Littlehampton

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Littlehampton
Littlehampton Harbour
Population25,593 
OS grid referenceTQ029020
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLITTLEHAMPTON
Postcode districtBN17
Dialling code01903
PoliceSussex
FireWest Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
West Sussex

Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. The parish covers an area of 11.35 km2 (4 sq mi) and has a population of 25,593 persons (2001 census). It is located on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. The conurbation includes other settlements: Wick in the north west; Lyminster to the north; East Preston, Rustington and Angmering to the east. Wick and Toddington became part of the town in 1901.

Littlehampton lies within the constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, the Member of Parliament for which is Conservative Nick Gibb.

The local town newspaper is the Littlehampton Gazette.

Economy

The headquarters of The Body Shop is located in Littlehampton. Local company, Dando Drilling International Ltd. has been exporting drilling rigs from Littlehampton since 1867. Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB) salad growers were a major employer in the town from 1964-2003. Much of the local economy comprises smaller companies with fewer than ten employees, however Sainsbury's are in the town centre and the local authority is actively seeking to promote and expand business opportunities.

Local issues

East Beach Cafe from the side

Littlehampton has received a great deal of publicity [1] as the home of the East Beach Cafe, a building on the seafront designed by Heatherwick Studio.

The building is a fully welded monocoque structure. The building reflects its exposed location with a rough, weathered appearance which Heatherwick describes as being like a piece of weathered flotsam swept up onto the beach. It was built in Littlehampton, with steelwork by Littlehampton Welding Ltd and site work by Langridge Developments, another local firm. The construction of the cafe caused a stir in Littlehampton, some see it as an eyesore and others welcome it as a world class piece of architecture and a symbol of regeneration.

Transport

A map of Littlehampton from 1946

Littlehampton is on the A259, though it bypasses most of the town. Littlehampton is connected to the A27 south coast trunk road by the A284, which also provides the main north-south route out of the town and links to the A29.

Stagecoach operate the '700 Coastliner' service in the town, providing four services an hour to Brighton, two services an hour to Arundel and two services an hour to Portsmouth. Stagecoach also serve the town with the number 9 service, running hourly from Littlehampton to the Holmbush Centre via Angmering, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea. More recently meanwhile, Compass Travel have introduced the 'Littlehampton Town Bus'. Officially known as the number 12 service, it provides travel between Littlehampton, Rustington and Wick, replacing the former Stagecoach 702 service that was axed, much to the disapproval of local residents[2]

Trains services from Littlehampton railway station are provided by Southern, with direct services to London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon, Bognor Regis, Chichester and Portsmouth.

Gatwick Airport is an hour away to the north, with the port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel about three hours to the east. Portsmouth Harbour is one hour away to the west.

Churches and cemeteries

St Mary's is the Anglican parish church while St Catherine's is the principal Catholic church. In the cemetery, which is on the northern side of the town, lies the grave of Katherine O'Shea ("Kitty O'Shea") (1845-1921), the wife of Charles Stewart Parnell.

Littlehampton is also home to other churches, including St. James the Great and All Saints in Wick.

Arts and culture

The BBC comedy sitcom Open All Hours was based on a shop in Norfolk Road near to where Ronnie Barker lived[3].

The Oyster Pond

Other notable residents include writer Stuart Millard.

The town has appeared on ITV1 with Roy Shepherd (of Littlehampton) presenting the geology of the local area with Charlie Dimmock.

An annual event is the parade and bonfire organised by the Bonfire Society.

Littlehampton supports a range of performance groups including the Musical Comedy Society and Players Operatic Society who perform throughout the year. It also holds a popular 'Last Night of the Proms' concert performed annually by the Littlehampton Concert Band [4].

Littlehampton is the home town of British Christian rock band Delirious?, who all still live there.

Attractions

The newest attraction prior to the East Beach Cafe was the Look and Sea centre which includes the Harbour Lights cafe and an observation tower. As well as this Harbour Park is located at the entrance of the River Arun and is the 18th most popular theme park in the UK. Further along the promenade is Norfolk Gardens a multi purpose outdoor site owned by Inspire Leisure. The site includes a 9 hole pitch and putt course, 9 hole adventure golf course, tennis and bowls. The site also includes (March- September everyday as well as winter hours) the putting green cafe

Sport

Rugby Union

Littlehampton is host to Littlehampton Rugby Club [1] who train every Wednesday from 7.00pm at the Littlehampton Community School adjacent to the Astro-Turf pitch.

The club plays within the Sussex West 2 League after promotion at the end of the 2006-2007 season. Most games are played on Saturday afternoons either at Littlehampton Community School or away within the West Sussex/ Surrey area. The Club is also involved within the local community including the Carnival, Bonfire night, Dragon Boat Racing and other charitable events.

Other Sport

  • Littlehampton is the home of Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching Cricket Club, there is also a marina and golf club.
  • Littlehampton is also home to Littlehampton Town FC who play in the Sussex County Football League Division Two.
  • Littlehampton Swimming & Sports Centre (LSSC), Other facilities include: • 2 storey enhanced Tone Zone Fitness Suite • Meeting room • After school / holiday children’s club room • Multi purpose sports hall.
  • Littlehampton Badminton & Squash Club.
  • Littlehampton Harbour Board - fishing and diving.
  • Arun Yacht Club
  • Littlehampton Sailing & Motor Club
  • Littlehampton and District Angling Club
  • Littlehampton Clapham and Patching Cricket Club fields four Saturday sides, two Sunday sides, a ladies team and colts teams at a range of ages ranging from under 10's to under 16's. To find out more look at the website [2]

Twinning

Littlehampton is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ "Fresh seafood served here". The Observer. 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  2. ^ "New Number 12 has been well received". Littlehampton Gazette. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  3. ^ "History of Littlehampton". Visit Littlehampton. 2008-01-04. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  4. ^ Littlehampton Concert Band

External links

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