The Fernhurst Society
The Fernhurst Society was formed in 1998 and has 200 members.
It is a registered UK charity (no. 1074564).
The Society's aims
- Enrich the enjoyment of Fernhurst village and its surrounding countryside in West Sussex, England
- Promote interest in local history, local life, traditions and customs
- Advance and disseminate knowledge of the archaeology, geography, natural history, buildings and architecture of the local district
- Seek the protection and improvement of the amenities and appearance of Fernhurst village and its environs
Village centre (photo © Richard Ranft)
News
- Check our upcoming events list and recent newsletter
- Researching your family history? We have unique transcripts of 1841-1911 censuses, 1840s tithe records of Fernhurst and neighbouring parishes, wills and probate records, and other data. Now with a complete names index - a rich resource for genealogy!
- 50th anniversary of the Blackdown air disaster: On Sat/Sun 4-5 Nov 2017 the Society organised an exhibition and memorial service to commemorate the 1967 crash of the Iberia Airlines Caravelle into the slopes of Blackdown. Do you have more information on the 1967 crash?
- Fernhurst Neighbourhood Plan 2013-2028: The final version was formally adopted in April 2016: www.fernhurstpc.org.uk/fnp-referendumdoc. Background: 1999 Fernhurst Village Design Statement.
- Plans for oil and gas well near Fernhurst village centre. Celtique Energie's planning application (ref: SDNP/13/05896/CM) for an exploration well close to Fernhurst village centre, in Nine Acre Copse was rejected in 2014 by the South Downs National Park authorities and plans by Celtique Energie to appeal were abandoned.
- Major building development at Fernhurst Park (Ex-ICI/Syngenta site): Comer Homes Ltd plan to build 210 new homes.
What you can find on this website:
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membership of the Fernhurst Society including recent members' newsletters
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our programme of walks, talks, exhibitions and other events, including those organised for our Junior Section.
- information about Fernhurst village and parish and an interactive map
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village local history: the Fernhurst Archives, with information about the May Revels celebrations, the Verdley estate, and historical maps; the recent history of shops, roads, and railways in and around Fernhurst village; photos of the area; schooling and social life in Edwardian times; and our oral history recording project
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the history of Fernhurst Parish including parish boundary walks and the 17-18th century local iron industry; a survey of homes and families during the 1841-1911 censuses and land rents from 1840s tithe records
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Fernhurst Society publications, including the book Voices of Fernhurst, booklets and a millennium map
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our biodiversity monitoring project
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links to local organisations and information sources, including family history and genealogy.
The Society arose out of the work undertaken by villagers to produce the Fernhurst Village Design Statement. Adopted by Chichester District Council in 2000, the Statement provides guidelines for future building developments in the area.
Village green (photo © Dave Spicer)
View from Blackdown Hill (photo © Robin Webster)
