Littlehampton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Littlehampton |
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| Town | |
 Littlehampton Harbour |
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 Littlehampton
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| Area | 10.06 km2 (3.88 sq mi) |
| Population | 27,795 (Civil Parish.2011) |
| • Density | 2,763/km2 (7,160/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ029020 |
| • London | 51 miles (82 km) NNE |
| Civil parish |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LITTLEHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | BN17 |
| Dialling code | 01903 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Littlehampton Town Council |
Littlehampton is a fun town and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. It sits right on the English Channel, next to where the River Arun meets the sea. It's about 52 miles (84 km) south-west of London. It's also 19 miles (31 km) west of Brighton and 10 miles (16 km) east of Chichester.
The town area covers about 11.35 square kilometers. Around 55,000 people live in the wider Littlehampton area. Nearby places like Wick, Lyminster, and Rustington are also part of this larger community. Littlehampton is also part of the 15th largest urban area in England and Wales. This big area includes Brighton, Worthing, and Littlehampton, with over 474,000 people living there. The South Downs National Park is just 3 miles (5 km) north of the town. You can reach places like Amberley and Arundel from Littlehampton by walking, train, or road.
Contents
- History of Littlehampton
- Economy and Jobs
- Schools in Littlehampton
- Getting Around Littlehampton
- Littlehampton Port
- Parks and Open Spaces
- Churches and Cemeteries
- Arts and Culture
- Local News
- Shopping and Fun Things to Do
- Public Services
- Sports
- Fossils
- Famous People from Littlehampton
- Twin Towns
- See also
History of Littlehampton
People have lived in Littlehampton since ancient times, even before the Romans. It was first mentioned in a very old book called the Domesday Book in 1086. Back then, it was called 'Hantone' and was likely a fishing village. Around 1100, a French map showed it as 'Hanton'.
The area was later owned by a French abbey until about 1400. After that, it belonged to the Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk. Their families still live in Arundel today.
Littlehampton started to grow as a port because the River Arun kept getting blocked by silt. This might be why 'Little' was added to 'Hampton'. It helped tell it apart from the bigger port of Southampton. To help ships, a new river mouth was dug in 1735, and a wooden harbor was built. At this time, it was also known as Arundel Port.
As the 1700s went on, Littlehampton changed from a fishing village to a popular holiday spot. Famous people like Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are thought to have visited.
In the 1800s, Littlehampton became very successful because it was both a port and a holiday town. A railway line was built, and a ferry service started going to Honfleur in France. The town's population grew a lot, from 584 people in 1801 to 5,954 in 1901. In the 1920s, Littlehampton was even called 'The Children's Paradise'.
After World War II, many new houses were built on the edge of town. This meant that villages like Wick, Lyminster, and Toddington became part of Littlehampton. The town's businesses also started focusing more on building boats and water sports. In 1967, Littlehampton became famous for being the home of the first Blue Peter lifeboat.
Economy and Jobs
The main office for The Body Shop is in Littlehampton. It's a big company that provides many jobs for people in the area.
Another local company, Dando Drilling International Ltd, has been making and selling drilling rigs from Littlehampton since 1868. For many years, Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB) was also a major employer, growing salads in the town.
Schools in Littlehampton
Littlehampton has one secondary school called The Littlehampton Academy. It opened in 2009.
For younger kids, there are five primary schools: Lyminster, River Beach, St. Catherine's, White Meadows, and Georgian Gardens. In 2011, some schools joined together to form these new primary schools.
Getting Around Littlehampton
Littlehampton is on the A259, a main road that goes around most of the town. The A284 connects Littlehampton to the A27 south coast road. This road is also the main way to get north or south out of town.
Littlehampton has three train stations: Littlehampton, Angmering, and Ford. You can catch trains from Littlehampton to places like Brighton, London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, and Portsmouth.
The Littlehampton Ferry takes people across the River Arun. It runs from March to September. The ferry company also offers tours of the harbor.
For air travel, Gatwick Airport is about an hour away. Southampton Airport is an hour and a half away.
Buses are also a popular way to get around. Compass Travel and Stagecoach South operate many bus routes in Littlehampton. The bus station serves up to 1,000 passengers every day. You can also find taxis in town.
Littlehampton Port
Littlehampton's port is on the River Arun, which flows into the English Channel. This part of the sea is known as the "Littlehampton Channel." Littlehampton started as a fishing port. Today, it's a busy port for thousands of leisure boats from all over the UK and Europe. Many more places for boats were needed in 2009 because so many people were using leisure boats.
Littlehampton is also a commercial port. About 50 to 60 ships visit each year from countries like Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France. They bring cargo like stone, marble, and wood. From the 1920s until 2009, a company called David Hillyard built over 850 yachts in Littlehampton.
Parks and Open Spaces
Littlehampton has many lovely parks and open spaces for everyone to enjoy:
- Mewsbrook Park
- Brookfield Park
- Rosemead Open Space
- East Beach Green
- West Beach Nature Reserve
- Norfolk Gardens
- Middle Mead
- Water Lane Recreation Ground
- St Catherines Recreation Ground
- Southfields Recreation Ground
- Linden Park Recreational Ground
Churches and Cemeteries
St Mary's is the main Anglican church, and St Catherine's is the main Catholic church. In the town's cemetery, you can find the grave of Katharine O'Shea, who was married to a famous Irish politician, Charles Stewart Parnell.
There are other churches too, including St James the Great, All Saints, Littlehampton Baptist Church, and the Quaker Friends Meeting House.
Arts and Culture
The Littlehampton bonfire procession is a big yearly event. The Littlehampton Bonfire Society has organized it since 1952. It's part of a series of bonfire festivals held across Sussex.
Littlehampton has many groups that put on shows, like the Stagedoor Theatre Company and The Musical Comedy Society. The Littlehampton Concert Band also performs a popular 'Last Night of the Proms' concert every year.
Littlehampton on Screen
- The actor Stanley Holloway (who lived from 1890 to 1982) passed away in Littlehampton.
- Parts of the TV show The Inbetweeners were filmed in Littlehampton. You can see the promenade and the River Arun in some scenes.
- Littlehampton was used as the town center in an episode of the BBC show Ever Decreasing Circles.
- The movie Wicked Little Letters is set in Littlehampton in the 1920s. It's based on a true story about strange letters sent in the town.
Littlehampton in Books
- The comedian Paul O'Grady wrote about living in Littlehampton in his autobiography.
- Littlehampton is an important setting in the 2005 novel Never Let Me Go by British author Kazuo Ishiguro.
- Stuart Millard's Beach Diaries books are set on Littlehampton Beach.
Local News
The Littlehampton Gazette is the town's local newspaper. It comes out every week.
Shopping and Fun Things to Do
The East Beach Cafe
The East Beach Cafe is a very cool building on Littlehampton's east beach. It opened in 2007 and was designed by Heatherwick Studio. The building looks like a piece of weathered wood washed up on the beach. It was built right in Littlehampton by local companies.
The Longest Bench
Littlehampton is home to Britain's longest bench! It's 324 meters long and runs along most of the east beach promenade. Children from a local school helped come up with the first ideas for the bench. It's made from recycled wood from old coastal structures. The designers describe it as a "charm bracelet" for the town.
Look and Sea Centre
The Look and Sea Centre has a cafe called Harbour Lights and a tall observation tower where you can see great views.
Harbour Park
Harbour Park is a fun amusement park right at the entrance of the River Arun. It has two restaurants, arcades, a rollercoaster, a log flume, and other rides.
Boat Trips
You can take many different boat trips from Littlehampton harbor. There are ferry services across the river and sightseeing trips around the harbor. You can also go to places like Arundel, Brighton, Chichester, and the Isle of Wight. Some boats even offer fast speed boat rides!
Norfolk Gardens
Norfolk Gardens is an outdoor area with lots of activities. You can play pitch and putt, adventure golf (called Buccaneer Bay), tennis, and bowls. There's also a cafe.
The Littlehampton Miniature Railway runs for 800 yards from Norfolk Gardens to Mewsbrook Park. It's the oldest railway of its kind in the UK!
Littlehampton Harbour
Littlehampton harbor is on the River Arun, on the western side of town. You can find places for yachts to dock here. On the west bank of the river, there's also the Littlehampton Redoubt and Climping sand dunes.
Public Services
Littlehampton lifeboat station is one of the busiest RNLI Lifeboat stations in the UK. The volunteer crew members help with search and rescue. They also helped people during floods in East Pakistan many years ago. The station has two lifeboats. For a long time, Littlehampton had a lifeboat paid for by viewers of the BBC show Blue Peter.
Littlehampton's police station is just outside the town center. The town's fire station is also near the town center. It has two fire trucks.
Littlehampton's hospital was taken down in 2005. Now, people go to the Zachary Merton Hospital in nearby Rustington, which has 31 beds. There are also two doctor's surgeries in Littlehampton.
Sports
Rugby Union
Littlehampton Rugby Club plays in the Sussex Intermediate League. They play most of their games on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. The club is also involved in local events like the carnival and bonfire night.
Fossils
The flint stones on Littlehampton's West Beach often contain fossils! These flints formed from tiny sea creatures like sponges and diatoms millions of years ago. Sometimes, these creatures became fossils, and you can see their shapes on the outside of the flints. Locals call them "Shepherds crowns." The Littlehampton Museum sometimes organizes fossil hunting walks for kids during school holidays.
Famous People from Littlehampton
Twin Towns
Littlehampton is twinned with two towns in other countries:
- Durmersheim, Germany
- Chennevières-sur-Marne, France
See also
In Spanish: Littlehampton para niños
