Storrington
Encyclopedia
Storrington is a 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. 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.
Storrington existed in the Domesday Book
, listed as 'Estorchestone', meaning a place well-known for stork
s. 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. Tanning
and blacksmith
ing 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 still extant in 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. 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 is thinly dsguised at 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.
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 Edwin Lutyens
built Little Thakeham nearby.
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
.
Storrington has most of the facilities of a small town; a large recreation ground with football (soccer) and cricket
pitches and a leisure centre
. The main supermarket is Waitrose
, which previously was Somerfield
. There is a wide variety of shops and businesses, delicatessens, charity shops, butchers, clothes shops, three pubs (The New Moon, The Anchor Inn and The White Horse Inn), coffee shops, hardware stores, estate agencies, three banks, a variety of restaurants, a museum and a Post Office.
The nearest large town is Worthing
, approximately 11 mi (17.7 km) to the south, followed by Horsham
, approximately 14 mi (22.5 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.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Horsham
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
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...
, and one of two in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Storrington and Sullington
Storrington and Sullington
Storrington and Sullington is the name of a civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The two villages are near the A24 road sixteen miles south of Horsham....
. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
. As of 2006 the village has a population of around 4,600. It has one main shopping street (The High Street). The A283 road
A roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four digit roads:...
runs directly through the middle and connects Storrington to Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
in the east and 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...
in the west.
Storrington existed in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, listed as 'Estorchestone', meaning a place well-known for stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s. A charter to hold a regular market on Wednesdays was granted by Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
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. Tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
and blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
ing 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 still extant in 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
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, noted only the small door in Browns lane, the Church, and the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
known as The Abbey
The Abbey, Storrington
The Abbey, Storrington at Storrington in Sussex, England, was originally a rectory, later a small country house and then a convent school.It is an irregular five bay, two and three storey house built in 1871-1872 by the Rev George Faithfull in the Victorian Gothic style, reusing material from the...
to be historically significant. 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 is thinly dsguised at 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.
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....
, 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 Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
built Little Thakeham nearby.
There are a variety of places of worship such as St Mary's on Church St, which is the main Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
place of worship, and the Priory of Our Lady of England on Monastery Lane, which is the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
parish church of Storrington. The Roman Catholic bishops of Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
lived nearby for a while. Other Christian denominations have places as well, including the Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
and Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
.
Storrington has most of the facilities of a small town; a large recreation ground with football (soccer) and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitches and a leisure centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
. The main supermarket is Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
, which previously was Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
. There is a wide variety of shops and businesses, delicatessens, charity shops, butchers, clothes shops, three pubs (The New Moon, The Anchor Inn and The White Horse Inn), coffee shops, hardware stores, estate agencies, three banks, a variety of restaurants, a museum and a Post Office.
The nearest large town is Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, approximately 11 mi (17.7 km) to the south, followed by Horsham
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...
, approximately 14 mi (22.5 km) to the north. Mainline train services can be picked up from Pulborough
Pulborough railway station
Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :...
or Amberley
Amberley railway station
Amberley railway station is a railway station in West Sussex, England. It serves the village of Amberley, about half a mile away, and was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
. Trains to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
take an hour and a quarter and terminate at Victoria. Trains to Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
take around 25 minutes.