Heathfield and Waldron
{{short description |Parish in East Sussex, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Heathfield and Waldron
| country = England
| region = South East England
| static_image_name = High Street, Heathfield, East Sussex.jpg
| static_image_width =
| static_image_caption = Heathfield High Street
| area_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://www.eastsussexinfigures.org.uk/webview/ |title=East Sussex in Figures |access-date=2008-04-26 |publisher=East Sussex County Council}}
| area_total_km2 = 52.8
| population = 11,913
| population_density = {{convert|565|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}
| os_grid_reference = TQ586209
| coordinates = {{coord|50.97|0.26|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = HEATHFIELD
| postcode_area = TN
| postcode_district = TN21
| dial_code = 01435
| constituency_westminster = Bexhill and Battle
| london_distance = {{convert|40|mi}} NNW
| shire_district = Wealden
| shire_county = East Sussex
| website = http://www.hwpc.org.uk/
}}
Heathfield and Waldron is a civil parish[http://www.hwpc.org.uk/ Parish website] within the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. Heathfield is surrounded by the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish was formed on 1 April 1999 from "Heathfield" and "Waldron" parishes.{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/12767/wealden-parishes-order-1990.pdf|title=The Wealden (Parishes) Order 1990|publisher=Local Government Boundary Commission for England|accessdate=3 February 2023|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203194228/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/12767/wealden-parishes-order-1990.pdf|url-status=dead}}
Governance
The civil parish council has twenty one elected members representing four wards: Cross-in-Hand ward (three members); Heathfield East ward (two); Heathfield ward (fourteen); Waldron (two). The current (2016) chairman is Mr Andy Woolley. Huw Merriman is the Member of Parliament for the Battle and Bexhill Constituency, which includes Heathfield.
The Heathfield Partnership,{{Cite web |url=http://www.heathfield.net/partnership/index.html |title=The Heathfield Partnership |access-date=1 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326210619/http://www.heathfield.net/partnership/index.html |archive-date=26 March 2008 |url-status=dead }} a voluntary group was set up in 1995 "to identify options for developing the town and the local villages".
Settlements in the parish
=Heathfield=
{{main|Heathfield, East Sussex}}
Heathfield town, the principal settlement in the parish, stands at the junction of two roads: the A265 road from Hawkhurst and the A267 road linking Royal Tunbridge Wells with Eastbourne.
=Waldron=
Waldron is a village located to the west of Heathfield. The 12th-century parish church is dedicated to All Saints.[http://www.roughwood.net/ChurchAlbum/EastSussex/Waldron/Waldron2003.htm All Saints church]
Foxhunt Manor at Waldron dates from 1898. It was built by Joseph Lucas Junior, and later sold to the Oakshott family. In 1935 the estate was purchased by the Xaverian Brothers, when it was run as a preparatory boarding school. The school closed in 1959 when it was purchased by the Order of The Visitation.{{cite web|title=Monastery of the Visitation|url=http://www.visitationmonastery.co.uk/location.html}}
=Cross-in-Hand=
{{main|Cross In Hand}}
Cross-in-Hand is a small village west of Heathfield.
=Others=
Broad Oak, [http://punnettstown.org Punnetts Town], Little London and Cade Street are other villages within the parish.
Natural environment
There are six Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. Bingletts Wood and Heathfield Park are areas of woodland with a flowing ravine (ghyll woodland). The two sites are of biological interest, hosting a wide variety of fauna, much of which is uncommon in the south-east of England.{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1002020 |title=Natural England - SSSI (Bingletts Wood)|access-date=2008-05-25|publisher=Natural England}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1001675 |title=Natural England - SSSI (Heathfield Park)|access-date=2008-10-11|publisher=Natural England}} Paines Cross Meadow, Sapperton Meadows and St. Dunstan's Farm Meadows also have SSSI status. These sites consist mainly of wet meadowland and are of biological interest, hosting a wide variety of fauna.{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1006671 |title=Natural England - SSSI (Paines Cross Meadow)|access-date=2008-10-11|publisher=Natural England}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1003506 |title=Natural England - SSSI (Sapperton Meadows)|access-date=2008-10-11|publisher=Natural England}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1006601 |title=Natural England - SSSI (St. Dunstan's Farm Meadows)|access-date=2008-10-11|publisher=Natural England}} The final SSSI is Waldron Cutting, a small cutting along the lane between Waldron and Horam, which is of geological interest. Its sandstone bedrock containing samples of fossilised Lycopodites.{{cite web|url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/sssi_details.cfm?sssi_id=1005480 |title=Natural England - SSSI (Waldron Cutting)|access-date=2008-10-05|publisher=Natural England}}