Maidenbower, Crawley
Encyclopedia
Maidenbower is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley
in West Sussex
, England
. Maidenbower is located in the south east corner of the town bordering the M23 motorway
. It is bordered by Pound Hill
to the north and Furnace Green
to the west across the railway line.
Maidenbower is the newest of the neighbourhoods in Crawley. In 1986 Crawley Borough Council declared the farmland between the M23 and the London-Brighton railway line would be the 13th neighbourhood. A consortium of builders was formed to develop the site which was to include community facilities and a construction of a new junction to give access to the M23.
By the beginning of this century the development was almost complete, although small areas of infill development continue.
The original 16th century Frogshole farm building, unlike the adjoining Maidenbower farm that gave the area its name, remains as the public house
for the neighbourhood. It was refurbished and opened in 1994. On 8 February 2007 it suffered a major fire. Froghole Farm Pub re-opened its doors in July 2008 after a major refurbishment.
A secondary school, the Oriel High School, has been built at Maidenbower under the Private Finance Initiative
where a private company have designed and built the school and now provide facilities management for the next 25 years. West Sussex County Council provide all the educational services and staff. Maidenbower also has two infant schools and a large junior school.
There is a parade of shops and a community centre that provides daycare facilities for elderly people and people with disabilities.
In September 2006, close to one of the entrance roads to Maidenbower leading from the Balcombe
Road, a large piece of public art was installed. A community project, it was created in five pieces by the four schools in the neighbourhood and one piece by the community. The pieces fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle
to form an outline representing a map of the neighbourhood. The streams that run through it create the joins between each of the pieces. The overall theme of the piece is the history and development of Maidenbower.
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Maidenbower is located in the south east corner of the town bordering the M23 motorway
M23 motorway
The M23 motorway is a motorway in England. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a spur north from...
. It is bordered by Pound Hill
Pound Hill, Crawley
Pound Hill is a neighbourhood within the town of Crawley in West Sussex, England. Pound Hill is located on the east of Crawley. It is bordered by Three Bridges and Manor Royal to the west and Maidenbower to the south....
to the north and Furnace Green
Furnace Green, Crawley
Furnace Green is a neighbourhood of Crawley in West Sussex, England. It is one of the 13 designated neighbourhoods of Crawley and a local government ward. Furnace Green is located to the east of the town centre...
to the west across the railway line.
Maidenbower is the newest of the neighbourhoods in Crawley. In 1986 Crawley Borough Council declared the farmland between the M23 and the London-Brighton railway line would be the 13th neighbourhood. A consortium of builders was formed to develop the site which was to include community facilities and a construction of a new junction to give access to the M23.
By the beginning of this century the development was almost complete, although small areas of infill development continue.
The original 16th century Frogshole farm building, unlike the adjoining Maidenbower farm that gave the area its name, remains as the public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
for the neighbourhood. It was refurbished and opened in 1994. On 8 February 2007 it suffered a major fire. Froghole Farm Pub re-opened its doors in July 2008 after a major refurbishment.
A secondary school, the Oriel High School, has been built at Maidenbower under the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
where a private company have designed and built the school and now provide facilities management for the next 25 years. West Sussex County Council provide all the educational services and staff. Maidenbower also has two infant schools and a large junior school.
There is a parade of shops and a community centre that provides daycare facilities for elderly people and people with disabilities.
In September 2006, close to one of the entrance roads to Maidenbower leading from the Balcombe
Balcombe
Balcombe may refer to:* Balcombe, West Sussex, England* Balcombe Street Siege, IRA Incident in London* Graham Balcombe, pioneer cave diver* David Balcombe, cricketer...
Road, a large piece of public art was installed. A community project, it was created in five pieces by the four schools in the neighbourhood and one piece by the community. The pieces fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
to form an outline representing a map of the neighbourhood. The streams that run through it create the joins between each of the pieces. The overall theme of the piece is the history and development of Maidenbower.