The civil parish has a land area of 7,952 acres (3,218 hectares) and at the 2001 Census had 2,677 households and a population of 6,531 people,[1] which increased to 8,232 at the 2011 Census.[2]
The village's name derives from Anglo-Saxon and means 'a wooded hill of Billa's people', most likely referring to the sandstone hillock that St Mary's Church is sited on in the historical centre of the village. 'Bill' is the head of a family, 'ing' means of the people, and 'hurst' means wooded hill. It is most likely that it was a small family settlement, not yet being a large community or a parish, headed by one 'Billa' – someone of unestablished origin, and not by a populous Saxon tribe.[3]
The history of Billingshurst, the village and civil parish within the county of West Sussex in the United Kingdom, extends back to C.800AD, with evidence of much earlier settlement in the area.[4][page needed]
The village has a secondary school and a sixth form college, known together as The Weald School. Billingshurst Primary School (formerly separate infant and junior schools, amalgamated in 2010) is situated near The Weald.[5]
New housing development on the eastern side of the village will include a spine road linking the A29 road north of the village with the A272 road to the east.[6] 550 new homes will be built along with a school, dentists' surgery, play areas and improvements to the railway station.[7]
Billingshurst has four churches. St Mary's Church (Church of England) is the oldest, 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 Commission 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 south-east England's oldest Nonconformist places of worship.[8]
The local football team is Billingshurst FC based at Jubilee Fields on the western junction of the A29 and A272. The club was established in 1891 and is running senior sides and a youth section with teams running from Under 8's through to U16s.[citation needed]
