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Introduction

Newick is a medium sized village situated in the Low Weald of East Sussex. Once a rural agricultural village its name derived from the Saxon "wic" - dairy farm and the Norman "niwe" - new. It stands on the A272 almost exactly half way between Canterbury and Winchester, hence giving credence in the eyes of some people to the village fable that it lies on the ancient pilgrims’ way. This suggested route would have been an impossible trek many hundreds of years ago, mainly due to the Wealden clay. The main pilgrims’ route was further inland on the high ground on the south side of the North Downs. Haywards Heath is 7 miles to the west and Uckfield is 5 miles to the east. Newick is situated within the area served by Lewes District Council and is 9 miles from Lewes, the county town of East Sussex.

The ancient town of Lewes, dominated by its Norman castle, is the site of the battle of Lewes in which King Henry III was defeated by Simon de Montfort’s army in 1264. Simon’s army passed through Newick going to and from the battle having camped in Fletching on the night before the battle.

Newick predates the Doomsday Book although it is not recorded in it, possibly because the village was, in those days, buried in the dense Ashdown forest. Certainly there was a church here in the 11^th Century.

Copies of “A Pictorial History of Newick”, “Newick Retold”, “A Victorian Diary of Newick” and “A History of Newick Church” are on sale in the Post Office and Church or can be obtained through the Parish Council.

Newick has two churches, the Parish Church of St. Mary in the South East of the Village and a non-conformist chapel (Mission Hall) in Western Road (the A272) although this is presently closed.

There are three public houses, all historic buildings in their own ways. The Bull Inn, once the Bull and Butcher, then the King of Prussia’s Head, and also named the Crown stands on the Village Green. The Royal Oak is reputed to have been a manor house in the 16^thCentury. The Crown is an old coaching inn surviving from the days when the King’s Highway was in what is now Blind Lane.

The centre of the village is the Village Green with its pump built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Surrounding it are houses & shops in a variety of styles and ages.

A great expansion of the Village took place in the late 1960's & early 1970's using the old fruit growing land between the main road and Allington road. The subsequent increase in population from 1000 to 2500 was undoubtedly a major factor in providing and maintaining enough support for local shops and services.

Newick boasts a chemist, a Post Office, two small supermarkets with off-licence and which sell newspapers, a butcher, a bakery, an estate agents, two hairdressers, physio and chiropodist. There is a garage and service station, a Tandoori Restaurant and Newick Park Country Hotel.

Newick is justly proud of its Health Centre with six doctors, practice nurses, health visitors, psychiatric nurse and district nurses. The Health Centre also houses a community centre which serves as a day centre for senior citizens twice a week. The Village play group achieved "outstanding" OFSTED status in 2011

The residents with young families are also fortunate in having a modern Primary School of high educational standards having also achieved OFSTED "outstanding" status in 2011. The school also has superb grounds overlooking the South Downs.

In recent years the spacious Village Hall has undergone a major transformation to bring it up to modern standards. This included the provision of disabled access, a new heating system, re-flooring of the hall area and resurfacing of the car park. It is the venue for dances, jumble sales, wedding receptions and theatrical productions by NADS (the Newick Amateur Dramatic Society). Dirk Bogarde had been president of N.A.D.S until his death and had performed on Newick stage as a very young man.

The village community is an extremely active one with well over 30 clubs and societies providing an amazing range of pastimes. The King George V Playing Field and The David Manwaring Robertson Memorial Field off Allington Road have a large modern sports pavilion, offer facilities for many sports and activities and provide pitches for football, cricket, rugby and stoolball. There is a tennis club in Blind Lane and a bowls club with a six rink green behind the Bull Inn. A full list of all clubs, societies and facilities is to be found later in this booklet. They all welcome new members

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