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Litlington and Lullington

Litlington and Lullington are two small villages that lie on the eastern bank of the Cuckmere River as it makes its way through a valley in the South Downs near to the old market town of Alfriston. Lullington lies almost opposite Alfriston whilst Litlington is located a little to the south. Both villages have shrunk in size over the century though Lullington's is more pronounced.

The original parish of Lullington was bounded by the river to the west, what is now the South Downs Way to the north, Deep Dean and Lullington Heath to the east and another bridleway to the south. A detached portion also lay on the southern slopes of Fore down wedged between Litlington and Westdean. The manor of Lullington was acquired by Battle Abbey during the medieval period and run by their manor at nearby Alciston. There has been a long debate over the extent of the original village and whether it was small to begin with. The church was built towards the end of the 12th century and extended at periods over the next three centuries before a fire destroyed it sometime between 1674 and 1684, not the result of Oliver Cromwell as some local stories suggest. The fact that only the chancel was retained pointed to a long disappeared populace probably a result of changes in Downland agricultural practice, keeping large flocks of sheep do not require many farm labourers, and the Black Death resulting in a shift of the remaining population down to Lullington Farm. Since that time the population has remained small to the extent that the parish was amalgamated with nearby Alfriston in 1927.

Litlington parish is also bounded by the river to the west and a bridleway to the north that heads towards Lullington Heath, another to the south from Clapham Barn to Snap Hill and the current edge of Friston Forest to the east. Litlington has also shrunk in size but not to the extent of Lullington and still retains a village street and a pub. Its church also dates from the 12th century and remains a good example of a small medieval downland church.

FURTHER READING
Peter Brandon - The South Downs (Phillimore,2006)
John Vigar - The Lost Villages of Sussex (Dovecote Press, 1994)
by Simon Carey

Created: Mon, 3 Oct 2011, Updated: Wed, 5 Oct 2011


78 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

TQ5201 : West Down by Simon Carey
TQ5203 : Longbridge Laine (2) by Simon Carey
TQ5202 : Late Eagles Brook by Simon Carey
TQ5303 : Longbridge Laine (3) by Simon Carey
TQ5102 : Long Brook/Burl Brook/Sweet Brook by Simon Carey
TQ5203 : Hay Brook by Simon Carey
TQ5203 : Chapel Hill by Simon Carey
TQ5202 : The Gore (1) by Simon Carey
TQ5101 : Little Hor by Simon Carey
TQ5201 : Flooded Footpath by Simon Carey
TQ5301 : Air Pollution Monitoring Unit by Simon Carey
TQ5203 : White Bridge by Simon Carey
TQ5201 : Hog Brook (1) by Simon Carey
TQ5301 : The Twitten Piece/The Coombe by Simon Carey
TQ5401 : Lullington Heath by Simon Carey
TQ5301 : Cross Dyke, Fore Down by Simon Carey
TQ5300 : Long Barrow by Simon Carey
TQ5201 : Litlington Village Sign by PAUL FARMER
TQ5300 : Bridleway, Friston Forest by Simon Carey
TQ5201 : View from the Street, Litlington by PAUL FARMER
TQ5202 : The Gore (2) by Simon Carey
TQ5202 : Parked Tractor near Lullington Farm by Simon Carey
TQ5202 : The Ham Laine by Simon Carey
TQ5202 : The Mill Laine by Simon Carey
TQ5401 : Animal Water Trough near Lullington Heath National Nature Reserve by PAUL FARMER

... and 53 more images.

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