Crowborough

Coordinates: 51°04′N 0°10′E / 51.06°N 0.16°E / 51.06; 0.16

Crowborough is a town in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. It is situated in the Weald, at the edge of Ashdown Forest, in the High Weald Area of Outstanding National Beauty. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 35 miles (56 km) south of London. It has road and rail links and is served by a town council. It is the most populous inland town in East Sussex, with over 20,000 people.

History

Various derivations for the town's name have been put forward. Early local documents give the names Crohbergh, Crowbergh, Croweborowghe, Crowbarrow and Crowboro. Croh in Old English meant saffron or golden-yellow colour, and berg meant hill. Gorse grows in profusion in the Crowborough Beacon area, and its yellow flowers might well have contributed to the meaning.

In 1734 Sir Henry Fermor, a local benefactor, bequeathed money for a church and charity school for the benefit of the "very ignorant and heathenish people" that lived in the part of Rotherfield "in or near a place called Crowborough and Ashdown Forest". The church, dedicated to All Saints, and primary school still survive today.