Billingshurst
# Billingshurst

Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street) at its crossroads with the A272, 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Horsham and 5.5 miles (9 km) north-east of Pulborough.

The civil parish has a land area of 7,952 acres (3,218 hectares) and at the 2001 Census had 2,677 households and a population of 6,531 people, which increased to 8,232 at the 2011 Census.

## Toponymy

The village's name derives from Anglo-Saxon and means 'a wooded hill of Billa's people', most likely referring to the sandstone hillock that St Mary's Church is sited on in the historical centre of the village. 'Bill' is the head of a family, 'ing' means of the people, and 'hurst' means wooded hill. It is most likely that it was a small family settlement, not yet being a large community or a parish, headed by one 'Billa' – someone of unestablished origin, and not by a populous Saxon tribe.

## Community facilities

The village has a secondary school and a sixth form college, known together as The Weald School. Billingshurst Primary School (formerly separate infant and junior schools, amalgamated in 2010) is situated near The Weald.

New housing development on the eastern side of the village will include a spine road linking the A29 road north of the village with the A272 road to the east. 550 new homes will be built along with a school, dentists' surgery, play areas and improvements to the railway station.

## Transport

Billingshurst is at the junction of the A29 and the A272 which are routes to Petworth, Petersfield, Haywards Heath, Pulborough and Bognor Regis.

Billingshurst railway station on Station Road is on the mainline from London Victoria to Bognor Regis and Chichester between Christ's Hospital railway station and Pulborough railway station.

The village is to the east of a remaining section of the Wey and Arun Canal; the canal has not been fully navigable since the 1890s.

## Religious sites

Billingshurst has four churches. St Mary's Church (Church of England) is the oldest, with a mix of service styles, ranging from Book of Common Prayer communion services to informal family worship. Other churches are St Gabriel's Church (Catholic), Billingshurst Family Church (Evangelical; part of the Commission family of churches) and Trinity Church (United Reformed). Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel, set back behind the High Street, was founded in 1754 and is one of south-east England's oldest Nonconformist places of worship.

## Sport

The local football team is Billingshurst FC based at Jubilee Fields on the western junction of the A29 and A272. The club was established in 1891 and is running senior sides and a youth section with teams running from Under 8's through to U16s.

## Second World War

Kingsfold Camp, a prisoner-of-war camp, was set up in Billingshurst during the Second World War (see List of World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United Kingdom).

## Notable people

* Paul Darrow (1941–2019), actor and author, lived in Billingshurst
* Diana Dors (1931–1984), actor, singer, and bombshell, lived in Billingshurst
* Edward Enfield (1929–2019), television and radio presenter, newspaper journalist, and educational administrator, lived in Billingshurst
* Harry Enfield (1961–), comedian, lived in Billingshurst
* Israel Harding, VC, (1833-1917), gunner in the Royal Navy and recipient of the Victoria Cross, died in Billingshurst
* Edgar Hubert, (1906–1985), abstract painter, born in Billingshurst
* Janet Lees-Price (1943–2012), actress, lived in Billingshurst
* Derrick Somerset Macnutt (1902–1971), crossword compiler and housemaster, died in Billingshurst
* Pom Oliver (1952–), filmmaker and arctic explorer, lived in Billingshurst
* Frank Patterson (1871–1952), illustrator, lived in Billingshurst
* Connor Swindells (1996–), actor, lived in Billingshurt
* James Tilley (1998–), footballer, born and lived in Billingshurst and went to school in Billingshurst at The Weald School

## Film and cultural appearances

* Billingshurst's Dell Lane was the location for the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles starring Richard Briers.
* Michael Lugg (1956) in British Pathé "Boy's Traction Engine"
* Paul Adorian (1965) in British Pathé "Vintage Fire Brigade"
