Facts about Crowborough
General Info
Crowborough is the largest and highest inland town in East Sussex . It is a civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. It is situated in the Weald, at the edge of Ashdown Forest, in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 miles (53 km) south of London. It has road and rail links and is served by a town council. It is the most populous inland town in East Sussex, with over 25,000 people.
History
Various derivations for the town’s name have been put forward. Early local documents give the names Crohbergh, Crowbergh, Croweborowghe, Crowbarrow and Crowboro. Croh in Old English meant saffron or golden-yellow colour, and berg meant hill. Gorse grows in profusion in the Crowborough Beacon area, and its yellow flowers might well have contributed to the meaning.
In 1734 Sir Henry Fermor, a local benefactor, bequeathed money for a church and charity school for the benefit of the “very ignorant and heathenish people” that lived in the part of Rotherfield “in or near a place called Crowborough and Ashdown Forest”. The church, dedicated to All Saints, and primary school still survive today.
The railway arrived in 1868, leading to significant growth of the town. By 1880, the town had grown so much that the ecclesiastical parish of All Saints was separated from that of St Denys, Rotherfield.
In the late 19th century Crowborough was promoted as a health resort based on its high elevation, the rolling hills and surrounding forest. Estate Agents even called it “Scotland in Sussex”. The town’s golf course opened in 1895, followed by a fire station and hospital in 1900]
From 1942 to 1982, a site near Crowborough hosted notable radio transmitters, including the Aspidistra transmitter during World War II and, after the war, the BBC External Service broadcasts to Europe transmitters.
