Herstmonceux

Village in East Sussex, southeast England, 11 km/7 mi north of Eastbourne; population (2001) 2,500. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was sited alongside the 15th-century castle from 1958 until 1990, when it relocated to Cambridge. The Isaac Newton Telescope was moved to the Canary Islands in 1979.

The name derives from the 11th-century Norman lord of the manor. Herstmonceux Castle, a fortified manor house, is one of the earliest brick buildings in England; fortification was added in 1441. The castle was restored in the 20th century, and is now used as an international study centre for Queen's University, Canada. All Saints' Church dates from the late 12th century and Herstmonceux Place was built in the early 18th century with bricks from the castle. Some of the Royal Greenwich Observatory's fine antique telescopes remain in an exhibition centre, open only to school parties.

The village was a centre of trug-making for over 160 years.