East Wittering
Encyclopedia
East Wittering is a coastal village in the Chichester
district of West Sussex
, England
. The eastern half of the village lies within the civil parish
of East Wittering and Bracklesham
, while the western half lies within the boundary of West Wittering
civil parish
. The village sits on the B2179 road seven miles (11.3 km) southwest of Chichester
.
There has been a settlement at East Wittering for over a thousand years. Before the Norman Conquest King Harold
had control of the Bishops. The area is mentioned in the Domesday Book, as part of the Hundred of Westringes
, and the parish church of The Assumption
dates from the early 12th century: Pevsner describes it as having an impressive coherence and sureness of touch. For centuries the land was in the hands of the Wystryng family. In Victorian times the RNLI raised enough subscriptions to launch a distress boat from the beach at East Wittering, a role now covered by the Fire Service. Last century the area began to attract greater numbers of holiday makers but in May 1944 it became the landing beach for the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
during a dummy run for D-Day
, code named Operation Fabius. Since then it has returned to a quiet area with a small primary school, popular with week-end surfers. Nikolaus Pevsner
described the village as ”A jumble of bungalows and chalets near the beach in an untidy half grown up state”
St Anne's Anglican Church was designed by architect Harry Sherwood who was surveyor of the fabric of Chichester Cathedral. The foundation stone was laid on 6 June 1958 by the then Bishop of Chichester who consecrated the building on 14 May 1959. Within the Church there is a plaque inscribed "1914-1918 No lives were lost from this Parish. All returned safely. LAUS DEO" which testifies to the fact that East Wittering is one of the Thankful Villages
- those very rare places that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914-1918.
Chichester (district)
Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...
district of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The eastern half of the village lies within the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of East Wittering and Bracklesham
East Wittering and Bracklesham
East Wittering and Bracklesham is a civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. The parish lies on the coast of the Manhood Peninsula, approximately six miles southwest of Chichester...
, while the western half lies within the boundary of West Wittering
West Wittering
West Wittering is a small village and civil parish, on the Manhood Peninsula, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road 6.5 miles southwest of Chichester and has a sandy beach with what has been described as excellent...
civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
. The village sits on the B2179 road seven miles (11.3 km) southwest of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
.
History
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
had control of the Bishops. The area is mentioned in the Domesday Book, as part of the Hundred of Westringes
Manhood Peninsula
The Manhood Peninsula is the southernmost part of Sussex in England. It has the English channel to its south and Chichester to the north.The peninsula is bordered to its west by Chichester Harbour and to its east by Pagham Harbour, its southern headland being Selsey Bill.-Name:The name Manhood has...
, and the parish church of The Assumption
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
dates from the early 12th century: Pevsner describes it as having an impressive coherence and sureness of touch. For centuries the land was in the hands of the Wystryng family. In Victorian times the RNLI raised enough subscriptions to launch a distress boat from the beach at East Wittering, a role now covered by the Fire Service. Last century the area began to attract greater numbers of holiday makers but in May 1944 it became the landing beach for the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Canadian Army from 1940 to c.1945.- History :The formation of the division was authorized on 17 May 1940...
during a dummy run for D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, code named Operation Fabius. Since then it has returned to a quiet area with a small primary school, popular with week-end surfers. Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described the village as ”A jumble of bungalows and chalets near the beach in an untidy half grown up state”
St Anne's Anglican Church was designed by architect Harry Sherwood who was surveyor of the fabric of Chichester Cathedral. The foundation stone was laid on 6 June 1958 by the then Bishop of Chichester who consecrated the building on 14 May 1959. Within the Church there is a plaque inscribed "1914-1918 No lives were lost from this Parish. All returned safely. LAUS DEO" which testifies to the fact that East Wittering is one of the Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages are settlements in both England and Wales from which all their then members of the armed forces survived World War I. The term Thankful Village was popularised by the writer Arthur Mee in the 1930s...
- those very rare places that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914-1918.