Location
50°54'N
0°34'E
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Westfield
(Bonfire Boys under suspicion)
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Origin of Village Name |
This village derivation is still being researched
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General Details
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Westfield lies about 4 miles north of Hastings on the A28, it consists
mostly of modern red brick houses, the original weather boarded centre
lies on the back road to Guestling , around the Plough Inn.
In the Domesday Book, Westfield appears as Westwelle, and at this time
there was a pit for 'trial by water', the village was owned by the
Count of Eu .
In 1291 the responsibility of the Parish was given to the monks of
Battle Abbey
Westfield is another of the villages in the area, where the old village
centre is quite a distance away from the church. This is likely to have
been caused by the Black Death of 1348. The settlement that used to be
based around the of church was moved because of the number of plague
victims in the churchyard.
On November 5th 1908, Westfield's last windmill was burnt down. As it was
the evening of the village Bonfire Societies torch light procession,
naturally the Bonfire Boys fell under suspicion. However , nothing was
ever proved and so the culprits were never found.
The church of St John the Baptist stands at the southern end of the
village. It's south door is iron-banded, and made of oak, and dated 1542.
It was originally built by the Saxons, and later extended and expanded
by the Normans. The pulpit is Jacobean, the font 14th century, and the
tall wooden canopy covering it was carved in the late 17th century.
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Services
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 The hourly Hastings to Tenterden bus route passes through the village.
The nearest station is in Hastings , with an hourly journey to London,
Eastbourne and Ashford . The nearest local station is at Doleham Halt
on the Ashford line.
The main shopping centre is Hastings about 4 miles South.
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Views
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 The main high street is straight for a long distance, and provides
a very open vista.
The old village has a number of timber framed houses, these
can be found by turning towards Guestling from the cross
roads in the village centre. The 1066 Country Walk runs through the village.
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