Roedean and Rottingdean

Balsdean

Reproduced with permission from the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder, 1990

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

Balsdean, 'Beald's valley', was an isolated hamlet in the northernmost part of the Saltdean valley to the east of Woodingdean. Although it was part of the parish of Rottingdean, Balsdean formed a separate chapelry covering 1,559 acres {107} which joined the rest of the parish only at a single point on High Hill. The 792-acre manor of Balsdean, which also included the manor of Bazehill by the eighteenth century, was acquired in July 1925 by Brighton Corporation, and the entire area was annexed by the county borough on 1 April 1928.

The hamlet had become somewhat depopulated by this time and consisted of two farms: Norton Farm, and the manorial Sutton Farm which had a charming farmhouse of about 1790. There were also two cottages, a few outbuildings, and a Norman chapel which was being used as a barn. During the Second World War however, the valley was occupied by the military and the buildings were used for target practice, resulting in the complete destruction of Sutton Farm and outbuildings; the rubble was cleared at the end of the conflict and a new Balsdean Farm was erected on High Hill to the south. The Balsdean valley is now peacefully deserted apart from the three ruined barns of Norton Farm and the nearby water-pumping station, built in 1936.

The medieval chapel of Balsdean was probably erected between 1121 and 1147, a small, flint building about 35 feet long and 20 feet wide with a window and door in the northern wall. The chancel, which extended for another 17 feet, was destroyed at an unknown date to leave only the nave standing with the chancel arch bricked up. As late as 1579 the Vicar of Rottingdean was required to conduct a service at Balsdean Chapel four times a year, but by 1780 it was in use as a barn or stable. It may also have been used as a cottage at some stage as extra doors and windows were added at a later date and the roof was thatched. It was partially rebuilt in the latter eighteenth century and was still in use as a farm outbuilding until it was destroyed during the military occupation. The site was excavated after the war when three graves and some pottery were found, but the chapel is now marked only by a plaque set in a boulder on a grass bank on the western side of the bridleway leading south from Norton Farm.

To the north of Balsdean lies Castle Hill, the site of an earthwork enclosure which is now a protected ancient monument. Castle Hill is also home to an area of uncultivated downland stretching westward to include Falmer and Newmarket Bottoms; this area has been designated a site of special scientific interest and a national nature reserve in order to preserve the natural downland grasses, flowers, and other flora and associated fauna which are typical of the increasingly rare unpastured and uncultivated land of the South Downs. The site is accessed by permission only from the bridleway from Balsdean to Newmarket Hill via Falmer Bottom. {306,311}

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.

The following resource(s) is quoted as a general source for the information above: {1,193,305}