Felpham
Made famous by the poet William Blake, Felpham still retains much of its rural character through its retention of old buildings, high flint walls and picturesque roads in the heart of the village.
Blake was fond of the village and wrote ‘Away to sweet Felpham for heaven is there: The ladder of Angels descends through the air, On the turret its spiral does softly descend, Through the village it winds, at my cot it does end”.
Now; after the days of Blake, Felpham is still charming especially around Blakes Cottage, the flint walls and winding lanes. Modern housing in recent years has done little to dampen the charm.
Limmer Lane was an old smugglers route and strangely enough it was wool that was smuggled when it was heavily taxed.
In the heart of the village lies St. Mary’s Church which is a restored Norman church that contains a monument to William Hayley. Sadly ‘The Turret’ to which Blake refers in his prose about Felpham was demolished some years ago to make way for modern housing.
Two pubs the George and the Fox have been in Felpham since 1799 and 1832. The Southdowns is on the site of the Brewer’s Arms which existed by 1839. The Thatched House and The Barn also serve the village.
For its size, Felpham contains an abundance of shops including a photo-studio, beauty salon, several hair dressers, butchers, newsagents, off-licence, bookmakers, launderette, two garages and a petrol station and a couple of estate agents as well as a post office.