Didling is a small village in
West Sussex
West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
, England. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished and merged with Treyford. The 824 acre village consists of a few buildings and the historic church of St Andrew's, which dates to the 13th century.
Geography
Didling is a small village and former
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, currently in the parish of
Elsted and Treyford, in the
Chichester
Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
West Sussex
West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
, England. It lies on the
Treyford to
Bepton road 3.5 miles (5.7 km) south-west of
Midhurst
Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester.
The name Midhurst was first reco ...
. In 1931 the parish had a population of 99. The village comprises 824 acres, and lies under Didling Hill.
St Andrew's Church
The 13th century church of St Andrew, known as "The Shepherds' Church", sits a little to the south of the village on the northern slope of Didling Hill. The nave and chancel date to the 13th century, and was constructed of plastered rubble with ashlar dressings. The wooden porch is modern.
In 1587, Salisbury founder John Wallis cast a bell inscribed "I W 1587", which was stolen in February 1979. As a result, a smaller bell measuring 15.75" in diameter was transferred from Whitsbury church, Hampshire, which had been cast by the same founder in 1623. The old bell measured 17.13" in diameter and was chimed by an iron lever
''The Bells of Sussex'': Didling, St Andrew
/ref> The west wall is brick, and was probably remodeled in the 17th century. The font may be from the 12th century.
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in West Sussex
Former civil parishes in West Sussex
Chichester District