Charlton

Settlement in Sussex Chichester

England

Charlton

The open air museum in 1982 (2) Credit: Peter Shimmon

Charlton is a small village located in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. Situated about 8 miles north of the city of Chichester, it is nestled amidst the beautiful South Downs National Park. The village is surrounded by idyllic countryside and offers a peaceful and picturesque setting.

With a population of around 400 residents, Charlton has a close-knit community feel. It boasts a quaint village hall which serves as a hub for social events and activities, fostering a strong sense of community spirit. The village also has a primary school, providing education for local children.

One of the notable features of Charlton is its charming 12th-century church, St. Mary the Virgin. This historic building adds character to the village and attracts visitors interested in its architectural and historical significance.

The village is well-positioned for outdoor enthusiasts, offering easy access to a range of recreational activities. The South Downs Way, a popular long-distance footpath, passes nearby, providing ample opportunities for hiking, cycling, and horse riding. Additionally, the village is surrounded by rolling hills, making it an ideal base for exploring the natural beauty of the South Downs.

Although Charlton may lack major amenities and services, it benefits from its proximity to larger towns and cities, such as Chichester and Portsmouth, which offer a wider range of facilities including shopping centers, healthcare services, and entertainment options.

In summary, Charlton is a tranquil and charming village set amidst the stunning landscape of the South Downs. Its close-knit community, historic church, and access to outdoor activities make it an attractive place to live for those seeking a peaceful rural lifestyle.

Show me another place!

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Charlton Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 50.90881/-0.741622 or Grid Reference SU8812. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

The open air museum in 1982 (2)

Peter Shimmon

The open air museum in 1982 (3)

Peter Shimmon

Traditional Sussex barn, Weald and Downland Living Museum

This aisled barn was constructed in Hambrook near Chichester around 1771 and has been saved from destruction by being dismantled and reconstructed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton, about ten miles to the northeast. The museum opened in 1970 and has rescued many vernacular buildings from the southeast of England, which it uses to present displays and activities of historic rural life. Link

The museum website can be found here Link

A J Paxton

Aisled barn from Hambrook, Weald & Downland Living Museum

This aisled barn was constructed in Hambrook near Chichester around 1771 and has been saved from destruction by being dismantled and reconstructed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton, about ten miles to the northeast. Wooden posts inside support the roof timbers and divide the interior into a central 'nave' with side aisles, like a church, except that the aisles continue around all four sides of the rectangular building, interrupted only by the high barn doors. These are located under the gap in the thatch visible on the left hand side of the photo, and allowed a wagon to enter. These doors open onto the central threshing floor, where sheaves of corn were threshed by hand with wooden flails and then winnowed to separate the grain from the chaff. To each side of the floor were storage areas, one for unthreshed corn, the other for the straw once it had been threshed. The grain itself would have been transferred to a granary for storage. See the museum website here Link

A J Paxton

Sweet Briar rose, Weald & Downland Living Museum

This sweet briar, or brier, rose, also known as eglantine, is on display at the Weald and Downland Living Museum. The botanical name for this species of rose is rosa rubiginosa, as the Royal Horticultural Society explains here Link

. The website of the museum can be found here Link

A J Paxton

Tin Tabernacle, Weald & Downland Living Museum

This mission room of corrugated iron with a wooden frame served the community of South Wonston near Winchester from 1909 to 1996, when a new Church of England building superseded it. It was dismantled in 2006 and re-erected at the museum at Singleton in 2011. The mission room was supplied to the rector and curate of Wonston by Humphreys Ltd of Knightsbridge, which specialised in prefabricated buildings. Externally of galvanised iron, the interior is clad with panelling made from pine wood. See the museum website here Link

A J Paxton

Whittaker's Cottages & Garden, Weald & Downland Living Museum

Whittaker's Cottages are a pair of semi-detached, timber-framed houses that were constructed by a railway in Ashtead, Surrey, in the 1860s. They were built for rent and were let to agricultural labourers. To save them from destruction they were dismantled in 1968 and were re-erected at the museum in 1997. See the museum website here Link

. The houses are viewed here through the beanpoles of the cottage garden. The side wall is faced with clapboarding, a common technique in the vernacular architecture of the southeast of England, and one that was exported to North America by English colonists. The front wall appears to be plastered, with lines incised in the plaster to suggest stonework.

A J Paxton

Skeps, Weald & Downland Museum

A skep is a beehive made from coils of straw or grass in the shape of an upturned basket. This was the traditional design used in northern and western Europe before the invention of the modern hive with removable frames in the 19th century. This enabled beekeepers to inspect the hive for diseases or parasites and to remove honeycomb without harming the bees, neither of which was possible with a skep. Link

A J Paxton

Bayleaf Farmstead, Weald & Downland Museum

Bayleaf is a timber-framed hall house dating from the 15th century. It has a central hall, open to the rafters, which would have been heated by an open fire, also used for cooking. At each end are suites of rooms, service rooms at one end, accommodation for the family at the other. The house was built in Chiddingstone, Kent, between 1405 and 1430 and extended between 1480 and 1520. It was dismantled in 1968 to save it from destruction and was re-erected at the museum four years later. See the museum website here Link

. This type of house is common in the Weald, the wooded upland area on the Kent-Sussex border, and since the 1950s it has been known as a Wealden House. The open hall is flanked by end bays with internal floors and a jettied (protruding) first floor. There are also 'half-Wealdens', that have a single end bay, and sometimes rows of these were built. The wall plate, the timbers that top the walls of the house, follows the line of the jettied rooms and 'flies over' the hall, giving it a recessed appearance. This section of the wall plate is typically supported by a pair of curved braces attached to the jettied bay at each end, as at Bayleaf. See this article by the Archaeology Data Service Link

. Wealden houses were built mainly in the southeast of England, but examples exist as far away as Stratford-upon-Avon SP1954 : Mason's Court, Rother Street and Coventry.

A J Paxton

Barn from Cowfold, Weald & Downland Living Museum

This timber-framed barn was built in Cowfold, West Sussex, around 1536. It was dismantled in 1980 and re-erected at the museum at Singleton in 1988. See the museum website here Link

A J Paxton

Contractor's Van, Weald & Downland Living Museum

Described by the museum as a 'contractor's van', this vehicle looks similar, from the outside at least, to the shepherd's hut of the south of England, a wheeled temporary home that could be taken up into the hills for the shepherd to live in during the lambing season. The road-mender's hut was another variant SP1587 : Steamroller and trailers, East Meadway. The museum comments that the interior of these vehicles was typically very simple, in contrast to the fashionable modern versions that are popular as garden furniture Link

A J Paxton

Inside the Gridshell. Weald and Downland Museum

Clive Perrin

Buildings at the Weald and Downland Museum

Clive Perrin

Communications mast, St Roche's Hill

A remarkably lightweight structure, apparently replacing an earlier structure whose stub is over to the right.

Robin Webster

Footpath leading to Charlton

Sandy Gerrard

The Weald & Downland Living Museum [1]

A hay barn from Ockley, Surrey. The Weald & Downland Living Museum is located near the village of Singleton, West Sussex, some 5 miles north of Chichester. With 50 historic buildings and gardens in a site of some 40 acres, the museum promotes the preservation of such buildings and the ancient crafts of the region. Additional information about the individual buildings can be found on their website: Link

Michael Dibb

The Weald & Downland Living Museum [2]

Details of the hay barn seen at SU8712 : The Weald & Downland Living Museum [1]. The Weald & Downland Living Museum is located near the village of Singleton, West Sussex, some 5 miles north of Chichester. With 50 historic buildings and gardens in a site of some 40 acres, the museum promotes the preservation of such buildings and the ancient crafts of the region. Additional information about the individual buildings can be found on their website: Link

Michael Dibb

The Weald & Downland Living Museum [3]

Shelter shed and shepherds room from Goodwood. The Weald & Downland Living Museum is located near the village of Singleton, West Sussex, some 5 miles north of Chichester. With 50 historic buildings and gardens in a site of some 40 acres, the museum promotes the preservation of such buildings and the ancient crafts of the region. Additional information about the individual buildings can be found on their website: Link

Michael Dibb

Show me another place!

Charlton is located at Grid Ref: SU8812 (Lat: 50.90881, Lng: -0.741622)

Administrative County: West Sussex

District: Chichester

Police Authority: Sussex

What 3 Words

///entry.modem.ashes. Near Boxgrove, West Sussex

Nearby Locations

Charlton

Charlton Berkshire

Charlton Hertfordshire

Have you been to Charlton?

Leave your review of Charlton below (or comments, questions and feedback).

Nearby Amenities

Located within 500m of 50.90881,-0.741622

Charlton

Is In: West Sussex, England, UK

Place: village

Source: npe

Wikidata: Q9189138

Lat/Long: 50.9094647/-0.7376197