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Washington, West Sussex

Washington is a parish that is located near a wind gap in the Downs and is currently bounded by Wiston in the east, Ashington to the north, Sullington to the west and Findon to the south. The original parish included Ashington until that was separated towards the end of the 12th century. Like many downland parishes it stretches from the Downs in the south through a strip of greensand and into the clays of the Weald to the north. The main settlement was built round an old crossroads where an old north-south droving route met another east-west one following the foot of the northern scarp slope with the original main street following the latter as it heads west to Sullington. The north-south route follows the line of the modern A24 though the village itself was bypassed by a dual carriageway opened in the late 1960s. The east-west route was closed in the late 18th century and replaced by a newer route to the north which is the modern A283.

Much of the parish contained extensive commons that included Washington Heath Common to the west of the A24 part of which is now National Trust land. To the immediate north and east of the village were Washington Common and New Common respectively both of which survived to the 1850s. To the north of that was Rock Common which straddled the modern road called The Hollow whilst in the northern tip of the parish lay Ashington Common which was enclosed in 1816 and on which was built the modern village of Ashington which still lay in the parish until as late as 1960. As a consequence much of the settlement outside the main village of Washington was built around the edges of these commons with only one, Rock, being of any significance, whilst other newer settlements were built on enclosures such as at Ashington and also Heath common and Pigland to the west.
by Simon Carey

Created: Mon, 1 Apr 2013, Updated: Sat, 22 Jan 2022


217 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

TQ1213 : Danger Sign, Rock Common by Simon Carey
TQ1113 : Knowle's Field by Simon Carey
TQ1213 : Montpelier Gardens, Rock by Simon Carey
TQ1213 : Washington Village Hall by Simon Carey
TQ1312 : Locks Farm by Simon Carey
TQ1112 : Highden Clays by Simon Carey
TQ1313 : Pleasant Hill (2) by Simon Carey
TQ1312 : Coombe Holt by Simon Carey
TQ1111 : Rail Field by Simon Carey
TQ1112 : Butts by Simon Carey
TQ1210 : Seventeen Acres by Simon Carey
TQ1213 : Drive to Walnut Tree Cottage by Simon Carey
TQ1314 : Stable Cottage by Simon Carey
TQ1214 : Legg Four Acres by Simon Carey
TQ1014 : Hampers Lane by Simon Carey
TQ1114 : George's Lane by Simon Carey
TQ1113 : Clayton Pond Meadow by Simon Carey
TQ1110 : London Road by Simon Carey
TQ1111 : Bridleway to Windlesham House by Simon Carey
TQ1212 : East Clays by Simon Carey
TQ1113 : The Ox Marsh (2) by Simon Carey
TQ1313 : Little Hollow Field/Long Mead by Simon Carey
TQ1113 : The Fifteen Acres by Simon Carey
TQ1315 : Two Acres by Simon Carey
TQ1111 : 1-4 The Square, Windlesham House School by Simon Carey

... and 192 more images.

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