Steyning
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
Template:GBmap Image:Steyning Clock Tower - May 9 2004.JPG 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 (6.4km) north of Shoreham-by-Sea. The smaller villages of Bramber and Upper Beeding constitute, with Steyning, a built-up area at this crossing-point of the river.
Contents |
Demographics
The parish of Steyning had a population of 5,810 in 2002.
History of Steyning
Steyning has existed since at least Anglo-Saxon times. King Alfred the Great's father, Ethelwulf of Wessex, was buried there in the church of St. Cuthman (now St Andrew's), before being transferred to Winchester.
Legend has it that Saint Cuthman built the church where he stopped after carrying his mother in a wheelbarrow. Several of the signs that can be seen on entering Steyning bear an image of his feat.
Edward the Confessor granted Steyning to the abbot and convent of Fécamp, who retained control until the 15th century. The Abbey of Fécamp re-dedicated the church of St Cuthman to St Andrew in the 13th Century.
According to the Domesday Book, by 1086 Steyning was a thriving port. It had a market, a mint and two churches. However, in the 14th century, the river began to silt up and the town began to decay.
Later, Steyning was a rotten borough, returning two MPs from 1278 until it was disfranchised by the Reform Act of 1832.
In 1614, William Holland, Alderman of Chichester founded and endowed Steyning Grammar School.
Modern Steyning
In Steyning, there is access to a variety of facilities. These include 4 public houses, 4 estate agents and 4 banks. Furthermore, there is a state-of-the-art leisure centre, which was built with National Lottery funding. The town is home to Steyning Grammar School (a paradoxically titled state comprehensive), which has a body of around 2500 students, with a sixth form comprising over 400. The school has a catchment area that extends as far as Dial Post and sometimes Worthing.
Nightlife
Steyning has four pubs: The Star, The Chequers, The White Horse and The Norfolk Arms. The restaurant Zest also serves as a wine bar in the evenings. Steyning also holds a members club and bar known in town as the Cricket Club, situated on the Steyning cricket field.
References
- 'Steyning', A History of the County of Sussex: Volume VI Part 1: Bramber Rape (Southern Part) (1980), pp. 220-26. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=18254. Date accessed: 01 July 2005.
- Horsham District Council - Parish Population Estimates