West Thorney

West Thorney

West Thorney Church
West Thorney
 West Thorney shown within West Sussex
Area  12.23 km2 (4.72 sq mi) [1]
Population 1,183. 2011 Census[2]
    density  88/km2 (230/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU768023
    London  59 miles (95 km) NE 
Civil parishWest Thorney
DistrictChichester
Shire countyWest Sussex
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town EMSWORTH
Postcode district PO10
Dialling code 01243
Police Sussex
Fire West Sussex
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentChichester
List of places
UK
England
West Sussex

Coordinates: 50°48′57″N 0°54′37″W / 50.81587°N 0.91041°W / 50.81587; -0.91041

West Thorney is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located nine kilometres (5.4 miles) west of Chichester south of the A27 road.

West Thorney is a village and civil parish on Thorney Island, the southern part of a peninsula of land between two arms of Chichester Harbour, separated from the mainland by a channel called the Great Deep. Just to the south is the smaller Pilsey Island, a haven for birds. The island was a World War II airfield RAF Thorney Island which remained in use until 1976. Since 1982 the base has been used by the Royal Artillery. Only the church and coastal footpath are open to the public.[3] It is necessary to give ones name and address by intercom to be allowed through remotely controlled gates.[4] The parish has a land area of 1223 hectares (3021 acres). In the 2001 census 1079 people lived in 217 households, of whom 679 were economically active.[1]

The parish church

The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The original building dates from around 1100 A.D. probably on the orders of Bishop Warlewast.

History

The Manor of Thorney belonged to the chapelry of Bosham at the Norman conquest and was held by the Bishops of Exeter. In 1086 A.D. the Domesday Book recorded that 'Mauger holds of the land of this church 12 hides as one manor; it is called Tornei and pays geld for 8 hides'. It was sold by the Bishop of Exeter in 1548 to Thomas Fisher, who the following year sold it to Henry Bickley.[5]

Landmarks

Chichester Harbour, a Site of Special Scientific Interest is partly within the parish. This is a wetland of international importance,a Special Protection Area for wild birds and a Special Area of Conservation. The harbour is of particular importance for wintering wildfowl and waders of which five species reach numbers which are internationally important.[6]

Pilsey Island

Pilsey Island seen from the Thorney Island sea wall

Pilsey Island is a small island in Chichester Harbour, just off the south eastern tip of Thorney Island. In recent years it has become joined to Thorney by accumulating sand. The island is an RSPB nature reserve[7] and a designated Local Nature Reserve.[8][9]

It made headline news in 1956 when the body of Lionel Crabb, who had been employed by MI6, was found nearby, leading to an international incident.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Thorney.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thorney Island.
  1. 1 2 "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  2. "Civil parish population 2011". Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. Walking Britain; walk 2043
  4. "Sussex seashore, Thorney Island, West Sussex". London: The Guardian. 12 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  5. British History Online
  6. "SSSI Citation Chichester Harbour" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  7. "About Pilsey Island". RSPB. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  8. "Pilsey Island". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  9. "Map of Pilsey Island". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, January 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.