Brightling is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Weald eight miles north-west of Battle and four miles west of Robertsbridge. The village lies in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and due to its vantage point commands views in all directions. The village pub used to be The Green Manon the corner opposite the church, dedicated to St. Thomas Becket, but it is said that as part of the arrangements to build 'The Pyramid' Jack Fuller caused the pub to be relocated about three miles towards Robertsbridge at Oxley's Green. The parish includes outlying hamlets Cackle Street, Hollingrove, Oxley's Green and Twelve Oaks. Brightling, Hollingrove and Cackle Street all had their own shop with a post office in Brightling itself. These have all closed with the passing of time. Also in the parish is Brightling Down, the local vantage point topped by 'The Needle' and used as a beacon point hence Brightling Beacon. The most obvious 'industry' in the area is agriculture yet well hidden is the Gypsum mine with conveyor to the Mountfieldplaster board processing plant. There is an annual horse trials run at Brightling Park.
Governance
The lowest level of government is the Brightling parish council. The parish council 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. The parish council comprises seven councillors with elections being held every four years. The May 2007 election was uncontested. Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Brightling lies within the Darwell ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned one Conservative and one independent councillor. East Sussexcounty council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Brightling falls within the Rother North West ward. Anthony Barnes, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 56.3% of the vote. The UK Parliament constituency for Brightling is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker was re-elected in the May 2005 election. At European level, Brightling is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The June 2004 election returned four Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats, two UK Independence, one Labour and one Green, none of whom live in East Sussex.
Landmarks
is a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. These meadows are of biological importance due to the limestone outcrops providing calcareous soil conditions supporting a range of lime-loving flora.
John 'Mad Jack' Fuller, MP for Sussex and eccentric was an inhabitant of the parish. He was a prolific folly builder; his mausoleum, 'The Pyramid', stands in the churchyard next door to his house of Rose Hill. The local church contains a monument and a bust of Fuller.
The grounds of Rose Hill were laid out by the landscape architect Capability Brown. In the area are also 'The Observatory', 'The Needle', 'The Sugarloaf, 'The Temple' and 'The Tower'. There is also 'The Wall' which was built around Brightling Park, Jack's estate. It has been said that this was built as a means of employing soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars.
