Long Man


Long Man is a civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England which includes the villages of Wilmington, Milton Street and Folkington. The parish is named after the Long Man of Wilmington, a chalk figure in the parish.
The parish extends far from the left bank of the modest River Cuckmere where it starts to cut through the South Downs; after it is Cuckmere Valley immediately south. The A27 trunk road crosses the parish from west to east. The Wealdway long distance footpath also passes through the parish.

Settlements

Wilmington

It is about 6 miles north-west of Eastbourne. In Saxon times it was known as Wineltone; it was recorded in the Domesday Book. In the village there is the 12th-century Parish Church of St Mary and St Peter; next to houses are the ruins of a 12th-century priory. The local public house is The Giant's Rest.
The Wishing Well Tea Gardens are one of the oldest in Sussex, established 1900. The hotel Crossways is an archetypal Georgian brick and stone house, once home to the parents of international culinary guru, Elizabeth David.

Folkington

Folkington village is after a green buffer east of Wilmington. The church is dedicated to St Peter ad Vincula. Current and former residents include David Dimbleby and Bridget Monckton.

Milton Street

This hamlet is home to the Sussex Ox pub.
Milton Street was the setting of an episode of The Goon Show in which determined efforts are made to extinguish the sun.

Landmarks

, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, lies within the parish. It is a wetland area of biological importance for invertebrates and breeding birds. Amongst the fauna found here is the nationally rare hoverfly Cheilosia chrysocoma. The other SSSI is Wilmington Downs, which is of biological interest as an area of rare chalk grassland. The area is also of archaeological interest as it contains the Long Man chalk figure.

Governance

The lowest level of government is the Long Man parish council which meets once a month; is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. They also provide a voice into the district council meetings. For elections, the parish is divided into three wards, Wilmington, Milton Street and Folkington. The election on 3 May 2007 was uncontested in all three wards.
Wealden District Council is the second tier of local government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Long Man is in the East Dean ward, along with the Friston and Cuckmere Valley parishes. The single seat was won in the May 2007 election by the Conservative candidate.
East Sussex County Council is the first tier of local government, providing education, libraries, social services and highways. Long Man falls within the Polegate, Willingdon and East Dean division which provides two councillors to the council. The May 2005 returned two Liberal Democrat Councillors—Roy Martin and Steven Sai Hung Shing.
At Westminster the relevant seat is Lewes.