Located between Pulborough and Storrington and set on the edge of the South Downs National Park, West Chiltington is a hidden treasure where winding lanes and pretty gardens offer a charming lifestyle for residents.
Wander through West Chiltington, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by beautifully kept gardens, window boxes and carefully trimmed hedges. But while it has the peaceful tranquillity of a chocolate box village, it also has a good range of shops and amenities. Uniquely, West Chiltington has two separate centres. The older part of the village boasts the beautiful 12th Century church, a shop with a post office and a friendly pub. The newer part, called West Chiltington Common, developed from the 1920s. This area offers many more shops, including a hairdresser, beauty salon and garage.
Village Population
Miles from London
Postcodes
The village is known for its winding lanes, lined with famous thatched Wells Cottages, recognisable by their irregular brickwork covered in whitewashed slurry. Reginald Fairfax Wells made a name for himself as a somewhat maverick designer. He bought 50 acres of Sussex in the 1920s with a dream to design the ‘perfect English village’. It seems he may have succeeded; West Chiltington is not only attractive, but it also has fantastic amenities and a wonderful neighbourly spirit.
The West Chiltington Village Show has been running since 1919, organised by the community for the community. The village hall boasts excellent facilities and hosts many regular events for local clubs and societies.
The village has something for everybody. You’ll find an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ village primary school for young families. From age eleven, pupils progress to the Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’ Weald Secondary School and Sixth Form in Billingshurst or the similarly rated Steyning Grammar School. There are also several independent schools within easy access of West Chiltington.
If you’re moving out of London, Pulborough train station is just three miles drive away with frequent services to Victoria.
Finally, if you’re choosing to spend your retirement in beautiful West Chiltington, you can enjoy all the benefits of rural living with clubs, societies, and fantastic shops and amenities on your doorstep. Three bus services run through the village if you no longer drive, connecting you with larger towns.
Sports & Leisure
Enjoy clubs and societies to entertain and educate. There’s the West Chiltington Jazz Club, Art Club and Dramatic Society. You’ll also find many sports clubs including bowling, tennis, croquet, and badminton. With miles of Sussex walks on your doorstep, four-legged residents will feel right at home, especially if they’re a Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, who have their very own club!
Food & Drink
The village has two pubs, The Five Bells and The Queens Head, serving excellent food and drink. But you’ll find many other great pubs in the surrounding villages. Head to nearby Storrington for more restaurants, cafés and takeaways. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for special events at award-winning local vineyards, Nyetimber and Nutbourne.
Further Afield
Head just three miles down the road to Storrington for a wide range of high street shops, including supermarkets, chemists, opticians, and boutiques. Further afield you’ll find Horsham, Brighton and Chichester, with all the leisure and shopping facilities you’d expect from larger towns.
A village guide to West Chiltington wouldn’t be complete without noting the beautiful West Sussex countryside that surrounds the village. In springtime, you can walk through bluebell woods and enjoy the scent of wild garlic. Come summer, beautifully rural Climping Beach is just a thirty-minute drive away. In autumn, take footpaths past local vineyards and enjoy the changing colours of the vines at harvest time. In winter you’ll find plenty of walks where you can warm up at a village pub by the fireside!
As a mother-daughter team with over 25 years of experience, our aim is to bring our family values and authentic enthusiasm to everything we do.
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