OS grid reference TQ087259 Region South East Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Thursday 12:14 AM Dialling code 01403 UK parliament constituency Horsham | Civil parish Billingshurst Country England Area 32.19 km² Shire county West Sussex District Horsham District | |
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Population 6,531 2001 Census
8,232 (2011 Census) Weather 6°C, Wind W at 31 km/h, 72% Humidity | ||
Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Horsham, and 5.6 miles (9 km) north-east of Pulborough.
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Map of Billingshurst, UK
Billingshurst is located on the A29 road (the Roman Stane Street), at a point where the A272 road forms a crossroads with it. The civil parish has a land area of 7,952 acres (3,219 hectares). In the 2001 census 6,531 people lived in 2,677 households, of whom 3,451 were economically active. At the 2011 Census the population had increased to 8,232.
The village's name probably came from Anglo-Saxon Billinges hyrst = "Billa's son's wooded hill".
Community facilities
The village has a secondary school and a sixth form college, known together as The Weald School. Billingshurst Primary School (formerly two separate infant and junior schools, until a decision was taken in 2009 and implemented in 2010 to combine them into one) is situated near to The Weald.
The Weald School site contains a leisure centre with swimming pool and gym which is open to the public. A new sports area, Jubilee Fields, contains football pitches, two cricket pitches and pavilion, a fishing lake, and an exercise (trim trail) path. In the last year a new skatepark has also been added. Other facilities in the village include a tennis club and a lawn bowling club.
Transport
Billingshurst lies on the junction of the A29 and the A272 which are routes to Petworth, Petersfield, Haywards Heath, Pulborough and Bognor Regis.
Billingshurst railway station, located on Station Rd. in Billingshurst, is on the main line from London Victoria to Bognor Regis and Chichester. It would take about 20 minutes to get to Crawley by train.
The village is near the Wey and Arun Canal, which waterway has not been fully navigable since the 1890s.
Approximate travelling times by car from the larger towns and cities near Billingshurst are 35 minutes to Guildford, 30 minutes to Crawley and Chichester, 25 minutes to Haslemere and 35 minutes to Haywards Heath.
Religious sites
Billingshurst has five 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). Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel, set back behind the High Street, was founded in 1754 and is one of southeast England's oldest Nonconformist places of worship.
Football Team
Billingshurst Football Club was founded in 1981. The first team is currently in the second division of the Southern Combination Football League. The club's colours are red and black.