South Stoke, West Sussex

South Stoke is a small, almost wholly rural village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is centred two miles (3 km) north of Arundel also on the west bank of the River Arun and on the edge of Arundel Park. It is reached by road, footpath or river from Arundel. A footpath also leads to North Stoke on the east bank. The civil parish, which includes the hamlet of Offham, covers an area of 534.86 hectares (1,321.7 acres). At the 2011 Census the population of the village was included in the civil parish of Houghton.

South Stoke
South Stoke Church
South Stoke Location within West Sussex
Area	5.35 km^2 (2.07 sq mi) [1]
Population	44 (Civil Parish)[2]
• Density	8/km^2 (21/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TQ026099
• London	47 miles (76 km) NNE
Civil parish	South Stoke
District	Arun
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ARUNDEL
Postcode district	BN18
Dialling code	01903
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Arundel and South Downs

The parish church, Saxon in origin, is dedicated to St Leonard. Offham has a large pub.

History

Human population here reverted to medieval levels after 1806 when common land was enclosed to make Arundel Park, depriving unlanded villagers of sheep-grazing land. Some of this was returned to woodland after a few centuries of being used as pasture.

Amenities

Offham has a pub with outdoor seated area, the Black Rabbit.

The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath crosses the western edge of the parish between Houghton and Arundel.

In film, the media and fiction

Offham is the setting for Michael de Larrabeiti's 2003 novel Foxes' Oven, set in 1940.[3]

The parish church

The 11th-century building is recorded in the Domesday Book, when the village was named as "Stoches". Built of flint it has a thin western tower which carries a 19th-century broach spire with four slatted dormer windows. There is one bell dated 1657. The porch is 13th century.

References

1. "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
2. Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density United Kingdom Census 2001 Office for National Statistics Retrieved 10 May 2014
3. http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Foxes-Oven-Michael-De-Larrabeiti/9780709071730?b=-3&t=-20#Fulldescription-20