Billingshurst is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street) at its crossroads with the A272, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Horsham and 5.5 miles (9 km) north-east of Pulborough.
| Billingshurst | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church | |
  Billingshurst Location within West Sussex | |
| Area | 32.19 km2 (12.43 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 8,232 (2011)[2] |
| • Density | 256/km2 (660/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ087259 |
| • London | 36 miles (58 km) NNE |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BILLINGSHURST |
| Postcode district | RH14 |
| Dialling code | 01403 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Billingshurst Parish Council |
The civil parish has a land area of 7,952 acres (3,218 hectares) and at the 2001 Census had 2,677 households and a population of 6,531 people,[1] which increased to 8,232 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Toponymy
editThe village's name derives from Anglo-Saxon and means 'a wooded hill of Billa's people', most likely referring to the sandstone hillock that St Mary's Church is sited on in the historical centre of the village. 'Bill' is the head of a family, 'ing' means of the people, and 'hurst' means wooded hill. It is most likely that it was a small family settlement, not yet being a large community or a parish, headed by one 'Billa' – someone of unestablished origin, and not by a populous Saxon tribe.[3]
History
editThe history of Billingshurst, the village and civil parish within the county of West Sussex in the United Kingdom, extends back to C.800AD, with evidence of much earlier settlement in the area.[4][page needed]
Community facilities
editThe village has a secondary school and a sixth form college, known together as The Weald School. Billingshurst Primary School (formerly separate infant and junior schools, amalgamated in 2010) is situated near The Weald.[5]
New housing development on the eastern side of the village will include a spine road linking the A29 road north of the village with the A272 road to the east.[6] 550 new homes will be built along with a school, dentists' surgery, play areas and improvements to the railway station.[7]
Transport
editBillingshurst is at the junction of the A29 and the A272 which are routes to Petworth, Petersfield, Haywards Heath, Pulborough and Bognor Regis.
Billingshurst railway station on Station Road is on the mainline from London Victoria to Bognor Regis and Chichester between Christ's Hospital railway station and Pulborough railway station.
The village is to the east of a remaining section of the Wey and Arun Canal; the canal has not been fully navigable since the 1890s.
Religious sites
editBillingshurst has four churches. St Mary's Church (Church of England) is the oldest, with a mix of service styles, ranging from Book of Common Prayer communion services to informal family worship. Other churches are St Gabriel's Church (Catholic), Billingshurst Family Church (Evangelical; part of the Commission family of churches) and Trinity Church (United Reformed). Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel, set back behind the High Street, was founded in 1754 and is one of south-east England's oldest Nonconformist places of worship.[8]
Sport
editThe local football team is Billingshurst FC based at Jubilee Fields on the western junction of the A29 and A272. The club was established in 1891 and is running senior sides and a youth section with teams running from Under 8's through to U16s.[9]
Notable people
edit- Paul Darrow (1941–2019), actor and author, lived in Billingshurst[10][11]
- Diana Dors (1931–1984), actor, singer, and bombshell, lived in Billingshurst[12]
- Edward Enfield (1929–2019), television and radio presenter, newspaper journalist, and educational administrator, lived in Billingshurst[12]
- Harry Enfield (1961–), comedian, lived in Billingshurst[13]
- Israel Harding, VC, (1833–1917), gunner in the Royal Navy and recipient of the Victoria Cross, died in Billingshurst[14]
- Edgar Hubert, (1906–1985), abstract painter, born in Billingshurst[15]
- Janet Lees-Price (1943–2012), actress, lived in Billingshurst[10]
- Derrick Somerset Macnutt (1902–1971), crossword compiler and housemaster, died in Billingshurst
- Pom Oliver (1952–), filmmaker and arctic explorer, lived in Billingshurst[16]
- Frank Patterson (1871–1952), illustrator, lived in Billingshurst[17]
- Connor Swindells (1996–), actor, lived in Billingshurt[18]
- James Tilley (1998–), footballer, born and lived in Billingshurst and went to school in Billingshurst at The Weald School[19][20]
Film and cultural appearances
edit- Billingshurst's Dell Lane was the location for the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles starring Richard Briers.[21]
- Michael Lugg (1956) in British Pathé "Boy's Traction Engine"[22]
- Paul Adorian (1965) in British Pathé "Vintage Fire Brigade"[23]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
- ^ a b "Civil Parish population 2011" (PDF). Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Lawes 2017, The Saxons Colonise Britain - 477 to 1066 AD, p. 36.
- ^ Lawes 2017.
- ^ "Term start delayed for new Billingshurst Primary School". BBC News. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Horsham District Council". 19 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ "Billingshurst 550-home development gets one step closer". West Sussex County Times. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ Lines, Wendy (1995). Billingshurst. The Archive Photographs Series. Chalford: Chalford Publishing Company. p. 87. ISBN 0-7524-0301-X.
- ^ "Billingshurst Football Club". www.billingshurstfc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b Page, Sarah (4 June 2019). "Tributes to Billingshurst-based Blake's 7 actor Paul Darrow". West Sussex County Times. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "Paul Darrow". Amazon UK. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ a b Lawes 2017, Notable local people with Billingshurst Connections, p. 310.
- ^ Bearn, Emily (28 August 2002). "I'm a boring sod, really". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "Israel Harding VC". Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Edgar Hubert 1906–1985". Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Hickman, Martin (8 June 2002). "Women who conquered the North Pole fly back to a nice warm bath". The Independent. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Lawes 2017, Pear Tree Farm and Frank Patterson, p. 169.
- ^ "Billingshurst actor stars in new film in cinemas across the UK". West Sussex County Times. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "James Tilley". 11 July 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Berry, Ollie (21 January 2019). "Billingshurst-based Brighton & Hove Albion forward Tilley praised for debut brace at Cork City". West Sussex County Times. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Ever Decreasing Circles - Billingshurst, West Sussex". www.tvlocations.net. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Boy's Traction Engine 1956". Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "Vintage Fire Brigade 1965". Retrieved 22 September 2019.
Bibliography
edit- Lawes, Geoffrey (2017). Billingshurst's Heritage: An Historical Miscellany of a West Sussex Village. United States: Peacock Press. ISBN 9781912271023.
External links
edit