Houghton, West Sussex

Houghton (/ˈhaʊtən/) is a low-population, linear settlement with a large elevated tract of land which is mostly wooded and two main farms forming its civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is on the River Arun, where it has a bridge to a rural part of Amberley, 3 miles (5 km) north of Arundel. The area is, equally, part of the South Downs National Park. The census 2011 included the population of South Stoke.

Houghton

Bridge over the Arun at Houghton
Houghton
Location within West Sussex
Area12.59 km2 (4.86 sq mi) [1]
Population153 (Civil Parish.2011)[2]
• Density12/km2 (31/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ018115
• London46 miles (74 km) NNE
Civil parish
  • Houghton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townARUNDEL
Postcode districtBN18
Dialling code01798
PoliceSussex
FireWest Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
The Turnpike

Geography

The Downs rise steeply from the riverside plain to the west and north-west of the developed street. A straight side-road leads just 1 mile (1.6 km) to the nearest village with a convenience shop, Bury, still on the relatively flat eastern plain, at the foot of the hills. Homes are modest but many are listed buildings.[3]

Amenities and recreation

In the village is a simple two-cell church dedicated to St Nicholas, originally built in the 13th century but largely rebuilt in 1857. It is mid ranked in the national grading system of listed buildings (at Grade II*).[4]

Houghton is home to the George and Dragon pub, pre-dating the English Civil War[5] and said to have been a stop-off point of Charles I's son (the future Charles II) on his escape to France in 1651 following his defeat by Cromwell's army at the Battle of Worcester. A large minority of Arundel Park where it is well-wooded is in the parish, as is Houghton Forest which is free public access and covers the west of the parish.[6]

The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath (which follows Charles's supposed route from Worcester to Shoreham-by-Sea) descends from the Downs to the west into the village, before heading south along the river towards Arundel.

References
  1. "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  2. Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density United Kingdom Census 2011 Office for National Statistics Retrieved 10 May 2014
  3. e.g. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1027633)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1027634)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (12340216)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (12763316)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
    Historic England. "Details from listed building database (13538766)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1027636)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  5. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1234034)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  6. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1000170)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
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