For close to 1,000 years, the village of Falmer was a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Deep in the South Downs countryside a few miles above Brighton, Falmer was once a rural village that most people probably wouldn't have ever noticed.

However, by the middle of the 20th century that was all set to change in dramatic fashion.

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The arrival of the A27 road between Brighton and Lewes completely changed the look of the village.

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It meant that Falmer was now completely split into two parts, with the road acting as a north/south divide that is only bridged by a small footbridge over the A27.

Later, a small road bridge was built to allow people to drive between the two halves, but the village remains firmly in two pieces.

Falmer is miles away from any towns or cities; it is around five miles northeast of Brighton, and five miles west of Lewes.

The once-secluded village is now dominated by the near-constant sound of cars and lorries whizzing past at 70 miles per hour.

The A27 is one of the busiest trunk roads in the UK, and with it brought Falmer even more disruption.

In the 1960s the University of Sussex decided to build a campus building just outside of Falmer, which would herald the arrival of thousands of students during term times.

Later, in the 1990s, Brighton University followed suit and made their Falmer campus a principal base of the university.

Lewes Priory Cricket Club do play some games at Falmer, but the village was to be truly thrust into the limelight by the arrival of a much bigger sports team.

The north side of the village consists of a few houses and a village pub

After Brighton & Hove Albion's former owners sold the club's ancestral home - the Goldstone Ground - in 1997, the Albion started on a 14 year hunt for a new stadium near the city.

The club ended up playing some 'home' games in Gillingham before moving to the woefully under-equipped Withdean athletic track in Brighton, but all the while they were searching for somewhere permanent to call home.

That came in the form of a sought-after site in Falmer, near the universities and directly opposite the village.

However, the club faced fierce opposition from Lewes District Council as well as residents of Falmer; a small section of the proposed stadium fell under Lewes' jurisdiction.

The village is now dominated by the 32,000 seater stadium

Melanie Cutress, a Falmer Parish councillor at the time, said in 2008: "Block work walls and metal roofs - well, that's not acceptable.

"The design of the stadium was sold to the community, to the council, to the public on the fact it would blend in with the area of outstanding natural beauty. But this won't blend in."

The South Downs Society also objected to the club's plans, which had been approved by the Deputy Prime Minister before Lewes Council managed to get the decision overturned.

After years of legal battles, the club finally won the right to build their stadium and the doors opened to the public in the summer of 2011.

The south side is home to a large duck pond and the church

While most people know it as the American Express Community Stadium (or the AMEX), the ground's official name is actually Falmer Stadium.

It was good news for the football club, but for the people of Falmer that meant an extra 30,000 people driving through, trying to park in, and walking past the village every other Saturday.

Fans on matchdays are forbidden from parking in the village (30,000 cars probably wouldn't quite fit), but the arrival of a massive Premier League stadium changed the feel of the village forever.

Falmer itself is still carrying on however, and life in the village remains relatively peaceful despite everything.

North of the dual carriageway are a few houses and the village pub, while the southern half is dominated by a large pond and the parish church.

Falmer would be a very peaceful place were it not for the major A-road

The village pond, home to a population of ducks and geese, actually gave Falmer its name.

The old English word 'fallow', meaning pale coloured (for the colour of the pond), eventually morphed into Falmer over the years.

The village has existed for more than 1,000 years, first being noted in the Domesday book of the 11th century.

While life in the village has become more hectic than residents might have hoped for, it remains a pretty and secluded place - of you can ignore the cars.