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Bramber Parish Council

Bramber 100 Years Ago

KENT ROAD CLUB


Last week-end the club carried out a very enjoyable fixture, a night ride to Worthing. Leaving Southend Pond, Catford, at half-past eleven on Saturday night, the party made its way through Beckenham to Croydon, where the main Brighton road was reached. Proceeding along this, the artificial lights of man were soon left behind, and a brilliant moon accompanied the riders to Redhill, where they were fortunate enough to secure a late (or early) cup of tea. On again, Crawley was passed, and the road taken to the right to Horsham. After Horsham, day began to take the place of night, and by the time Worthing was reached the sun was well up. Two or three hours were spent on the beach after breakfast, and then the return journey was commenced, by way of the Shoreham road. At the latter place, a left turn was made and the road taken through picturesque Bramber, with the ruined castle, to Partridge Green and Horsham, where a halt was made for lunch. Continuing on through Crawley, Godstone was reached for tea, and the run home completed by Westerham Hill and Downe.

Kentish Independent, 2 July 1926, Page 2


{Note: This ride would have been about 65-70 miles each way}

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June's Picture of the Month

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Water Lilies

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Next Parish Council Meeting: 1st July

Latest News

Date Added:

Details:

1st

July:

Horsham District Council have initiated a consultation on the upcoming Local Plan.  See the details here...

29th

June:

The Agenda for July's meeting of the Parish Council can be read here...

29th

June:

There's advance notice of the closure of Botolphs Road in late-July here...

15th

June:

There's advance notice of a road closure in The Street in mid-July here...

17th

April:

The Downs Link Summer Cut details are here...

11th

December:

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

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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.

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