Goodbye to blocked byway in East Sussex

Following pressure from Chris Smith, our local correspondent for Lewes district in East Sussex, the Firle Estate has reopened a blocked byway.  This is an old, two-kilometre-long route, shown on some eighteenth-century maps.  It runs between Newelm, west of Firle, westwards to the A26 road at The Lay in Beddingham parish.  It was probably first blocked during the Second World War and was not recorded on the first definitive map of rights of way. 

The byway was obstructed by a hedge, which has now been replaced by a gate. Photo: Chris Smith

The byway was obstructed by a hedge on the parish boundary between Firle and Beddingham, a ploughed field, and a thicket of bushes and trees at the barn at Newelm.   

Some years ago, Chris identified this route as a lost right of way.  It was recorded on the definitive map, but East Sussex County Council claimed that it was there in error.  The council refused to reopen the byway. 

Chris then produced a statement of case showing that there was no error and that it should be recorded.  The council passed this to the landowners for comment, and their response was to apply for the route to be deleted from the map. 

Chris then made an application to set the width of the route, which will be considered in due course.  He also asked the Ordnance Survey to include the path on its maps, and it is starting to do so. 

Now the Firle estate has finally cleared the byway.  A gate has been put in the hedge, and the route has been marked out in the field.  A gap has been made in the bushes and trees at Newelm, although this is not legally wide enough for a byway. 

Thanks to Chris’ determination, the Firle Estate has cleared the byway and put a gap in the bushes and trees at Newelm. Photo: Chris Smith

For walkers, cyclists, and equestrians this forms a useful extension of an old coach road, providing a continuous useable byway, about nine kilometres long, under the downland ridge between Alfriston and the A26 near Beddingham.