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Littlehampton
Littlehampton Harbour
Littlehampton  Littlehampton shown within West Sussex
Area	11.35 km2 (4.38 sq mi) [1]
Population	27,500 [1] 2001 Census
- Density	2,423 /km2 (6,280 /sq mi)
OS grid reference	TQ029020
- London	51 miles (82 km) NNE
Parish	Littlehampton
District	Arun
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LITTLEHAMPTON
Postcode district	BN17
Dialling code	01903
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
Website	Littlehampton Town Council
List of places: UK • England • West Sussex

Littlehampton

The parish covers an area of 11.35 km² (4 sq mi) and has a population of 25,593 persons (2001 census). 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. Nearby towns include Bognor Regis west southwest and Worthing to the east. The town is also the Westernmost settlement of the 12th largest urban area in the UK, the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation, a region encompassing some 461,181 people (2001 census).

A human settlement at Littlehampton can be traced back to prehistoric and Roman times, whilst it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the small hamlet of ‘Hantone’. ^[2] The settlement is believed to have been a fishing community around this time, appearing on a French map in around 1100 as ‘Hanton’.^[2] The settlement is then believed to have been given to the Abbey of St Martin de Seez in Normandy, who owned Littlehampton until around 1400. The area then passed back to the ownership of successive Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk, whose successors still reside in Arundel today. Littlehampton began to develop as a port as a result of constant silting of the River Arun, perhaps leading to the prefix of ‘Little’ being added to ‘Hampton’, in order to distinguish it from the larger Southampton further along the coast.^[2] The expansion of port activities led to a new river mouth being cut in 1735, alongside the building of a wooden harbour.

As the eighteenth century progressed, the town developed from a fishing community to a holiday destination, with the like of Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Constable all believed to have spent time in Littlehampton.^[2]

The town’s status as both a port and a holiday resort led to economic success in the nineteenth century, with a railway line and a cross channel ferry to Honfleur in France being introduced. The population of the town grew ten fold over the century, moving from 584 in 1801 to 5,954 in 1901.^[2] Littlehampton remained as a holiday resort in the twentieth century, becoming known as ‘The Children’s Paradise’ in the 1920s.

Post-war Littlehampton saw large scale house building on the outskirts of the town, eventually absorbing the surrounding villages of Wick, Lyminster and Toddington, whilst the trade element of the town became increasingly focused in boat building and water sports.^[2]

In 1967, the town attracted attention by becoming the base for the first ever Blue Peter lifeboat.^[3]

Local company, Dando Drilling International Ltd has been exporting drilling rigs from Littlehampton since 1867. Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB) salad growers was a major employer in the town from 1964–2003. Much of the local economy comprises smaller companies with fewer than ten employees^{[citation needed]} however Sainsbury's are in the town centre and the local authority is actively seeking to promote and expand business opportunities.

Littlehampton has received a great deal of publicity ^[4] 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, with some seeing it as an eyesore and others welcoming it as a world class piece of architecture and a symbol of regeneration.

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

At a local government level, Littlehampton is part of Littlehampton Town Council, Arun District Council and West Sussex County Council. Littlehampton currently comprises 10 seats on the district council, spread across five constituencies. The Liberal Democrats currently hold 4 of the 10 seats, the Conservatives 3 seats and Labour 3 seats.^[5] On West Sussex county council, the town is represented by 2 Conservatives and 1 Liberal Democrat.^[6]

Littlehampton has one secondary school, The Littlehampton Academy, which openend in 2009, replacing the Littlehampton Community School.

Education provision for younger children is comprised of 2 junior schools, Connaught Junior and Flora McDonald Junior, and 4 infant schools, Arun Vale, Elm Grove, Lyminster and Wickbourne. A major reorganisation of primary school provision is currently underway in the town, with plans to merge Connaught Junior with Arun Vale and Elm Grove Infants to form a single Primary School, whilst Flora McDonald Junior and Wickbourne Infant will merge, again to form a single primary school. Lyminster Infants will remain as a standalone school, but will grow by one school year every year over four years to eventually become a Primary School. This will result in 3 Primary Schools eventually replacing the 6 individual schools.^[7]

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, 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.^[8]

Littlehampton has 2 railway stations, Littlehampton and Angmering railway station.

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.

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.

The BBC comedy sitcom Open All Hours was based on a shop in Norfolk Road near to where Ronnie Barker lived^[10].

The Oyster Pond

An annual event is the bonfire procession,bonfire and firework display organised by the Littlehampton Bonfire Society.

Littlehampton supports a range of performance groups including Stagedoor Theatre Company, 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.^[11]

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

LA Pebbles On The Beach is an annual charity music festival held on Beach Green, Littlehampton. It features local acts that cross the musical spectrum so that there is something for all tastes during the course of the day. A sequence of monthly fund-raising events ae held in the town prior to the festival itself.

Character actor Stanley Holloway (1890–1982), died in a Littlehampton nursing home aged 91.

Littlehampton was also used as the backdrop for Swanage for the first episode of series 2 of the comedy drama series, The Inbetweeners, with filming taking place on the promenade and River Arun.^[12].

The Windmill Entertainment Centre is small theatre and single screen cinema situated on the seafront in Littlehampton.

The newest attraction prior to the East Beach Café was the Look and Sea centre which includes the Harbour Lights cafè and an observation tower.^[13]. As well as this, Harbour Park is located at the entrance of the River Arun, and Norfolk Gardens, a multi-purpose outdoor site owned by Inspire Leisure, is located further along the promenade. The site includes a 9-hole pitch and putt course, 9-hole adventure golf course, tennis and bowls. The site also includes the putting green café. Littlehampton harbour is on the River Arun at the western side of the town, with yacht moorings, and on the west bank of the river are Littlehampton Redoubt and Climping sand dunes. The Littlehampton Miniature Railway runs for 800 yards from the aforementioned Norfolk Gardens site to Mewsbrook Park.

Littlehampton's police station is some small huts situated just outside the town centre with a C.I.D building adjoining. There is also an ambulance station and the Youth Offending Team.

Littlehampton has a small fire station located close to the town centre, which maintains two water tender ladders and a water carrier.^[14]. Every two years the fire station holds an open day, usually on the same Saturday as Littlehampton Carnival.

Littlehampton Heath Centre is also in the town centre. The centre has physiotherapy clinic, chiropody clinic, speech and hearing clinic and a dental surgery for NHS patients. There is also the Fitzalan Medical Group which has three surgeries in Littlehampton, including the headquarters surgery just outside the town centre, one in Rustington and one in Wick.

Littlehampton's hospital was knocked down in 2005, and was due to be rebuilt in 2006 as Arun Community Hospital. However, West Sussex Primary Care Trust has still not submitted a planning application, and work has therefore yet to begin.^[15]

Littlehampton Rugby Club plays in the Sussex West 2 League after promotion at the end of the 2006–07 season. Most games are played on Saturday afternoons, either at The Littlehampton Academy or in the West Sussex and Surrey area. The Club is also involved in the local community, including the Carnival, Bonfire night, Dragon Boat Racing and other charitable events.

Having been established over 100 years ago, Littlehampton Hockey Club is one of the oldest hockey clubs in both Sussex and England. The club plays its home games at The Littlehampton Academy and in 1999 became the first club in the history of Sussex Hockey to win the Sussex Open Premier League whilst remaining undefeated all season.

Littlehampton Town FC play in the Sussex County League Division Two.

Littlehampton is the home of Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching Cricket Club; there is also a marina and golf club.

A picture of the building of Arun Yacht Club

Littlehampton Arunners Running Club

Littlehampton Swimming & Sports Centre (LSSC), including 2 swimming pools, a fitness suite and 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 ages ranging from under 10 to under 16.

Sussex Tornados Youth Cheerleading Club serves ages 5 and up.

Twinning

Durmersheim, Germany

Chennevières-sur-Marne, France

Dikhil, Djibouti