Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies eight miles (13 km) south-west of Horsham, and five miles (8 km) north-east of Pulborough.
| Billingshurst | |
|---|---|
| Population | Expression error: "5,770 (town), 7,620 (parish)" must be numeric |
| OS grid reference | TQ087259 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Horsham |
| Postcode district | RH14 |
| Dialling code | 01403 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
Billingshurst is located on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street), at a point where the A272 road forms a crossroads with the main road. During the medieval period, the village was a coaching stop on the main road from Bognor to Horsham. Billingshurst railway station is on the main line from London Victoria to Bognor Regis and Chichester (some services continue to Portsmouth Harbour or Southampton). The village lies near the Wey and Arun Canal.
History
Its name probably came from Anglo-Saxon Billinges hyrst = "Billa's son's wooded hill".
Today
Billingshurst has four churches. St Mary's Church (Church of England) is the largest, 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 Newfrontiers family of churches) and Trinity Church (United Reformed).
The village has a secondary school and a sixth form college, known together as The Weald School. Billingshurst Infant and Junior Schools are situated near to The Weald.
Local pubs include: The Kings Arms, The Kings Head, The Six Bells, The Lime Burners, The Railway Inn, The Blacksmiths Arms. The village also has two Indian restaurants and a number of Chinese take-aways (including a mobile unit on Thursdays and Fridays).
The Weald School contains a leisure centre, which is open to the public in the evening. A new sports area contains football pitches, a cricket pitch and pavilion, a fishing lake, and an exercise path. Other facilities include a tennis club and a lawn bowling club. A new indoor swimming pool is planned for the Weald School site on station road. At the same time the "Solutions" fitness centre will be extended and upgraded. Work is due to start in July 2007.