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Bramber Parish Council

Bramber 100 Years Ago

PEACE IN WEST SUSSEX: COOMBES

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It is an odd coincidence that this week we should have selected, days before organised Labour, as the sect calls itself, stabbed the country in the back, this pretty sketch of a quiet nook in West Sussex, which has been in our Arundel office for some years apparently.  We hope it may have a soothing effect on some heated imaginations, and serve to recall all of us to the quiet ways of patient duty on which our health and fortunes pivot, always and everywhere.  The artist is Mr. J. Seymour Lindsay, and it is, he tells us, of the Old Rectory, Coombes, which is a parish on the Adur, two miles south of Bramber station.

West Sussex Gazette, 6 May 1926, Page 6

[Note: This is, of course, referring to the 1926 General Strike]

The Street 1919.jpg

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Next Parish Council Meeting: 6th May

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29th

April:

The Agendas for the Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Council Meeting are here and more details are here...

17th

April:

The Downs Link Summer Cut details are here...

17th

April:

The Minutes of April's Parish Council meeting can be read here...

11th

December:

The dates for Greening Steyning's Repair Cafe and Climate Cafe in 2026 can be found here...

11th

December:

Details of how you can support Steyning Museum are here...

April's Picture of the Month

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Cherry Blossom Avenue

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Bramber - A Snapshot

Bramber parish is a rural area in the lee of the South Downs, located inland from Shoreham-by-Sea and extending to some 1770 acres.  Much of the land is actively farmed and ranges from flood plain to upland on to the South Downs.  There is a natural boundary to the East in the river Adur which separates the village from Upper Beeding.  The southern side is wholly rural and joins farms in the parish of Coombes, elsewhere the boundaries mingle with Steyning.  Part of the parish falls within the newly created South Downs National Park.  The Parish Council works closely with the Parishes of Upper Beeding and Steyning in matters of mutual interest.

 

There are four identifiable residential areas: Bramber village, which is a single linear street (originally a causeway) and still contains listed buildings; Maudlyn Park, largely a post-war housing development accommodating the majority of the parish's population and the two picturesque hamlets of Annington and Botolphs.

 

Historically the area has been populated for well over a 1000 years.  It is recorded that the village developed along a trade route from Cornwall through to Kent and the Continent; had strong Saxon links and by 959 St Botolph's church had been built.  Bramber castle and the church followed in 1073.

 

The villages contain buildings of considerable historical interest such as the Saxon church at Botolphs, Bramber Castle, which is cared for by English Heritage, St Nicholas Church, the oldest Norman Church in the county, and the 15th century former pilgrims rest at St Mary’s House.  St. Mary's still attracts great interest and, through the efforts of the current owners and volunteers, the house and gardens have been restored to their former glory and numerous events are held throughout the year.

 

Whilst farming remains an important aspect of the local economy, there is also light industry in an industrial estate in Annington.  There are no shops in the village but there is a pub (the Castle Hotel), the 38 bedroom Old Tollgate Hotel and an Indian restaurant.  Tourism is still a major attraction to the area, which is criss-crossed by many footpaths and bridleways, including the Monarchs Way, the Downs Link and the South Downs Way.

 

Local interests are well catered for by the Parish Council and a social group called the Bramber Society.  It organises various activities which bring residents together - talks, village cleanups, celebrations, arranging floral decorations through the village and Christmas carols and decorations. The village also has links with several specialised interest groups.

 

Schools, health services and local shops are provided from the neighbouring villages of Steyning and Upper Beeding.

Parish Boundary (click for larger image)

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Bramber Parish Boundary

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