This year I have included a section on Felpham because of the interest shown by visitors – the irony is that the village is in fact older than Bognor.

To qualify as a village, there should be a pub, a church, small shops, history and 'picturesque cottages'.

So far so good, as Felpham has all of these.

One of the first problems, however, is how to pronounce the name of the village. Is it Fel-p-ham or Fel– f –am?

According to Place names of Sussex there were many mentions of the place, which appeared to mean 'fallow-enclosure'. One report in 1575 spelled it 'Phelpham'.

I am sure that these discussions will continue well into the future. It appears in the Domesday Book as Felcheham and was described as a 'pleasant village and parish in the Western division of the country'.

According to the 1882 Sussex Directory, it shows that Flansham and Ankton (or Ancton) are hamlets belonging to Felpham.

In 1882 the commercial part of the village records a grocer, shoemaker and post office, gardener, farmers, blacksmith, shopkeeper, miller, butcher and various licensed premises – Fox, George, and Brewer's Arms.

Census returns also provide interesting reading – in 1851 the population of the village was 479, with 92 occupied homes and just one unoccupied building.

By the 1990s, the population had risen to about 9,000.

The church is still the heart of the village and has been depicted on numerous postcards. On one from 1907 is written 'this is where Ref Talbot is now'. It was addressed to Haywards Heath.

In the Domesday Survey of 1086, a church was mentioned within the village, but this possible wooden construction has long since been lost to be replaced by today's building.

Felpham Church commenced around 1100 and has had many extensions and additions. Today, the centre of the village is busy and a written history of the church is available at the church.

Another interesting postcard is one of the blacksmith's gravestone – I find it quite bizarre to send a postcard of a gravestone home to your family – what memories of a holiday!

There is of course an incredible amount of history in the village but people also make it notable.

The most infamous resident was William Blake, who arrived in 1800 when he was commissioned by William Hayley to decorate his library.

The famous case when William Blake was put on trial for sedition took place in Chichester in 1803. Upon his acquittal, Blake moved back to London.

Pictures of his Felpham cottage – Rose Cottage – are shown on websites and in books, which add to the interest visitors show in the village.

For more history of Bognor and the surrounding area click here.

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