Midhurst

Midhurst
Midhurst from the south
Midhurst is located in West Sussex
Midhurst
Midhurst
Location within West Sussex
Area3.33 km2 (1.29 sq mi) [1]
Population4,914 (2011)[1][2]
• Density1,467/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU885214
• London45 miles (72 km) NE
Civil parish
  • Midhurst
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMIDHURST
Postcode districtGU29
Dialling code01730
PoliceSussex
FireWest Sussex
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
Websitehttp://www.midhurst-tc.gov.uk/
List of places
UK
England
West Sussex
50°59′06″N 0°44′24″W / 50.985°N 0.740°W / 50.985; -0.740

Midhurst (/ˈmɪdhurst/) is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother, 20 miles (32 km) inland from the English Channel and 12 miles (19 km) north of Chichester.

The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as Middeherst, meaning "Middle wooded hill", or "(place) among the wooded hills". It derives from the Old English words midd (adjective) or mid (preposition), meaning "in the middle", plus hyrst, "a wooded hill".[3]

The Norman St. Ann's Castle dates from about 1120, although the foundations are all that can now be seen. The castle, the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Denis, together with South Pond, the former fish-pond for the castle, are the only three structures left from this early period. The parish church is the oldest building in Midhurst.[4] Just across the River Rother, in the parish of Easebourne, is the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House.

  1. ^ a b "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
  2. ^ "Midhurst – UK Census Data 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  3. ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of British Place Names Archived 7 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ^ Harris, Roland B (2010). "Midhurst. Historic Character Assessment Report". East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, and Brighton and Hove City Council. p. 22. Retrieved 7 June 2015.