Ardingly

Ardingly
Ardingly Church
Area	16.09 km2 (6.21 sq mi)
Population	1,833  2001 Census
• Density	Template:Pop density km2 to mi2
OS grid reference	TQ348294
• London	31 miles (50 km) N
Civil parish	Ardingly
District	Mid Sussex
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAYWARDS HEATH
Postcode district	RH17
Dialling code	01444
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Mid Sussex

Ardingly (Template:PronEng, "Arding-lye") is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies 33 miles (53 km) south of London, 14 miles (23 km) north of Brighton, and 33 miles (53 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester on the B2028 road, The parish covers an area of 1609.08 hectares (3974 acres). In the 2001 census 1833 people lived in 627 households of whom 830 were economically active. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the south, Crawley to the northwest and East Grinstead east northeast. The village lies approximately halfway between London and the coastal city of Brighton.

This area is part of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the High Weald.

Points of interest are the Ardingly Reservoir and the extensive grounds of "Kew in the Country" at Wakehurst Place. St Peter's Church, situated towards the western end of the village, dates from the 14th century. The rock formation of Big-Upon-Little lies close to a footpath between Ardingly and Horsted Keynes.

Jon Snow, the television newscaster, was born in Ardingly.

Events

This rural village is quiet for most of the year with notable exceptions being the month of June in which two major events take place. The South of England Agricultural show in early June and the London to Brighton cycle event (usually held on Father's Day) attract visitors from across the country. Also small scale Field Social events are known to occur in fields close to Ardingly Reservoir, though are usually not approved by local authorities. The South of England showground hosts regular antiques fairs, which are often featured on the BBC TV game show Bargain Hunt. Every four years an international scout camp is held on the showground, when about 3000 scouts from West Sussex and around the world come to Ardingly. The most recent event called WS2008 (West Sussex 2008) was held in August 2008.

Educational Establishments

At the southern edge of the village lies Ardingly College, a well-known independent school. The village also has a state primary school, St. Peters CE which has approximately 100 pupils. Most secondary school age children attend Oathall Community College in Haywards Heath.

Transport

See also: Ardingly railway station

Ardingly Inn

Ardingly is served by an infrequent bus service to the nearby towns of Haywards Heath and Crawley.

Ardingly station was opened 1 October 1864 by LBSCR. It was electrified in the 1930s, but low traffic levels and the rise of the car was the line closed 28 October 1963. The goods yard and connection to the main line remained open as an ARC Aggregates terminal. The nearby Bluebell Railway owns the spur to the old station and has long term aspirations to re-open the line.

External links

• South of England Agricultural Society
• Ardingly College
• St. Peters CE Primary School
• Ardingly Football Club
• Big-Upon-Little
• Ardingly Overview
• Ardingly Cricket Club
• Ardingly Rowing Club