and a large part of the rape of Lewes was transferred from the eastern division into West Sussex, along with Gatwick Airport, historically part of the county of Surrey. From 1290, Sussex returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England . Each county returned two MPs and each borough designated by Royal charter also returned two MPs. After

10062-440: The coastal districts is strongly influenced by the sea, which, because of its tendency to warm up slower than land, can result in cooler temperatures than inland in the summer. In the autumn months, the coast sometimes has higher temperatures. Rainfall during the summer months is mainly from thunderstorms and thundery showers; from January to March the heavier rainfall is due to prevailing south-westerly frontal systems. In winter,

10191-458: The constituencies of Brighton and Brighton Kemptown . Since 1997 there has been a gradual shift to the left, especially in more urban areas. This has been most notable in Brighton and Hove, where in Brighton Pavilion the UK's first Green MP, Caroline Lucas , was elected in 2010 and the UK's first Green-led local authority was elected in 2011. In the House of Commons , the lower house of

10320-520: The county. The population of Sussex was 550,446 in 1891 and 605,202 in 1901. Finds at Eartham Pit in Boxgrove show that the area has some of the earliest hominid remains in Europe, dating back some 500,000 years and known as Boxgrove Man or Homo heidelbergensis . At a site near Pulborough called The Beedings, tools have been found that date from around 35,000 years ago and that are thought to be from either

10449-581: The dredging of the channel and other improvements to the harbour between 1850 and 1878, to enable it to be used by larger cross-channel ferries, and in 1863 the LB&SCR and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest introduced the Newhaven–Dieppe passenger service. In 1878 the railway formed and underwrote the Newhaven Harbour Company and thereafter delegated responsibility for its operation to it. Largely as

10578-512: The east winds can be as cold as further inland. Selsey is known as a tornado hotspot, with small tornadoes hitting the town in 1986, 1998 and 2000, with the 1998 tornado causing an estimated £10 million of damage to 1,000 buildings. Most of Sussex's population is distributed in an east–west line along the English Channel coast or on the east–west line of the A272 . The exception to this pattern

10707-726: The eastern Mediterranean. Sussex is rich in remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages , in particular the Bronze Age barrows known as the Devil's Jumps and Cissbury Ring , one of Britain's largest hillforts. Towards the end of the Iron Age in 75 BC people from the Atrebates , one of the tribes of the Belgae , a mix of Celtic and German stock, invaded and occupied southern Britain. This was followed by an invasion by

10836-493: The emblem and the county, rather than being the inventor of the association. It is now firmly regarded that the county emblem originated and derived from the coat of arms of the 14th-century Knight of the Shire , Sir John de Radynden . Sussex's six martlets are today held to symbolise the traditional six sub-divisions of the county known as rapes . Sussex by the Sea is regarded as

10965-403: The end of 1855 to pursue a political career, and was replaced by the merchant banker Leo Schuster , who had previously sold his 300-acre (120 ha) estate on Sydenham Hill to the new Crystal Palace Company. Schuster instituted a policy of rapidly expanding the route mileage of the railway with new routes throughout south London, Sussex, and east Surrey. Some of these were financed and built by

11094-511: The end of 1866, but not completed. In West Sussex the Horsham branch was extended to Pulborough and Petworth in 1859. In 1861 a line was built from near Horsham to Shoreham , providing a direct link to Brighton. Branches were built from the West Sussex coast line to Littlehampton in 1863, to connect with a new cross-channel ferry service, to Bognor Regis in 1864, and to Hayling Island in 1867. The line from Havant to Hayling had been built by

11223-574: The entry classifying the invasion seems to have got his dates wrong; recent scholars have suggested he might have been a quarter of a century too late. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Sussex is recorded as Sudsexe . Three United States counties (in Delaware , New Jersey and Virginia ), and a former county/land division of Western Australia , are named after Sussex. The flag of Sussex consists of six gold martlets , or heraldic swallows , on

11352-520: The financial recovery lay in the exploitation of London suburban traffic. By the late 1880s the LB&SCR had developed the largest suburban network of any British railway, with 68 route miles (109 km) in the suburbs in addition to its main lines, in three routes between London Bridge and Victoria: the South London line , the outer South London Line and the Crystal Palace lines , and the LB&SCR

11481-411: The first years of its operation, other than to complete those projects that were already in hand. The L&BR had experienced difficult relations with the SER where the companies shared facilities, notably at Redhill and Hastings and on the approaches to London Bridge ). In October 1849 the SER acquired the new Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway (RG&RR) line , which the LB&SCR regarded as

11610-453: The floor space needed to create the new features and new ceiling and lights and so completing a complete reconfiguration of the layout. Services at Horsham are operated by Southern and Thameslink using Class 377 and 700 EMUs . The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is: On Sundays, the service to London Victoria via Epsom does not run. In addition, the Thameslink service

11739-652: The following September from Heathfield to Eridge , and later known as the Cuckoo Line . Sussex Sussex ( /ˈsʌsɪks/ ; from the Old English Sūþseaxe ; lit.  ' South Saxons '; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England which was historically a kingdom and, later, a county . It includes the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex . The area borders the English Channel to

11868-422: The following year brought the LB&SCR to the brink of bankruptcy. A special meeting of shareholders was adjourned, and the powers of the board of directors were suspended pending receipt of a report into the financial affairs of the company and its prospects. The report made clear that the LB&SCR had overextended itself with large capital projects sustained by profits from passengers, which suddenly declined as

11997-723: The formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway . One new line to which the LB&SCR was committed was the East London Railway , a consortium of six railway companies: the Great Eastern Railway (GER); the LB&SCR; the LC&DR; the SER; the Metropolitan Railway; and the District Railway. It sought to reuse the Thames Tunnel , built by Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel between 1825 and 1843. A line

12126-567: The joint line to Portsea. The LB&SCR objected to the scheme but the L&SWR negotiated with the new company and in December 1858 sought to operate a train over the new route. The LB&SCR attempted to prevent the use of its tracks and the so-called 'battle of Havant' ensued. The matter was eventually resolved in the courts in August 1859, and relations between the railways were formalized in agreements of 1860 and 1862. Samuel Laing had also approved

12255-456: The killing of the nobility and clergy. The Wealden iron industry expanded rapidly, especially after the first blast furnace arrived in Sussex in 1496, from the Low Countries , which greatly improved efficiency. Skilled Flemish workers moved to Sussex, followed again by Huguenot craftsmen from France, who brought new techniques. The industry was strategically important and flourished into

12384-457: The last Neanderthals in northern Europe or pioneer populations of modern humans. The thriving population lived by hunting game such as horses, bison, mammoths and woolly rhinos . Around 6000 BC the ice sheet over the North Sea melted, sea levels rose and the meltwaters burst south and westwards, creating the English Channel and cutting the people of Sussex off from their Mesolithic kinsmen to

12513-453: The last major Anglo Saxon kingdom to become Christian. South Saxon and Mercian forces took control of what is now east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Cædwalla of Wessex killed Æðelwealh and "ravaged Sussex by fierce slaughter and devastation". The South Saxons forced Cædwalla from Sussex and were able to lead a campaign into Kent , replacing its king. At this time Sussex could have re-emerged into

12642-616: The lead up to the Dieppe Raid and D-Day landings, the people of Sussex were witness to the buildup of military personnel and materials, including the assembly of landing crafts and construction of Mulberry harbours off the county's coast. In the post-war era, the New Towns Act 1946 designated Crawley as the site of a new town . As part of the Local Government Act 1972 , the eastern and western divisions of Sussex were made into

12771-545: The line as far as Leatherhead. The line opened in August 1859 and in 1860 this portion was transferred to the joint ownership of the LB&SCR and the L&SWR. The LB&SCR then bought the Banstead and Epsom Downs Railway, which was building a branch line from Sutton to Epsom Downs for Epsom Downs Racecourse , opened in May 1865. The LB&SCR wished to connect Horsham with significant towns in Surrey, and in 1865 it opened

12900-493: The next decade, projects were limited to additional spurs or junctions in London and Brighton to enhance the operation of the network, or small-scale ventures in conjunction with other railway companies. The latter included a short line from Streatham through Tooting to Wimbledon in 1868, and a connection from Portsmouth Town to Portsmouth Harbour in 1876, both jointly with the L&SWR. The proposed 'working cooperation' with

13029-404: The original L&CR station in 1842. For the first few years of its existence, LB&SCR trains used the L&GR lines from Corbett's Lane into London, but by 1849 the viaducts had been widened sufficiently for its own tracks. The LB&SCR inherited from the L&CR running powers to the smaller SER passenger terminus at Bricklayers Arms . Poorly sited for passengers, it closed in 1852 and

13158-511: The ports of Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea . It served the inland towns and cities of Chichester , Horsham , East Grinstead and Lewes , and jointly served Croydon , Tunbridge Wells (preserved as the Spa Valley Railway ), Dorking and Guildford . At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines emanating from London Bridge and Victoria , and shared interests in two cross-London lines. The LB&SCR

13287-467: The recently negotiated agreement with the SER that the LB&SCR would not operate lines to the east of its main line, and it was restricted to goods. A short branch from this line to the nearby Surrey Commercial Docks in Rotherhithe opened in July 1855. The main London terminus was the L&CR station at London Bridge , built by the London and Greenwich Railway (L&GR) in 1836, and exchanged for

13416-526: The sixteenth century, the eastern three rapes and the western three rapes had been combined for most meetings of the court of quarter sessions , a division which was reinforced when the administrative counties of East Sussex and West Sussex were established in 1889. Subsequent local government reforms maintained the division into east and west. The county retained a single lord lieutenant and sheriff until 1974, when they were replaced with separate posts for East and West Sussex and Sussex lost its status as

13545-581: The south, and the ceremonial counties of Surrey to the north, Kent to the north-east, and Hampshire to the west. Sussex contains the city of Brighton and Hove and its wider city region , as well as the South Downs National Park and the National Landscapes of the High Weald and Chichester Harbour . Its coastline is 137 miles (220 km) long. The Kingdom of Sussex emerged in

13674-577: The south. Later in the Neolithic period, the area of the South Downs above Worthing was one of Britain's largest and most important flint -mining centres. The flints were used to help fell trees for agriculture. The oldest of these mines, at Church Hill in Findon, has been carbon-dated to 4500 BC to 3750 BC, making it one of the earliest known mines in Britain. Flint tools from Cissbury have been found as far away as

13803-416: The station frontage was closed to undergo extensive refurbishment work to the main ticket hall. It reopened late in 2012 with a new side entrance, internal lift access, relocated barriers and stairway, a new ticket office, and new information screens. The platforms received a rebuild of the roofing and refurbished waiting rooms. Previously, the building was shared with Henfield Hire, who vacated in order to give

13932-537: The territories including at Arundel, Bramber, Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings. Sussex's bishop, Æthelric II , was deposed and imprisoned and replaced with William the Conqueror's personal chaplain, Stigand . The Normans also built Chichester Cathedral and moved the seat of Sussex's bishopric from Selsey to Chichester. The Normans also founded new towns in Sussex, including New Shoreham (the centre of modern Shoreham-by-Sea), Battle, Arundel, Uckfield and Winchelsea. In 1264,

14061-484: The time of the amalgamation, and a further extension to Havant was under construction (opened 15 March 1847), with the ultimate aim of extending the line to Portsmouth. The East Sussex coast line from Brighton to Lewes and St Leonards-on-Sea , with running powers over the SER to Hastings , opened 27 June 1846, one month before the amalgamation, with branches to Newhaven (opened 8 December 1847), Eastbourne and Hailsham (opened 14 May 1849). A connecting spur from

14190-461: The two railways. Under this agreement the LB&SCR would have free access to London Bridge, Bricklayers Arms station and goods yard, and Hastings. The SER would have free use of the New Cross to Croydon line, and receive revenues from passengers at intermediate stations, but would not make or work competing lines to Brighton, Horsham, Chichester or Portsmouth. In 1847 the naval dockyard of Portsmouth

14319-588: The unofficial anthem of Sussex; it was composed by William Ward-Higgs in 1907, perhaps originally from the lyrics of Rudyard Kipling 's poem entitled Sussex . Adopted by the Royal Sussex Regiment and popularised in World War I , it is sung at celebrations across the county, including those at Lewes Bonfire , and at sports matches, including those of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club and Sussex County Cricket Club . The county day, called Sussex Day ,

14448-501: The unrest continued until 1832 and became known as the Swing Riots . During World War I , on 30 June 1916, the Royal Sussex Regiment took part in the Battle of the Boar's Head at Richebourg-l'Avoué . The day subsequently became known as The Day Sussex Died . Within five hours the 17 officers and 349 men were killed, and 1,000 men were wounded or taken prisoner. In 1918 the terms of

14577-639: Was able to journey through the county after the Battle of Worcester in 1651 to make his escape to France from the port of Shoreham. In 1681 Charles II granted William Penn lands in what became Pennsylvania and Delaware . Amongst those whom he carried to North America as colonists were 200 people from Sussex, mostly Quakers, who founded settlements named after places in Sussex including Lewes and Seaford in Sussex County , Delaware and Horsham Township and Chichester in Pennsylvania. The Sussex coast

14706-453: Was able to embark upon new railway building and improvements to infrastructure. Some new lines passed through sparsely populated areas and merely provided shorter connections to towns that were already on the railway network, and so were unlikely to be profitable, but the LB&SCR found itself under pressure from local communities wanting a rail connection, and was frightened that they would otherwise be developed by rivals. The main reason for

14835-533: Was about 1.7 million. In 2021, Sussex had a population density of 451 per km , higher than the average for England of 434 per km . The decline of the Sussex ironworks probably accounts for the small increase in population during several centuries, although after the Massacre of St Bartholomew upwards of 1,500 Huguenots landed at Rye, and in 1685, after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes , many more refugees were added to

14964-525: Was being approached by two equally indirect routes from London, both under construction: a L&SWR route via Fareham and the former Brighton and Chichester Railway route from Havant . The two companies entered into an agreement in that year to share a line from Cosham on the mainland to Portsea Island , ending at the centre of Portsmouth town . Further progress towards the dockyard was prevented by Admiralty objections. The LB&SCR began its services between Chichester and Portsmouth, on 14 June 1847, and

15093-444: Was built as an independent railway joining the LB&SCR and the L&SWR main lines and opened in October 1855. For a few months it was operated under contract by its engineer George Parker Bidder but in 1856 it was leased to the LB&SCR who purchased it in 1858. At the same time, the LB&SCR was cooperating with the LC&DR to create the South London line between its terminuses at London Bridge and Victoria. The LC&DR

15222-551: Was built by the Southern Railway in the International Modern Style in 1938 to coincide with the electrification of the line. The building was designed by James Robb Scott and is grade II listed, see external links below. The lines to Guildford and Shoreham both fell victim to the Beeching Axe in the mid-1960s, the former being closed to passengers on 14 June 1965 and the latter on 7 March 1966. In September 2011,

15351-399: Was converted into a goods station. The LB&SCR owned three stations at Croydon, later East Croydon (former L&BR) Central Croydon and West Croydon (former L&CR). The L&CR had been partially operated by the atmospheric principle between Croydon and Forest Hill , as the first phase of a scheme to use this mode of operation between London and Epsom . However, following

15480-415: Was defeated and Harold was killed. It is likely that all the fighting men of Sussex were at the battle, as the county's thegns were decimated and any that survived had their lands confiscated. William built Battle Abbey at the site of the battle, with the exact spot where Harold fell marked by the high altar. Sussex experienced some of the greatest changes of any English county under the Normans, for it

15609-516: Was earning more from season tickets than any other British railway. Thus an official return showed that the railway had operated more than 100,000 passenger trains from April to June 1889, more than any other company operating only in southern England. The scheme to link Eastbourne with Tunbridge Wells was revived in April 1879 with the opening of a line connecting the Hailsham branch to Heathfield , completed

15738-496: Was enlarged on several occasions to coincide with the doubling of the branch line from Three Bridges; the extension of the railway from Horsham along the Arun Valley Line ; the opening of new lines from Horsham to Shoreham via Steyning and from Christ's Hospital to Guildford . Finally, in 1867, a new route to Dorking , Leatherhead and thence to London, was opened. The station was again partially rebuilt and resignalled, with three signal boxes, in 1875. The present station

15867-526: Was formed by a merger of five companies in 1846, and merged with the L&SWR, the SE&;CR and several minor railway companies in southern England under the Railways Act 1921 to form the Southern Railway from 1 January 1923. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) was formed by an act of Parliament , the London and Brighton Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxxxii), on 27 July, through

15996-410: Was greatly modified by the social movement of sea bathing for health which became fashionable among the wealthy in the second half of the 18th century. Resorts developed all along the coast, including at Brighton, Hastings, Worthing, and Bognor. Poverty increased and by 1801 Sussex had the highest poor law rates in England, with 23 per cent of its population (37,000 people out of 160,000) living on

16125-405: Was proceeded with. Following the opening of the branch from Lewes to Newhaven , the LB&SCR sought to develop a shorter Continental route from London to Paris via Dieppe , in competition with the SER routes from Dover to Calais and Folkestone to Boulogne . The LB&SCR built its wharf and warehousing facilities on the east side of the river, with Newhaven Harbour station . It funded

16254-524: Was still 10 to 25 per cent lower than it had been in 1066. It was also during the Norman period that Sussex achieved its greatest importance in comparison with other English counties. Sussex was on the main route between England and Normandy , and the lands of the Anglo-Norman nobility in what is now western France. The growth in Sussex's population, the importance of its ports and the increased colonisation of

16383-434: Was the heartland of King Harold and was potentially vulnerable to further invasion. In the immediate aftermath of the Normans' landing at Pevensey and the Battle of Hastings and to put an end to any rebellion, the Norman army destroyed estates and other assets on their route through Sussex, leading to a 40 per cent reduction in Sussex's wealth, a situation worse than any other southern or midland county. By 1086 wealth in Sussex

16512-677: Was therefore built between the LB&SCR at New Cross and Wapping with a link to the GER main line, in March 1869. It was primarily intended for goods transfer between these railways, but the LB&SCR introduced a passenger service between Liverpool Street Station and Croydon. By the mid-1870s the LB&SCR had recovered its financial stability through a policy of encouraging the more intensive use of lines and reducing operating costs. Between 1870 and 1889 annual revenue rose from £1.3 million to £2.4 million, whilst its operating costs rose from £650,000 to just over £1 million. The LB&SCR

16641-587: Was used from Victoria to Brixton , followed by new construction by the LB&SCR through Denmark Hill , and Peckham to the main line to London Bridge at South Bermondsey . During 1858, a branch line was built from Lewes to Uckfield , extended to Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells in 1868. In 1864 the Newhaven branch was extended to Seaford . The East Grinstead line was extended in 1866 to Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells . A large area in East Sussex between Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne remained without railways, and

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