Selsey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Selsey |
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 Aerial view |
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 Selsey
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| Area | 12.28 km2 (4.74 sq mi) |
| Population | 10,737 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 804/km2 (2,080/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SZ854935 |
| • London | 60 miles (97 km) NNE |
| Civil parish |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHICHESTER |
| Postcode district | PO20 |
| Dialling code | 01243 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | http://www.selseytowncouncil.gov.uk/ |
Selsey (/ˈsɛlsi/) is a seaside town and civil parish, about eight miles (12 km) south of Chichester, in the Chichester district, in West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea. It is bounded to the west by Bracklesham Bay, to the north by Broad Rife, to the east by Pagham Harbour and terminates in the south at Selsey Bill. There are significant rock formations beneath the sea off both of its coasts, named the Owers rocks and Mixon rocks. Coastal erosion has been an ever-present problem for Selsey. In 2011 the parish had a population of 10,737.
The B2145 is the only road in and out of the town crossing a bridge over the water inlet at Pagham Harbour at a point known as "the ferry". At one time Selsey was inaccessible at flood tide, and a boat was stationed at the ferry to take horses and passengers to and from Sidlesham.
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Place name
According to Bede the name Selsey is derived from the Saxon Seals-ey and can be interpreted as the Isle of Sea Calves (sea calves are better known as seals).
Edward Heron-Allen identified at least twenty different spellings of the place that we now know today as Selsey.
A selection of versions as identified by Heron-Allen are:
- Seoles – Old English
- Seleisi – Domesday Book 1086
- Celesye – Assize Roll 1279
History
The earliest evidence of human habitation in the Selsey area goes back to the stone age. Various stone implements have been found which date to the Palaeolithic period. People have been living in the area ever since.
It is believed that, in the Iron Age, the Atrebates (one of the Belgae tribes) built a city at Selsey, similar in status to the pre-Roman urban centre ( oppidum) at Hengistbury Head near Christchurch. So far there is no archaeological evidence to confirm this, although some have speculated that the old city that Camden refers to is, indeed the old Belgae settlement and was located at the Mixon rocks, now south of Selsey Bill.
There have been various finds of silver and gold coins in the Selsey area. Gold coins from the Atrebates rulers named Commius, Tincommius, Verica, Eppillus, and Cunobelin were found on the beach in 1877, it is thought that these coins would have been minted locally. The ancient British coins would have been superseded by Roman coins and there have been finds of them too. In addition, some Anglo-Saxon gold fragments were found on the beach between Selsey and Bognor, these were dated as late 6th/ 8th century and what made them particularly interesting is that they had a runic inscription on them, the fragments were handed over to the British Museum.
Selsey was the capital of the Kingdom of Sussex, possibly founded by Ælle. Wilfrid arrived circa 680 and converted the kingdom to Christianity, as recorded by the Venerable Bede. Selsey Abbey stood at Selsey (probably where Church Norton is today), and was the cathedra for the Sussex Diocese until the Council of London ordered the removal of the See to Chichester in 1075, during the reign of William the Conqueror.
In the Domesday Book Selesie is mentioned under the hundred of Somerley:
"The Bishop(of Chichester) holds Selesie in domain. In the time of King Edward it was rated at ten hides, and so it continues. The arable is seven plough lands. There are two ploughs in the demesne, and fourteen villains with eleven bondsmen have five ploughs.".
The manor of Selsey remained in the Bishop of Chichesters hands until 1561, when it was taken over by the crown.
In July 1588 the Spanish Armada arrived off the Isle of Wight with the intention of attacking Portsmouth. The wind changed direction to the south-west. Men from the Manhood Peninsula serving under Francis Drake conceived a plan to lure the Spanish fleet onto the Owers rocks (off Selsey). However the Spanish Admiral, recognising the danger decided to head for Calais.
In 1647, a fatality was recorded following a cricket match at Selsey when a fielder called Henry Brand was hit on the head by the batsman Thomas Latter, who was trying to hit the ball a second time. The incident repeated one at Horsted Keynes in 1624. Thomas Latter may have been a relative of Richard Latter, one of the defendants in a cricket-related case at nearby Sidlesham in 1611.
Over the centuries that Selsey has derived an income from the sea, one of the enterprises was smuggling. In the eighteenth century Selsey Bill was very much more isolated than it is today, and the sand spit extended farther out to sea. There was only the causeway connected to the mainland and that was covered at high tide. The approach of the local riding officer would have been conspicuous in the extreme. The Rectors of Selsey reputedly claimed a tithe on all kegs landed there, and stories also tell of a passageway leading from the Old Rectory (at Church Norton) to the remains of a Mound, thought to have been built by the Normans. The course of the tunnel was marked by a depression on the surface of the ground as late as 1911.
In the 1720s one Selsey man ran a regular ferry service to France, traveling back and forth every five weeks, and other prominent Selsey figures made considerable fortunes just from part-time work in the free-trade.
Landings were not confined to Selsey itself: in a single run in 1743 2,000 lbs of tea were brought inland at West Wittering some six miles (10 km) away.
In 1749 fourteen smugglers, members of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang, were accused of the murder of Mr. William Galley, a custom-house officer, and Daniel Chater, a shoemaker. Seven were tried and condemned to death at Chichester assizes; one died in gaol before sentence could be carried out and the other six were hanged at the Broyle north of Chichester. Subsequently, the bodies of two of the smugglers, John Cobby and John Hammond, were hung in gibbets at Selsey Bill so that they could be seen at great distance from east and west.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Selsey opened its first school. In 1818 premises were granted to the Rector and churchwardens of Selsey which were "on trust to permit the premises to be used for a schoolhouse or free school, for the gratuitous education of such poor children belonging to the Parish of Selsey as the said trustees or successors may think proper." The school was eventually taken over by the local authority in 1937.
Selsey was connected to Chichester from 1897 to 1935 by a rail link initially called the Hundred of Manhood and Selsey Tramway and later the West Sussex Railway. The light railway rolling stock was all second hand and not very reliable and the journey times lengthy. Various nicknames such as the "Selsey Snail" were attributed to the tram and comic postcards were issued reflecting its poor service.
Selsey today
Commerce
Selsey has a high street with a mix of shops and restaurants. There are many holiday cottages, bed and breakfasts as well as some very large static caravan parks that make Selsey a popular holiday destination. It also has a selection of light industries and a small fishing fleet.
Sport and leisure
Football
Selsey Football Club was formed in 1903 and moved to the High Street Ground in the late 1940s. The current Selsey F.C. is a semi-professional association football club and has been awarded Chartered Standard Community status. It is affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association.
Selsey Cricket Club
It is known that cricket has been played, in Selsey at least since 1647, although the earliest record for the Selsey Cricket Club was on 9 July 1834 when the team played Kingley Vale. Selsey won by 3 runs.
A former president was Hubert Doggart, OBE, MA. He was the son of the sportsman Graham Doggart who rose to chair the Football Association. Doggart represented England in two Test matches in 1950. He was President of the M.C.C. (1981–1982), the Cricket Council (1981–1982) and the Cricket Society (1983–1998), and he chaired the Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Club (1993–2003). In the 1970s he played occasionally for Selsey C.C.
Selsey are a Clubmark Club running two men's League sides, one Ladies League side, several Junior sides and Sunday and Midweek Friendly sides.
Selsey Arts
The wide landscapes, exposed coastal location and diverse birdlife lure artists to Selsey, many of whom belong to Arts Dream Selsey Artists. The society holds regular exhibitions and events.
The list of artists, who have featured Selsey in their work, include Whistler and J. M. W. Turner.
Education
Selsey has a secondary school called the Selsey Academy (formerly known as Manhood Community College up till September 2011) and two primary schools, Seal Primary School (now known as Seal Academy) and Medmerry Primary School. Before and after the Second World War there were several private preparatory schools in Selsey including Broombank School housed in the former residence of the music hall entertainer Bransby Williams next to the Selsey Hotel. The owner/headmaster from the early 1950s until the school's closure in 1969 was William Percy Higgs (died Bristol 1986), a former Cambridge University organ scholar and music master at Eton. Higgs made Broombank a music and arts school attracting the children of well known actors, artists and musicians as well as temporary pupils from France, whose numbers occasionally matched those of the British children.
RNLI Selsey Lifeboat
Selsey had an RNLI lifeboat station and shop on Kingsway, east of Selsey Bill. The station was established in 1861. In 2014 Selsey had a Tyne-class lifeboat and a D Class Inshore Lifeboat which had its own boat house just off the beach. In 2011 Selsey Lifeboat Station celebrated 150 years during which period lifeboat crew have received 10 awards for gallantry.
A new boathouse, to replace the old off shore boathouse, was constructed on shore. The final launch from the old boathouse was made on 1 April 2017 and the old boathouse itself was demolished during the Summer of 2017. The new boathouse accommodates both the inshore lifeboat and the new Shannon-class lifeboat, which has been allocated to Selsey, to replace the Tyne class. The RNLI shop has also been transferred to the new building.
Landmarks
The parish has a couple of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Bracklesham Bay runs along the coastline of the parish.
Medmerry Mill is a grade II listed tower windmill restored in the 1960s and currently in use as a gift shop.
St Peter's Church, a grade II listed building, is the parish church and dates from the 13th century. The church building was originally situated at the location of St Wilfrid's first monastery and cathedral at Church Norton some 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the present centre of population. It was moved from there in the 19th century and is now situated at the entrance to Selsey High Street.When the removed church was re-consecrated in April 1866, due to an oversight it was not consecrated properly to carry out marriages. The omission was not discovered until 1904, by which time 196 marriage services had taken place. These services although canonically correct were not strictly legal. To rectify the situation an Act of Parliament was required. In 1906 an order was made to finally validate all the marriages celebrated between 12 April 1866 and 25 February 1904.
Notable residents
- Eric Coates (1886–1957) – The composer lived and worked in Selsey. He was inspired to write By the Sleepy Lagoon after overlooking the sea towards Bognor Regis. His musical composition can be heard as the theme tune to Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4.
- Air Commodore Edward 'Teddy' Mortlock Donaldson (1912–1992) who set a new world air speed record of 616 mph in September 1946, in the Star Meteor IV. Donaldson lived at Iron Latch Cottage and there is a blue plaque on the beach at the bottom of Park Lane to mark the event. Donaldson has a second plaque at No. 86, Grafton Road.
- Edward Heron-Allen (1861–1943): Selsey's most distinguished resident in the early 20th century, Mr Heron-Allen made an enormous contribution to village life and today is still well known as the author of the classic work on local history for the area.
- David Hewlett, (1968– ) British-born Canadian actor, writer, director and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay on Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe resided here for some time before he and his family later emigrated to Canada.
- Sir Patrick Moore (1923–2012) – astronomer, writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter, lived in Selsey from 1968 until his death. He was an active member of the local Selsey Cricket Club and was made an Honorary Life Vice President.
- R. C. Sherriff (1896–1975) – The writer R.C. Sherriff, whos best known play was Journey's End, had a holiday home in Selsey. According to Sherriff’s own account, he began writing Journey's End "in one of the railway carriage bungalows on Selsey Bill". During the 1930s, the Pavilion Theatre, in the High Street, witnessed several stagings of Journey's End. Sherriff attended a rehearsal and advised the cast before his departure to Hollywood.When his mother died in 1965, her ashes were interred in the wall of St Wilfrid’s Chapel, in Church Norton. And when Sherriff himself died in November 1975, his ashes were laid along with hers.
Climate
A tornado in 1998 left an estimated £10m of destruction and damaged Patrick Moore's observatory.
Nature
In 2015, around 50 Smooth-hound sharks were observed near the beach at Selsey.
See also
In Spanish: Selsey para niños
