West Sussex
West Sussex | |
---|---|
27th of 48 | |
Density | 431/km2 (1,120/sq mi) |
Ethnicity | 2021 census[3] |
Non-metropolitan county | |
County council | West Sussex County Council |
Executive | Conservative |
Admin HQ | Chichester |
Area | 1,991 km2 (769 sq mi) |
• Ranked | 16th of 21 |
Population | 885,055 |
• Ranked | 8th of 21 |
Density | 445/km2 (1,150/sq mi) |
ISO 3166-2 | GB-WSX |
GSS code | E10000032 |
ITL | TLJ24 |
Website | westsussex |
Districts | |
Districts of West Sussex | |
Districts |
West Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Crawley, and the county town is the city of Chichester.
The county has a land area of 1,991 square kilometres (769 sq mi) and a population of 858,852. Along the south coast is a near-continuous urban area which includes the towns of Bognor Regis (63,855), Littlehampton (55,706), and Worthing (111,338); the latter two are part of the Brighton and Hove built-up area, which extends into East Sussex and has a total population of 474,485. The interior of the county is generally rural; the largest towns are Crawley (118,493) and Horsham (50,934), both located in the north-east; Chichester is in the south-west and has a population of 26,795. West Sussex contains seven local government districts, which are part of a two-tier non-metropolitan county also called West Sussex. West Sussex and East Sussex were historically a single county.
The South Downs are a defining feature of the county, crossing it from east to west and dividing the north and south. The downs are a chalk escarpment which falls away sharply into the Weald to the north and more gently toward the south, where there is a narrow strip of flat land between the hills and the coast. The coastal strip widens to the west, where it is punctuated by Chichester Harbour, which together with Langstone and Portsmouth harbours in neighbouring Hampshire is a ria.
The county has a long history of human settlement dating back to the
History
Although the name Sussex, derived from the
The Roman period saw the building of Fishbourne Roman Palace and rural villas such as Bignor Roman Villa together with a network of roads including Stane Street, the Chichester to Silchester Way and the Sussex Greensand Way. The Romans used the Weald for iron production on an industrial scale.[7]
The foundation of the
With its origins in the
Provision for paupers
Until 1834 provision for the poor and destitute in West Sussex was made at parish level. From 1835 until 1948 eleven Poor Law Unions, each catering for several parishes, took on the job.[10]
Settlements
Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or in Mid Sussex, near the
Rustington and Southwater are the next largest settlements in the county. There are several more towns in West Sussex, including Arundel, Midhurst, Petworth, Selsey, Steyning, Henfield, Pulborough and Storrington. Other notable villages include Billingshurst, Copthorne, Crawley Down, Cuckfield, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint and Lindfield. The current total population of the county makes up 1.53% of England's population.
Geography
Physical geography
West Sussex is bordered by Hampshire to the west, Surrey to the north and East Sussex to the east. The
The county makes up 1.52% of the total land of
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Climate
West Sussex is the sunniest county in the United Kingdom, according to Met Office records. Over the 29 years to 2011 it averaged 1902 hours of sunshine per year.[18] Sunshine totals are highest near the coast with Bognor Regis often having the highest in mainland England, including a total of 2237 hours in 1990. Mean annual temperature for southern coastal counties is around 11 °C. The coldest month, January, has mean daily minimum temperatures of around 3 °C near the coast and lower inland. July tends to be the warmest month when mean daily maxima tend to be around 20 °C. A maximum temperature of 35.4 °C occurred at North Heath, Pulborough on 26 June 1976. Coastal high temperatures are often moderated by cooler sea breezes.[19]
Monthly rainfall tends to be highest in autumn and early winter and lowest in the summer months, with July often being the driest month. There is less rainfall from summer convective showers and thunderstorms than in inland areas. The county can suffer both from localised flooding caused by heavy rainfall and from water shortages caused by prolonged periods of below average rainfall. Winter rainfall is needed to recharge the chalk aquifers from which much of the water supply is drawn.[19]
Land economy
West Sussex developed distinctive land uses along with its neighbours in the weald. The Landrace cattle transformed into Sussex cattle and Sussex chickens emerged about the time of the Roman conquest.[20] Some of the earliest evidence of horses in Britain has been found at Boxgrove, dated to 500,000 BC. Viticulture is a part of the economy, with wineries producing mainly sparkling wine of varied quality.[21]
Communications and transport
The
Politics
Members of Parliament
Since the 2015 general election, West Sussex has been represented entirely by Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs).[22]
Constituency | Constituency within West Sussex | Member of Parliament | Portrait | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arundel & South Downs
|
Andrew Griffith | Conservative Party | ||
Bognor Regis & Littlehampton
|
Nick Gibb | Conservative Party | ||
Chichester | Gillian Keegan | Conservative Party | ||
Crawley | Henry Smith | Conservative Party | ||
Horsham | Jeremy Quin | Conservative Party | ||
Mid Sussex | Mims Davies | Conservative Party | ||
Worthing East & Shoreham
|
Tim Loughton | Conservative Party | ||
Worthing West | Peter Bottomley | Conservative Party |
County Council
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is the authority that governs the non-metropolitan county of West Sussex. The county contains 7 district and borough councils (
West Sussex County Council has 70 councillors; the majority of them being Conservative. There are 46 Conservative councillors, 11 Liberal Democrats, 9 Labour Party councillors and 4 Green and Independent Alliance councillors.[23] The Chief Executive and their team of executive directors are responsible for the day-to-day running of the council.
West Sussex County Council is based at County Hall, Chichester and provides a large range of services including education, social services, fire and rescue, libraries, trading standards, town and country planning, refuse disposal and consumer services.
West Sussex Youth Cabinet
The West Sussex Youth Cabinet is a group of local representatives and four UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) representatives, who are elected by young people in West Sussex.[24] The Youth Cabinet represents the views of the young people West Sussex at county level. Elections for the Youth Cabinet and UKYP in West Sussex run every year in March.[citation needed]
Places of interest
Nature and zoos
- Chichester Harbour
- Pagham Harbour – A protected area of wetland that is an important feeding ground for birds.
- RSPB Pulborough Brooks
- Selsey Bill
- long distance footpath
- Stansted Park
- St Leonard's Forest
- Tilgate Park
- Wakehurst Place
- Warnham Local Nature Reserve, a 92-acre site with visitor centre[25]
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust)
Castles, houses and other buildings
- Arundel Castle
- Barnham Windmill
- Bramber Castle
- Christ's Hospital, an old charitable school notable for its archaic uniforms and picturesque campus.
- Goodwood House and Goodwood Motor Circuit
- High Salvington windmill
- Hurstpierpoint College, a public school, notable for its substantial Sussex flint buildings and large campus.
- Lancing College, a public school, notable for its substantial Sussex sandstone chapel and large campus.
- Seaford College, a public school known for its large campus
- Nymans house and gardens, a National Trust property near Handcross, Haywards Heath
- Petworth House and deer park.
- Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, where Sir Archibald McIndoe carried out reconstructive surgery for burns patients during the Second World War.
- Sackville College, a Jacobean almshouse in East Grinstead
- Shipley Windmill, (no longer open to the public).
- Standen, East Grinstead
- Uppark, a 17th-century mansion high on the South Downs.
Religious buildings
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called
Museums
- Worthing Museum & Art Gallery
- Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre
- Manor Cottage[30]
- Steyning Museum[31]
- Tangmere Military Aviation Museum[32]
- Horsham Museum
- Weald and Downland Open Air Museum of historic buildings at Singleton
- Wings Museum, Balcombe
Arts
Television
BBC South covers the county excluding Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Shoreham-by-Sea which are covered by BBC South East.[33] ITV Meridian also covers the county. Crawley is covered by both regions and by BBC London and ITV London.[34]
Economy and demography
This is a table of trend of regional gross value added of West Sussex at current basic prices published by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.[35]
Year | Regional gross value added[36] |
Agriculture[37] | Industry[38] | Services[39] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 8,564 | 208 | 2,239 | 6,116 |
2000 | 10,576 | 162 | 2,545 | 7,869 |
2003 | 12,619 | 185 | 2,520 | 9,915 |
Significant companies in the county include Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a substantial employer near Chichester. Gatwick Airport, with associated airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, is a major source of direct and indirect employment. Thales Group also has a presence in the county. Nestlé has their UK headquarters in Crawley.
The table below shows the population change up to the 2011 census, contrasting the previous census. It also shows the proportion of residents in each district reliant upon lowest income and/or joblessness benefits, the national average proportion of which was 4.5% as at August 2012, the year for which latest datasets have been published. It can be seen that the most populous district of West Sussex is Arun containing the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton:
Unit | JSA or Inc. Supp. claimants (August 2012) % of 2011 population | JSA and Income Support claimants (August 2001) % of 2001 population | Population (April 2011) | Population (April 2001) |
---|---|---|---|---|
West Sussex | 2.7% | 5.1% | 806,892 | 753,614 |
Ranked by district | ||||
Crawley | 3.8% | 5.3% | 106,597 | 99,744 |
Worthing | 3.6% | 6.7% | 104,640 | 97,568 |
Adur | 3.2% | 6.3% | 61,182 | 59,627 |
Arun | 3.0% | 6.4% | 149,518 | 140,759 |
Chichester | 2.3% | 4.8% | 113,794 | 106,450 |
Horsham | 1.9% | 3.3% | 131,301 | 122,088 |
Mid Sussex | 1.6% | 3.6% | 139,860 | 127,378 |
Education
West Sussex has a comprehensive education system, with a mix of county-maintained secondary schools and
Colleges include
Independent schools in the county include Christ's Hospital near Horsham, whose students wear Tudor style uniform, Seaford College, Lancing College and Hurstpierpoint College.
Tertiary education is provided by the University of Chichester and Chichester College.
Sport
At least 40 sports are active in West Sussex. Sussex was the first First-Class cricket county formed in 1839 and was a cradle for club cricket.
See also
- List of Lord Lieutenants of West Sussex
- List of High Sheriffs of West Sussex
- List of hills of West Sussex
- The Royal Sussex Regiment
- Healthcare in Sussex
- Sussex dialect
References
- ^ "The West Sussex Lieutenancy". Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "The West Sussex Lieutenancy". Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b Armstrong. History of Sussex. Chapter 2. The first Inhabitants
- ^ "SSSI Citation — Eartham Pit" (PDF). Natural England. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ A History of Britain, Richard Dargie (2007), p. 8–9
- ^ H. Cleere & D. Crossley, Iron industry of the Weald (2nd edn, Merton Priory Press, Cardiff, 1995), 79–84; based on work by H. F. Cleere, including 'Some operating parameters for Roman ironworks' Inst Archaeol. Bull. 13 (1976), 233–46.
- ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Parker MS. 477AD.
- ISBN 0-7134-6566-2. pg 9
- ^ "West Sussex County Council: Poor Law Records". Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ a b Office for National Statistics (16 July 2012). "Census 2011 result shows increase in population of the South East". Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ISBN 0-11-884078-9
- ^ Mantell, Gideon Algernon; Jones (1857). The Wonders of Geology. Vol. I. Thomas Rupert (7th ed.). London: Henry G. Bohn. p. 371. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-9557672-2-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ "British Government catchment planning". Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Barrow, Mandy. "Project Britain British Life and Culture". Project Britain. Mandy Barrow. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "Bognor Regis Climate". Met Office. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- ^ "Bognor Regis the sunniest spot in Britain". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Southern England: climate". Met Office. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Hobson, Jeremy and Lewis, Celia. Choosing & Raising Chickens: The complete guide to breeds and welfare. Daniel and Charles Publishing. London. 2009. p 94-95
- ^ "VisitSussex: Sussex Wine & Beer". Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Election 2010 – South East". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ^ "West Sussex County Council: Council structure".
- ^ "Could you be a West Sussex youth MP? – News". Worthing Herald. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ "Warnham Local Nature Reserve". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ISBN 1-84330-120-2
- ISBN 0-300-09677-1
- ^ Hudson, T. P., ed. (1997). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 5 Part 1 – Arundel Rape (South-Western Part) including Arundel. Arundel Rape: South-Western part". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 7–9. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Salzman, L. F. (ed) (1953). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 4 – The Rape of Chichester. Bosham". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 182–188. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Southwick (Sussex) Society – The Manor Cottage". Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "Steyning Museum Home Page". Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ "Welcome to Tangmere". Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ "BBC South East".
- ^ "BBC London".
- ^ [1] Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
- ^ includes hunting and forestry
- ^ includes energy and construction
- ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
- 2001 census) Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ "West Sussex Info: Cricket clubs, cricket leagues and village cricket in West Sussex". Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Sussex CCC was the first First-Class County formed in 1839". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Cheltenham named Racegoers Club Racecourse of the Year". Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Official Website of the Red Devils – Crawley Town FC". Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
External links
- West Sussex County Council
- Images of West Sussex at the English Heritage Archive
- Further historical information and sources on GENUKI