Storrington
Coordinates: 50°55′04″N 0°27′17″W / 50.91776°N 0.45459°W
Storrington is a large village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, and one of two in the civil parish of Storrington and Sullington. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs. As of 2006 the village has a population of around 4,600.[1] It has one main shopping street (The High Street). The A283 road runs directly through the middle and connects Storrington to Steyning in the east and Pulborough in the west.
History
Storrington existed in the Domesday Book, listed as 'Estorchestone', meaning a place well known for storks. A charter to hold a regular market on Wednesdays was granted by Henry IV in 1400, together with permissions for three fairs during the year, on Mayday, Wednesday of Whit week and the Feast of Martin on November 11.[2] Tanning and blacksmithing were also important industries and only in the 20th century did these roles fade away. Rabbit breeding was another significant industry and an association with this is evidenced by the number of local place names including 'The Warren', such as Warren Hill, Sullington Warren and Warren Croft. This working/small industry background has however, left little behind architecturally. Nikolaus Pevsner, noted only the small door in Browns lane, the Church, and the Dominican convent known as The Abbey to be historically significant.
Architecture
St Joseph's Hall in Greyfriars Lane is a Grade II listed [3] former residence of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. It was built as a private house for US businessman George Trotter in 1910, and then sold to a French religious order, the Norbertines. In 1956 it was used by Vincent and Nona Byrne as a home for refugees from the Hungarian uprising. [4]
Parham Park, towards Pulborough, is a large country house with rolling parkland complete with a large herd of maintained deer. It is open most weekends to visitors. There is also the private Edwin Lutyens built Little Thakeham nearby.[5]
There are a variety of places of worship such as St Mary's on Church St, which is the main Church of England place of worship, and the Priory of Our Lady of England on Monastery Lane, which is the Roman Catholic parish church of Storrington. The Roman Catholic bishops of Arundel lived nearby for a while. Other Christian denominations have places as well, including the Methodists and Jehovah's Witnesses.
Present
Since 1945 Storrington has expanded greatly with a variety of housing projects enlarging the village. It is still possible to be in open countryside in a few minutes from the town centre when walking towards the downs or one of the commons.
Storrington has most of the facilities of a small town. The main supermarket is Waitrose, and additionally there are a wide variety of shops including: delicatessens, charity shops, butchers, clothes shops, three pubs (The Moon, The Anchor Inn and The White Horse Inn), coffee shops, hardware stores, estate agencies, four banks, a variety of restaurants, a museum and a Post Office.
The nearest large town is Worthing, approximately 10 mi (16 km) to the south, followed by Horsham, approximately 13 mi (21 km) to the north. Mainline train services can be picked up from Pulborough or Amberley. Trains to London take an hour and a quarter and terminate at Victoria. Trains to Gatwick Airport take around 25 minutes.
Sport and leisure
Storrington has most of the facilities of a small town; a large recreation ground with football (soccer) and cricket pitches and a leisure centre. Storrington has a Non-League football club Storrington F.C. who play at The Recreation Ground.
Storrington is thinly disguised as the home of the home team in Hugh de Selincourt's cricket novel The Cricket Match, complete with chestnut trees and duck pond. In later editions a cartoon map of the village is used as end pages. John Parker wrote effectively a sequel in "The Village Cricket Match" in 1977.
From the village centre there is walking access to the popular 100 mile long trail, the South Downs Way. From Chantry Hill or Kithurst Hill there are far sweeping views across the English Channel to the South and opposite, to the North Downs. On a clear day you can see the Isle of Wight.
Kithurst Hill which rises steeply above the village is marked at the summit by a Trig Point, 699 feet (213m) above sea level.
Twinning
Storrington is twinned with the commune of Villerest in the Loire department of central France.[6]
References
- ↑ Parish Population Projections
- ↑ Gazetteer of markets and fairs in England and Wales to 1516
- ↑ "St Joseph's Hall, Storrington". British Listed Buildings.
- ↑ "Tea and sympathy for Bishop". Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Little Thakeham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ↑ Twinning plaque in Storrington village centre
External links
Media related to Storrington at Wikimedia Commons
- Storrington Museum
- Community website
- Horsham District Council
- Official Storrington & Sullington Parish Council Website
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