Westbourne is a village, civil parish and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located north east of Emsworth. The parish includes the hamlets of Woodmancote and Aldsworth, and once included the settlements of Southbourne and Prinsted to the south.

Geography

The village stands on the River Ems, a small river flowing into

Chichester Harbour Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour in West Sussex and Hampshire. It is situated to the south-west of the city of Chichester and to the north of the Solent. The harbour and surrounding land has been designated as an Area of Outstandin ...

at Emsworth. It is believed that the village takes its name from its position on the river, which traditionally marks the westernmost boundary of

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

,About Westbourne - Westbourne Village Website
/ref> The River Ems was originally known as the Bourne, but was renamed by the 16th century chronicler Raphael Holinshed. The parish covers an area of . The population of the village in 2011 is 2,309, 1,656 of whom are economically active, and who live in 1,000 households.content

History

Westbourne contains 66 listed buildings some dating back to the 16th Century, though written evidence of habitation can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The medieval Church of St John the Baptist is notable for its fine yew avenue, which is apparently the oldest in England, and walled graveyard. Nicholas Levett, a native of

Petworth Petworth is a small town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Chichester (district), Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 road, A272 east–west road from Heathfield, East Sussex ...

and fellow of

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, was longtime minister of St John the Baptist. He was buried in Beckley, Oxfordshire, in 1687.

Today

Commonside forms the northern edge of the village of Westbourne. This area is centred on a village pub called the Cricketers which is located near the village

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

pitch. There are two other public houses, the White Horse and the Stag's Head, both in The Square, at the centre of the oldest part of the village. Until 2010, a third pub called the Good Intent was open in North Street, but this has now closed and has been converted to a private home. As of April 2011, the north-eastern and eastern edges of the village now form boundaries with the newly designated South Downs National Park.

Governance

Westbourne is part of the Chichester constituency, a safe Conservative seat since 1924. The District Councillor is Roy Briscoe and the County Councillor is Andrew Kerry-Bedell.

Notable residents

*On 16 May 1785 James Biden married Anne Silverlock at Westbourne, both parishioners, and the great-great-great-great-grandparents of 46th US President Joe Biden. *

George Sparkes George Sparkes (8 August 1845 – 9 March 1908) was an English first-class cricketer. Sparkes was born in August 1845 at Westbourne, Sussex. He made a single appearance in first-class cricket for Sussex against Hampshire in 1875 at Hove. ...

(1845-1908), cricketer * Tim Peake (1972–present), test pilot and astronaut (though not currently living in Westbourne)

References

External links

*
Further historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{authority control Villages in West Sussex Chichester District