Thakeham

infobox UK place
country = England
static_

static_image_caption= Church of St. Mary
latitude= 50.94394
longitude= -0.42214
official_name = Thakeham
population =
civil_parish= Thakeham
shire_district= Horsham
shire_county= West Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Arundel and South Downs
post_town=
postcode_district =
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= TQ109172

Thakeham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located 3.5 kilometres (2 miles) to the north east of Storrington.

The name Thakeham means "thatched homestead" and the original village had just one main street ("The Street") which is home to the village's only pub, The White Lion, and church. The parish has a land area of 1170.6 hectares (2891 acres). In the 2001 census 1794 people lived in 684 households, of whom 948 were economically active.

Just south of the village is where the main village's population resides. This area is technically the hamlet of Abingworth although few locals know it as anything other than Thakeham. Abingworth contains a large mushroom farm together with several mainly modern houses and the village hall. Further south is Rydon Community College and Thakeham Tiles, the other industry in the village, both situated on Rock Road.

The village's cricket team folded in the 1970's but was revived following a merger with neighbours, West Chiltington, at the end of the 20th Century to form West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club.

Famous people associated with the village

Anna Massey (who played Miss Prism alongside Colin Firth and Rupert Everett in the 2002 film version of The Importance of Being Earnest) was born in the village in 1937.

In 1940 or 1941, Jomo Kenyatta took a job as a nursery worker at AG Linfield's Chesswood nurseries and lived in nearby Storrington

ee also

*HMS Thakeham, a Ham class minesweeper

External links

* [http://www.thakeham.w-sussex.sch.uk/ Thakeham First School]
* [http://www.thakehamparish.co.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=916&SiteExtra=20039844&TopNavId=48&NavSideId=12787 Thakeham Parish Council]
* [http://www.longweb.f9.co.uk/longshot/volume_5/jomo_kenyatta.html Jomo Kenyatta biography]
* [http://www.westchiltingtonandthakehamcc.co.uk/ West Chiltington & Thakeham Cricket Club]