Kirdford

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Kirdford
static_

latitude= 51.02988
longitude= -0.54965
population = 912 (2001)
shire_district= Chichester
shire_county = West Sussex
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Horsham
post_town= BILLINGSHURST
postcode_district = RH14
postcode_area= RH
dial_code= 01403
os_grid_reference= TQ017266

Kirdford is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located 6.5 kilometres (4.5 miles) north east of Petworth .The parish has a land area of 2008.6 hectares (4961 acres). In the 2001 census 912 people lived in 373 households, of whom 448 were economically active.

The village has an Anglican church dedicated to St John the Baptist and a chapel and two pubs, "The Foresters" and the "Half Moon". Other amenities include a shop and the village hall which was enlarged in 1977.

In the Middle Ages iron production using ironstone and charcoal, and forest glass making were important industries. In the twentieth century apple growing was established through a cooperative venture, Kirdford Growers, based at the western end of the village. This has now ended and the warehouse site is being used for house building.

The parish church

There is no reference to a church in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Grade I listed church of St. John the Baptist is built of local sandstone and roofed with Horsham stone slabs. [ [http://www.setowns.org.uk/newsmaster/t_news_info.php?refnum=898 South East Rural Towns Partnership] ] Herringbone masonry and the style of column capitals indicate that the nave is early twelfth century. [ [http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/ed/sx/kirdf/index.htm Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture] ] The north aisle is thirteenth century and the tower fifteenth. The tower carries a peel of six bells and a clock. There are four stained glass windows by Charles Eamer Kempe [ [http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=5019 A church near you] ] .

Near the road junction to the west of the church an inscribed stone set into the old rectory wall warns against drunkenness in no uncertain terms.

References

ee also

* [http://kirdford.net Kirdford Village Website]