Mountfield, East Sussex

Mountfield is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex three miles (4.8 km) north-west of Battle. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

In the 17th century Gypsum was discovered here  and the ore is now mined; the mine is connected by rail to the Hastings Line which runs nearby, and whereby it is shipped out. A halt for Mountfield closed on 6 October 1969.

The parish church is dedicated to All Saints; Mountfield and Whatlington Church of England Primary School is located at the road junction in the nearby hamlet of Johns Cross by the A21 and the A2100 roads further north.

Governance
The lowest level of government is the Mountfield parish council. The parish council is responsible for local amenities including two playing fields and a children's play area. The parish council comprises seven councillors, with the Chairman being Richard Farhall. Elections are 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. Mountfield lies within the Darwell ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned one Conservative and one independent councillor.

East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Mountfield falls within the Battle and Crowhurst ward. Kathryn Margaret Field, Liberal Democrat, was elected in the May 2005 election with 48.8% of the vote.

The UK Parliament constituency for Mountfield is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker was re-elected in the May 2010 election.

At European level, Mountfield 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
There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. River Line is a section of river noted for its geological features as it cuts through many layers from the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. Darwell Wood is a broadleaved woodland of biological interest. It has a number of streams flowing through it on the way to Darwell Reservoir.

Two miles north-west of the village are the overgrown vestigial remains of Glottenham Castle, a fourteenth century fortified manor house, surrounded by a moat now mostly dry.