Kirdford Explained

Official Name:Kirdford
Country:England
Coordinates:51.0299°N -0.5497°W
Static Image:Kirdford.JPG
Static Image Width:240px
Area Total Km2:20.09
Area Footnotes:[1]
Population:1,063
Population Ref:(2011)[2]
Population Density:45/km2
Civil Parish:Kirdford
Shire District:Chichester
Shire County:West Sussex
Region:South East England
Constituency Westminster:Horsham
Post Town:BILLINGSHURST
Postcode Area:RH
Postcode District:RH14
Dial Code:01403
Os Grid Reference:TQ017266
London Distance: NNE

Kirdford is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Its nearest town is Petworth, located southwest of the village. The parish has an area of . In the 2001 census 912 people lived in 373 households, of whom 448 were economically active. At the 2011 census the population was 1,063.[2]

The village has an Anglican church dedicated to St John the Baptist plus an Evangelical non-denominational chapel "Kirdford chapel" and two pubs, The Foresters Arms and the Half Moon. Other amenities include a shop and the village hall which was enlarged in 1977.

In the Middle Ages iron production using ironstone and charcoal, and forest glass making were important industries. In the twentieth century apple growing was established through a cooperative venture, Kirdford Growers, based at the western end of the village. This has now ended and the warehouse site is being used for house building.

In 2011, Kirdford Village Stores won 'Best Corner Shop' in the Telegraph's Best Small Shops in Britain Awards.

The parish church

There is no reference to a church in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Grade I listed church of St. John the Baptist is built of local sandstone and roofed with Horsham stone slabs.[3] Herringbone masonry and the style of column capitals indicate that the nave is early twelfth century.[4] The north aisle is thirteenth century and the tower fifteenth. The tower carries a peel of six bells and a clock. There are four stained glass windows by Charles Eamer Kempe.[5]

Near the road junction to the west of the church an inscribed stone set into the old rectory wall warns against drunkenness in no uncertain terms.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish . West Sussex County Council . 5 May 2009 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110608075926/http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communityandliving/census2001/pop_parish_summary.pdf . 8 June 2011 .
  2. Web site: Civil Parish Population 2011 . Neighbourhood Statistics . Office for National Statistics . 17 October 2015.
  3. http://www.setowns.org.uk/newsmaster/t_news_info.php?refnum=898 South East Rural Towns Partnership
  4. http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/ed/sx/kirdf/index.htm Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture
  5. https://archive.today/20120720120325/http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=5019 A church near you