Wellesbourne, Brighton

Brighton's old town lies on the Sussex coastal plain, but immediately behind this is the southern face of the South Downs, of thick and permeable chalk, overlaid on clay. The slopes of the Downs have several steep-sided valleys (combes); the two longest and most important run, respectively, southwestwards for about from Falmer and due south for the same distance from Patcham. They meet near The Level and St Peter's Church, where they join and continue southwards to Old Steine across "a considerable area of level ground", very low-lying and measuring about wide and from north to south. The land was never built up, instead being used for public events and entertainment, and now forms Valley Gardens—a large area of lawns, gardens and public open space. Both valleys have long been dry, and the combe from Falmer is now followed by the Lewes Road, a major route, while the A23 London Road was built along the combe from Patcham. ==History==

In the Neolithic era, both the Wellesbourne valley and the smaller ones further inland had streams running along them, fed by chalk springs on the Downs. The Wellesbourne was "one of the largest" and deepest. Its main source was a pond (now vanished) outside All Saints Church, the ancient parish church of Patcham village. Water ran from it downhill into the valley, where it met other flows of water from higher up on the Downs as far north as Pyecombe. Another pond at Ladies Mile Road, further south in Patcham, also fed it, and it continued southwards and later as Pool Valley. Another Roman road ran west–east along the present Old Shoreham Road and Elm Grove, two major roads in Brighton, and would have formed a junction with the north–south route and then bridged the Wellesbourne. The ancient parish was divided by the Wellesbourne and extended on to its east bank. Drainage was improved further in 1827–28 when the Wellesbourne was culverted all the way from Preston Circus, some way to the north. and 1876. ==Name==

Mark Antony Lower stated in 1864 that the name simply meant "the stream flowing from a well". The Wellesbourne is presumed to have given its name to the Hundred of Whalesbone, The fact that Brighton was originally split in half by the stream has been cited as a reason for the town's name. Historian Antony Dale noted that unnamed antiquaries had suggested an Old English word "brist" or "briz", meaning "divided", could have contributed the first part of the historic name Bristelmestune. ==References==