Pagham Explained

Official Name:Pagham
Country:England
Civil Parish:Pagham
Region:South East England
Static Image:St Thomas a Becket's Church, Pagham (NHLE Code 1353906).JPG
Static Image Caption:St Thomas a Becket Church
Population:5941
Area Total Km2:9.88
Population Ref:(Civil Parish.2011)[1]
Os Grid Reference:SZ886975
Coordinates:50.7708°N -0.7448°W
Post Town:BOGNOR REGIS
Postcode Area:PO
Postcode District:PO21
Dial Code:01243
Constituency Westminster:Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
London Distance: NNE
Shire District:Arun
Shire County:West Sussex
Website:http://www.paghamcouncil.co.uk/

Pagham is a coastal village, Anglican parish[2] and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 6,100. It lies about two miles to the west of Bognor Regis.

Demography

Pagham is part of the electoral ward called Pagham and Rose Green. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 7,538.[3]

The village can be divided into three contiguous neighbourhoods (merging seamlessly as one clustered village):

History

Pagham was a significant settlement at the time of the Domesday survey of 1086 with 154 households.[4]

In 1861 the parish, which is in the Diocese of Chichester,[5] extended to, with a population of 988.

Landmarks

The Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Pagham Harbour is to the southwest; almost one quarter of the area falls within the parish.[6] The harbour and surrounding land is of national importance for both flora and fauna. The shingle spit is of geological interest.

A Phoenix breakwater, a concrete caisson that was intended to be part of a World War II Mulberry Harbour, is visible in the bay at low tides.

Buildings and facilities

Many of the original Pagham Beach dwellings are bungalows constructed from old railway carriages - most of these have been later rebuilt using sturdier construction methods.

The Church of St. Thomas a'Becket contains three 1911 windows by the leading painter and designer Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne, which were restored in 2011.[7] Pagham is home to ale and beer pubs 'The Lamb', 'The Lion' and 'The Bear' as well as the 'Inglenook Hotel'.

Sport and leisure

Pagham has a Non-League football club Pagham F.C. who play at Nyetimber Lane. The village has a cricket team, who play at the cricket ground at Nyetimber Lane. Sussex County Cricket Club played two first-class matches there in the 1970s.[8]

Pagham is the home of the Pagham Pram Race which is the oldest pram race in the world. The race is run on Boxing day every year at 11am whatever the weather. Thousands of people line the streets of Pagham to watch the wacky contestants navigate the 3 mile course, drinking 3 pints of beer en route. All the money raised by the Pram Race is distributed to local good causes. The most successful fancy dress racer is Colin Cooper, who has won 2 best fancy dress awards alongside his teammates.[9]

Notable people

James Byden, Joe Biden's paternal fourth great-grandfather was christened at the church of St Thomas à Becket in Pagham, on November 15, 1767.[10] [11] He was the son of Richard Byden, Biden's paternal fifth great-grandfather, and his wife Susan. The parish register notes that they were from Wymering where Richard appears to have been buried in 1808.[12]

The motor racing drivers John Watson and Derek Bell lived in Pagham. Watson won five Formula One Grand Prix. Bell won the Le Mans 24 hour race five times.[13]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density
  2. Web site: GENUKI: Pagham, Sussex. 5 November 2023.
  3. Web site: Pagham and Rose Green ward population 2011. 14 October 2015.
  4. Web site: Open Domesday: Pagham. 5 November 2023.
  5. Web site: The Parish Church of St Thomas à Becket, Pagham. 5 November 2023.
  6. Web site: SSSI Citation: Pagham Harbour . Natural England . 4 April 2009.
  7. News: Hammond . Elaine . Church windows restoration 10 years ago was like 'friends coming home' . 15 January 2022 . Chichester Observer . February 2021.
  8. Web site: Ground profile: Pagham Cricket Club Ground. CricketArchive. 20 August 2012.
  9. Web site: Pagham Pram Race.
  10. Web site: 'Joe Biden will be the first US president to have Sussex ancestry'. April 3, 2023.
  11. Web site: Pagham Parish Register . FreeReg . March 24, 2021.
  12. Web site: Wymering Parish Register. FreeReg . March 24, 2021.
  13. Web site: Goodwood’s local racing heroes . July 13, 2020.
  14. http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/1975/7.html EWCA Civ 7