Selsey (/ˈsɛlsi/) is a seaside town and civil parish, about eight miles (12 km) south of Chichester, in the Chichester district, in West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea. It is bounded to the west by Bracklesham Bay, to the north by Broad Rife, [a] to the east by Pagham Harbour and terminates in the south at Selsey Bill. There are significant rock formations beneath the sea off both of its coasts, named the Owers rocks and Mixon rocks. Coastal erosion has been an ever-present problem for Selsey.[4] In 2011 the parish had a population of 10,737.
| Selsey | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view | |
  Selsey Location within West Sussex | |
| Area | 12.28 km2 (4.74 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 10,737 (2011 Census)[2] |
| • Density | 804/km2 (2,080/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SZ854935 |
| • London | 60 miles (97 km) NNE |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHICHESTER |
| Postcode district | PO20 |
| Dialling code | 01243 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | http://www.selseytowncouncil.gov.uk/ |
| |
The B2145 is the only road in and out of the town crossing a bridge over the water inlet at Pagham Harbour at a point known as "the ferry". At one time Selsey was inaccessible at flood tide, and a boat was stationed at the ferry to take horses and passengers to and from Sidlesham.[b]
According to Bede the name Selsey is derived from the Saxon Seals-ey and can be interpreted as the Isle of Sea Calves (sea calves are better known as seals).[6]
Edward Heron-Allen identified at least twenty different spellings of the place that we now know today as Selsey.[7]
A selection of versions as identified by Heron-Allen are:
The earliest evidence of human habitation in the Selsey area goes back to the Stone Age.[8] Various stone implements have been found which date to the Palaeolithic period.[9] People have been living in the area ever since.[10][11] [12][13]
Towards the end of the first century B.C. the Atrebates possessed three large urban centres (known as oppida) that served as the tribal mints and possibly the king's court. These were located near modern Silchester, Winchester and the Chichester-Selsey area. So far, in the Chichester-Selsey area, there is no archaeological evidence to confirm this, although various coins from the Atrebates rulers named Commius, Tincommius, Verica, Eppillus, and Cunobelin were found on Selsey beach in 1877, and it is thought that these coins would have been minted locally.[14][15][16] The 17th century antiquarian William Camden , and others have posited that the Atrebates settlement was located at the Mixon[c] rocks, now south of Selsey Bill. More recent hypotheses have suggested that the Chichester-Selsey oppidum was distributed across the region.[18] [19][20]
Some Anglo-Saxon gold fragments were found on the beach between Selsey and Bognor, these were dated as late 6th/ 8th century and what made them particularly interesting is that they had a runic inscription on them. The fragments were handed over to the British Museum.[21][22]
Selsey was the capital of the Kingdom of Sussex, possibly founded by Ælle. Wilfrid arrived circa 680 and converted the kingdom to Christianity, as recorded by the Venerable Bede.[23] Selsey Abbey stood at Selsey (probably where Church Norton is today),[24] and was the cathedra for the Sussex Diocese until the Council of London ordered the removal of the See to Chichester in 1075, during the reign of William the Conqueror In all there had been twenty-two Bishops of Selsey over a period of 370 years.[25]
In the Domesday Book Selesie is mentioned under the hundredofSomerley:[26]
The Bishop(of Chichester) holds Selesie in domain.[d] In the time of King Edward it was rated at ten hides, and so it continues. The arable is seven plough lands. There are two ploughs in the demesne, and fourteen villains with eleven bondsmen have five ploughs.
— Horsfield 1835, p. 35
The manor of Selsey remained in the Bishop of Chichesters hands until 1561, when it was taken over by the crown.[28]
In July 1588 the Spanish Armada arrived off the Isle of Wight with the intention of attacking Portsmouth.[29] Description of what preparations Selsey made to support the action against the Armada. The wind changed direction to the south-west. Men from the Manhood Peninsula serving under Francis Drake conceived a plan to lure the Spanish fleet onto the Owers rocks (off Selsey).[19][29] However the Spanish Admiral, recognising the danger, decided to head for Calais.[29]
In 1647, a fatality was recorded following a cricket match at Selsey when a fielder called Henry Brand was hit on the head by the batsman Thomas Latter, who was trying to hit the ball a second time. The incident repeated one at Horsted Keynes in 1624.[30] Over the centuries that Selsey has derived an income from the sea, one of the enterprises was smuggling.[31] In the eighteenth century Selsey Bill was very much more isolated than it is today, and the sand spit extended farther out to sea. There was only the causeway connected to the mainland and that was covered at high tide.[28] The approach of the local riding officer would have been conspicuous in the extreme. The Rectors of Selsey reputedly claimed a tithe on all kegs landed there, and stories also tell of a passageway leading from the Old Rectory (at Church Norton) to the remains of a Mound, thought to have been built by the Normans.[32][33] The course of the tunnel was marked by a depression on the surface of the ground as late as 1911.[34][35]
In the 1720s one Selsey man ran a regular ferry service to France, travelling back and forth every five weeks, and other prominent Selsey figures made considerable fortunes just from part-time work in the free-trade.[36]
In 1749 fourteen smugglers, members of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang, were accused of the murder of William Galley, a custom-house officer, and Daniel Chater, a shoemaker. A contemporary book written under the pseudonym "A. Gentleman" provides a narrative on the offence, capture, trial and execution of the smugglers involved.[37] Seven were tried and condemned to death at Chichester assizes; one died in gaol before sentence could be carried out and the other six were hanged at the Broyle north of Chichester.[38] Subsequently, the bodies of two of the smugglers, John Cobby and John Hammond, were hung in gibbets at Selsey Bill so that they could be seen at great distance from east and west.[39][40]
At the beginning of the 19th century, Selsey opened its first school. In 1818 premises were granted to the Rector and churchwardens of Selsey which were "on trust to permit the premises to be used for a schoolhouse or free school, for the gratuitous education of such poor children belonging to the Parish of Selsey as the said trustees or successors may think proper."[41]The school was eventually taken over by the local authority in 1937.[42]
Selsey was connected to Chichester from 1897 to 1935 by a rail link initially called the Hundred of Manhood and Selsey Tramway and later the West Sussex Railway. The light railway rolling stock was all second hand and not very reliable and the journey times lengthy. Various nicknames such as the "Selsey Snail" were attributed to the tram and comic postcards were issued reflecting its poor service.[43]
In the late 1930s the Broadreeds Holiday camp, that was later to be run by Pontins, was used as a transit camp for girls coming on the Kindertransport.[44]
During World War II Selsey suffered more air raids than anywhere else in Sussex.[45]The Broadreeds camp continued to contain evacuees until 1940 when during a bombing raid, three people lost their lives. All the evacuees were re-evacuated shortly after. [46] Large areas of the village were closed to the public, particularly as off shore at East Beach, there was secret(at the time) work on the Mulberry harbours. These were eventually towed to Normandy for D-Day.[47][48]
A private aerodrome, situated at Church Norton, was requisitioned by the RAF in 1942, then in 1943 after some construction work, became an advanced landing ground (ALG) known as RAF Selsey. The airfield 98 miles (158 km) from Normandy, was built to support D-Day. It was decommissioned as an ALG shortly after D-Day, it then became a satellite of RAF Tangmere for a while and finally a reserve airfield for the remainder of the war.[e][47]
Erosion by the sea and flooding has been a constant problem for Selsey. In the 1950s there was major work, to improve the sea walls and groynes, to protect against the winter storms. By the end of the 1980s, with the constant battering from the sea, a lot of the defences needed remedial work.[50] In 2011 the Environment Agency started to build new sea defences between Selsey and Bracklesham, the scheme was described as managed realignment in that it involved the building of new defences inland from the coast and allowing a new "intertidal area" to form seaward of the new defences. "Intertidal" means the land that is exposed at low tide and covered by the sea at high tide. Then in 2013 the 300 hectares (740 acres)scheme was completed. The Environment Agency says that "it will improve the standard of flood protection for over 300 homes, the water treatment works and the main road into Selsey. It will also create important new intertidal wildlife habitat and open up new footpaths, cycleways and bridleways."[51][52]
Selsey has a high street with a mix of shops and restaurants. There are many holiday cottages, bed and breakfasts as well as some very large static caravan parks that make Selsey a popular holiday destination. It also has a selection of light industries and a small fishing fleet.[53][54][55]
Selsey has a Non-League football club Selsey F.C. who play at the High Street Ground.
It is known that cricket has been played, in Selsey at least since 1647, although the earliest record for the Selsey Cricket Club was on 9 July 1834 when the team played Kingley Vale. Selsey won by 3 runs.[30][56]
A former president was Hubert Doggart, OBE, MA. He was the son of the sportsman Graham Doggart who rose to chair the Football Association. Doggart represented England in two Test matches in 1950. He was President of the M.C.C. (1981–1982), the Cricket Council (1981–1982) and the Cricket Society (1983–1998), and he chaired the Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Club (1993–2003). In the 1970s he played occasionally for Selsey C.C.
Sir Patrick Moore, CBE was a former club secretary, an active playing member, and an Honorary Life Vice President.[57][58] Selsey Cricket Club in Paddock Lane, is the home to the Sir Patrick Moore 3D Exhibition which recreates Moore's study at his home "Farthings" with original items on show.
Selsey are a Clubmark Club[57] running two men's League sides, one Ladies League side, several Junior sides and Sunday and Midweek Friendly sides.
The wide landscapes, exposed coastal location and diverse birdlife lure artists to Selsey, many of whom belong to Arts Dream Selsey Artists. The society holds regular exhibitions and events.[59]
The list of artists, who have featured Selsey in their work, include Whistler and J. M. W. Turner.[60]
Selsey has a secondary school called the Selsey Academy (formerly known as Manhood Community College up till September 2011) and two primary schools, Seal Primary School (now known as Seal Academy) and Medmerry Primary School.[61] Before and after the Second World War there were several private preparatory schools in Selsey including Broombank School housed in the former residence of the music hall entertainer Bransby Williams next to the Selsey Hotel.[62][f] The owner/headmaster from the early 1950s until the school's closure in 1969 was William Percy Higgs (died Bristol 1986), a former Cambridge University organ scholar and music master at Eton.[62] Higgs made Broombank a music and arts school attracting the children of well known actors, artists and musicians as well as temporary pupils from France, whose numbers occasionally matched those of the British children.[62]
Selsey had an RNLI lifeboat station and shop on Kingsway, east of Selsey Bill. The station was established in 1861. In 2014 Selsey had a Tyne-class lifeboat and a D Class Inshore Lifeboat which had its own boat house just off the beach. In 2011 Selsey Lifeboat Station celebrated 150 years during which period lifeboat crew have received 10 awards for gallantry.[64]
A new boathouse, to replace the old off shore boathouse, was constructed on shore. The final launch from the old boathouse was made on 1 April 2017 and the old boathouse itself was demolished during the Summer of 2017. The new boathouse accommodates both the inshore lifeboat and the new Shannon-class lifeboat, which has been allocated to Selsey, to replace the Tyne class. The RNLI shop has also been transferred to the new building.[65]
The parish has a couple of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Bracklesham Bay runs along the coastline of the parish.[66][67]
Medmerry Mill is a grade II listed tower windmill restored in the 1960s and currently in use as a gift shop.[68]
St Peter's Church, a grade II listed building, is the parish church and dates from the 13th century.[69] The church building was originally situated at the location of St Wilfrid's first monastery and cathedral at Church Norton some 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the present centre of population. It was moved from there in the 19th century and is now situated at the entrance to Selsey High Street.[70]When the removed church was re-consecrated in April 1866, due to an oversight it was not consecrated properly to carry out marriages. The omission was not discovered until 1904, by which time 196 marriage services had taken place. These services although canonically correct were not strictly legal. To rectify the situation an Act of Parliament was required. In 1906 an order was made to finally validate all the marriages celebrated between 12 April 1866 and 25 February 1904.[71]
Selsey Bill is referenced in the song "Saturday's Kids" by The Jam (from the 1979 album Setting Sons), along with Bracklesham Bay, as a place where these working-class children take holiday with their families; "Save up their money for a holiday/To Selsey Bill, or Bracklesham Bay."[80]
Selsey is also mentioned in Ben Jonson's play Volpone in Act 2 Scene 1 with reference to 'Selsey cockles' [h]
In the opening scene of the Lerner and Loewe 1956 musical My Fair Lady, Professor Higgins correctly identifies one of the characters as coming from Selsey.[i]
Selsey is further referenced in the Madness song "Driving in My Car": "I drive up to Muswell Hill, I've even been to Selsey Bill".[83]
Selsey's climate is classified as warm and temperate.[84] Although Selsey is in one of the sunnier areas of the UK,[85] there is rainfall throughout the year and even the driest month still has rain.[86] Probably the most problematic climatic hazard is wind.[87] The town is situated in an area where tornadoes and waterspouts are common.[88] A tornado in 1986 damaged 200 houses and cut a swathe 70 metres wide.[89] Another tornado in 1998 left an estimated £10m of destruction and damaged the late Patrick Moore's observatory.[89]
A study published by Princeton University and McGill University, in 2020, concluded that the Manhood Peninsula is at particularly high risk of flooding as its topography is less than 5 metres (16 ft) above the current mean sea level and that by 2100 Selsey will be subject to permanent inundation.[90]
In 2015, around 50 smooth-hound sharks were observed near the beach at Selsey.[91]
The Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve, operated by the RSPB, is close to Selsey. It is possible to see a variety of bird species including Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Wigeon, Black-headed Gulls, Common, Sandwich and Little Terns.[92]
