Parham, West Sussex
Encyclopedia
Parham is a civil parish in the Horsham
District of West Sussex
, England
. There was a village of Parham, around the parish church
but its few houses having been destroyed in the early 19th century to create the modern landscaped park and gardens. The parish now consists of Parham Park and the farms and smaller settlements around it. The village is between Wiggonholt
and Cootham
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Pulborough
on the A283 road.
The parish covers 1586 hectares (3,919.1 acre). The 2001 Census
recorded 214 people living in 95 households, of whom 124 were economically active.
The civil parish includes the hamlets
of Rackham
, southwest of Parham Park, and Wiggonholt
on the A283 to the north, which has a small parish church.
of Saint Peter
has a blocked two-bay
arcade
in the north wall of the nave
that shows there used to be a north aisle. The lower part of the bell-tower is Perpendicular Gothic and the south chapel remains as it was built in 1545, but the remainder of the building was remodelled in the Georgian
Gothick fashion
in about 1820. The font
is a rare lead one from the middle of the 14th century, repeatedly inscribed with the legend IHS
Nazar
and the arms of Sir Andrew Peverel, who was a Knight of the Shire
in 1351.
Parham Park
originated as a grange of Westminster Abbey
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
it was converted into a south-facing E-shaped Elizabethan
country house
.
. with a special biological interest for its epiphytic
lichen
flora, as an area for two rare beetles and its large heronry.
Pulborough Brooks, a nature reserve in the north of the parish is also an SSSI. It is beside the River Arun
which floods in winter, providing a rich habitat for wading birds, ducks and geese. Part of the area is a RSPB reserve.
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
District of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. There was a village of Parham, around the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
but its few houses having been destroyed in the early 19th century to create the modern landscaped park and gardens. The parish now consists of Parham Park and the farms and smaller settlements around it. The village is between Wiggonholt
Wiggonholt
Wiggonholt is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is southeast of Pulborough on the A283 road. The village consists of a farm, a few houses and a small Church of England parish church....
and Cootham
Cootham
Cootham is a hamlet in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A283 road 0.9 miles west of Storrington.Cootham's population numbers around 200 and there is one public house named The Crown, parts of which date from 1555. As a well known coaching inn 'The Crown' had its own...
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
on the A283 road.
The parish covers 1586 hectares (3,919.1 acre). The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded 214 people living in 95 households, of whom 124 were economically active.
The civil parish includes the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Rackham
Rackham, West Sussex
Rackham is a hamlet in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the B2139 road 2.3 miles west of Storrington.-External links:...
, southwest of Parham Park, and Wiggonholt
Wiggonholt
Wiggonholt is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is southeast of Pulborough on the A283 road. The village consists of a farm, a few houses and a small Church of England parish church....
on the A283 to the north, which has a small parish church.
History
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
has a blocked two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
in the north wall of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
that shows there used to be a north aisle. The lower part of the bell-tower is Perpendicular Gothic and the south chapel remains as it was built in 1545, but the remainder of the building was remodelled in the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
Gothick fashion
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
in about 1820. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is a rare lead one from the middle of the 14th century, repeatedly inscribed with the legend IHS
IHS
IHS may refer to:* A common Christogram based on the first three letters of "Jesus" in Greek .* Abbreviation for the In hoc signo vinces legend.* IBM HTTP Server...
Nazar
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and the arms of Sir Andrew Peverel, who was a Knight of the Shire
Knights of the Shire
From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...
in 1351.
Parham Park
Parham Park
Parham Park is an Elizabethan house in Cootham, between Storrington and Pulborough, West Sussex, South East England, originally owned by the Monastery of Westminster and granted to Robert Palmer by King Henry VIII in 1540....
originated as a grange of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
it was converted into a south-facing E-shaped Elizabethan
Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain...
country house
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
.
Nature reserves
Parham Park grounds are a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. with a special biological interest for its epiphytic
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
flora, as an area for two rare beetles and its large heronry.
Pulborough Brooks, a nature reserve in the north of the parish is also an SSSI. It is beside the River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
which floods in winter, providing a rich habitat for wading birds, ducks and geese. Part of the area is a RSPB reserve.