Yapton
Encyclopedia
Yapton is a village and civil parish
in the Arun
District of West Sussex
, England
. It is three miles (4.8 km) to the north-west of Bognor Regis
at the intersection of the B2132 and B2233 roads. The civil parish covers an area of 791 hectares (1,954.6 acre) and has a population of 3522 persons (2001 census).
The parish of Yapton lies on the coastal plain south west of Arundel
, between the South Downs
and the sea. St Mary the Virgin parish church, 13th century or earlier in origin, is in the centre of the village. It houses a twelfth century font. The village includes Yapton C of E Primary School.
Other settlements in the parish include Bilsham and Flansham. Bilsham Chapel
is a deconsecrated former chapel of ease
to St Mary the Virgin Church; it dates from the 13th–14th century but fell out of use in the mid-16th century. The building is now a house.
The disused Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
which linked the River Arun
to Chichester Harbour
, runs through the village. This was built as part of a safe inland shipping route between London
and Portsmouth
avoiding the then considerable hazards of coastal waters and attack by the French.
men.
, the Olympic swimming maestro was brought up in Yapton. There is a residential road, Goodhew Close, named after him. Sculptor Ginger Gilmour
works from a 15th-century farmhouse near Yapton , where she has created several studios.
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...
in the Arun
Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
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...
. It is three miles (4.8 km) to the north-west of Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
at the intersection of the B2132 and B2233 roads. The civil parish covers an area of 791 hectares (1,954.6 acre) and has a population of 3522 persons (2001 census).
The parish of Yapton lies on the coastal plain south west 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...
, between 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...
and the sea. St Mary the Virgin parish church, 13th century or earlier in origin, is in the centre of the village. It houses a twelfth century font. The village includes Yapton C of E Primary School.
Other settlements in the parish include Bilsham and Flansham. Bilsham Chapel
Bilsham Chapel
Bilsham Chapel is a deconsecrated former chapel in the hamlet of Bilsham in West Sussex, England. Founded in the 13th century as a chapel of ease to the parish church of Yapton, the nearest village, the small flint building fell out of religious use around the time of the Reformation...
is a deconsecrated former chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to St Mary the Virgin Church; it dates from the 13th–14th century but fell out of use in the mid-16th century. The building is now a house.
The disused Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal was a canal in the south of England that ran between Portsmouth and Arundel, it was built in 1823 but was never a financial success and was abandoned in 1855, the company was wound up in 1888...
which linked 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...
to Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour to the south west of the city of Chichester on the Solent. It straddles the boundary of West Sussex and Hampshire. Geographically it is a ria. It is one of four natural harbours in that area of the coastline, the others being Portsmouth Harbour,...
, runs through the village. This was built as part of a safe inland shipping route between 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...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
avoiding the then considerable hazards of coastal waters and attack by the French.
Were you born in Yapton?
There is a well-known joke in Sussex: "Were you born in Yapton?" This question is asked when someone has forgotten to close a door. It is believed to refer to the eighteenth-century practice of leaving doors open or unlocked so that smugglers could hide their goods in the nearest house when they were being chased by exciseExcise
Excise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
men.
Notable residents
Duncan GoodhewDuncan Goodhew
Duncan Alexander Goodhew MBE is a British swimming athlete. After swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University, he was an Olympic swimmer for Great Britain and won Olympic gold and bronze medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.-Biography:Goodhew...
, the Olympic swimming maestro was brought up in Yapton. There is a residential road, Goodhew Close, named after him. Sculptor Ginger Gilmour
Ginger Gilmour
Ginger Gilmour, Ginger Gilmour, Ginger Gilmour, (born Virginia Hasenbein in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on 19 January 1949, is an artist and former model, and the first wife of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.-Personal life :...
works from a 15th-century farmhouse near Yapton , where she has created several studios.