Coates, West Sussex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coates |
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 Church of St. Agatha |
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 Coates
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| OS grid reference | SU998179 |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | West Sussex |
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| Grid reference | SU991175 |
| Coordinates | 50°56′54″N 0°35′18″W / 50.9483°N 0.588398°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 7.59 ha (18.8 acres) |
| Notification | 1993 |
Coates is a small village located in the beautiful downland area of West Sussex, England. It is part of the Chichester district. Coates is about 1.7 kilometers (one mile) southwest of Fittleworth and 6.8 kilometers (four miles) south-east of Petworth. The village is bordered on its north side by the Rother Navigation, which is a historic waterway.
Contents
Coates Manor House: A Historic Home
Coates Manor House is a very old building, dating back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I. It was once home to the Coates family, who gave the village its name. Its beautiful gardens are famous and sometimes open to visitors through the National Gardens Scheme. This scheme allows people to visit private gardens to raise money for charity.
Coates Castle: A Mansion with a Story
Coates Castle is a historic mansion officially protected as a Grade-II listed building. It sits on a hill above the village, offering amazing views of the Sussex countryside.
Building and Renovation
The castle was built in 1820 by John King. It has a special 'Strawberry Hill gothic' style, which means it looks a bit like a medieval castle but with a fancy, decorative touch. It was carefully fixed up in the early 2000s after being a bit run-down for a while.
Famous Visitors and Residents
A famous person, Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, who was an ancestor of Princes William and Harry, passed away here on March 31, 1905. There is a special memorial inside the local church to remember her. Even famous people like Sir Winston Churchill and Kaiser Wilhelm visited this castle!
Coates Castle During World War II
During World War II, the army used Coates Castle. From 1940 to 1941, Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Blacker invented an important weapon here. It was called the Blacker Bombard, a type of mortar. This weapon was cheap and easy to make, which was very important because the British Army had lost a lot of heavy equipment during the Dunkirk evacuation. The Home Guard, a defense organization, used the Blacker Bombard a lot.
Coates Castle SSSI: Protecting Nature
Coates Castle SSSI is a special nature area called a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It includes three areas of land near Coates Castle. These areas are very important because they are the only known place in Britain where the Gryllus campestris, also known as the field cricket, lives. This cricket is a protected species under a special law called the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Other areas nearby, like Coates Common and Lords Piece, are heathlands. These are open areas with small shrubs. They are home to special birds like the Nightjar and the Dartford Warbler, which breed there.
St Agatha's Church: A Village Landmark
The Anglican church of St Agatha is very old, first mentioned around the year 1100. Records show that the church in "Cotes" (an old name for Coates) used to send a yearly donation to Lewes Priory.
Church Architecture and Features
The church is built in an early English style. It has a single main room called a nave, which now has a wooden floor. There's also a small bell tower (rebuilt in 1961) and a small square area called a chancel. The arch connecting the nave and chancel is simple and half-circular.
One original Norman window has survived on the south wall. The larger windows were added later, in the late 14th century, and are of the early English lancet type, which means they are tall and narrow. Inside, you can see a small font made of Sussex marble, used for baptisms. There's also a special priest's chair, called a sedile, built into the south wall of the chancel.
Church Entrance and Parish Links
Interestingly, the main entrance to the church is on the north side. This was probably done to make it easier for people living in the nearby Coates Manor House to enter. The church's official records, called registers, date back to 1559. Today, St Agatha's is part of the same church parish as Barlavington, Sutton, and Bignor.
