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Downs View B&B

Upper Beeding - West Sussex

The Surrounding Area

The South Downs Way and Monarch's Way long-distance footpaths run through the parish. The area is popular with walkers, cyclists and equestrians. The village boasts two pubs, The Rising Sun and The Kings Head. Bramber has a further pub, The Castle Inn.

Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs four miles (6.4km) north of Shoreham-by-Sea and four miles south of Henfield, and has a land area of 1877.48 hectares (4637 acres). The site is a bridging point over the river. On the opposite bank are Bramber and Steyning.

Local Pubs

There are 2 pubs in the village, the King's Head and the Rising Sun. The King's Head goes back to at least 1788 when Burbeach Hundred Court met there. During the 1920s the church vestry group also met at the pub. The Rising Sun was built in 1857 as a brewery but is now a family-oriented pub, popular with walkers and cyclists.

St Mary's House, Bramber

The origins of St Mary's go back to the days of the Knights Templar when 5 acres of land in Bramber were given to them by the widow of Philip de Braose, following his death in 1125. The present building was constructed in about 1470 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester and founder of Magdalen College, Oxford, as an inn for pilgrims on their way to the tomb of St. Thomas of Canterbury.

Legend has it that Charles II hid here when escaping to France in 1651. On arrival in Bramber, to their horror the village was filled with soldiers. It was decided the only course of action was to boldly ride through the village in order to avoid suspicion. As they were leaving the village, a party of around 50 soldiers rode rapidly towards them before dashing past and up the narrow lane, giving the travelers a severe fright.

The Devil's Dyke

A legendary beauty spot on the South Downs, just over 4 miles from Upper Beeding, offers stunning panoramas, a record breaking valley, a curious history and England’s most colourful habitat.

At nearly a mile long, the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK. Legend has it that the Devil dug this chasm to drown the parishioners of the Weald. On the other hand, scientists believe it was formed naturally just over 10,000 years ago in the last ice age.

With a little exploring the Dyke's story starts to reveal itself: The ramparts or walls of the Iron Age hill fort can be seen when you walk around the hill. Venture into the valley and you will discover a living carpet of flowers and a myriad of colourful insects.

Steyning

A small rural town located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs four miles north of Shoreham by Sea. The smaller villages of Upper Beeding and Bramber constitute, with Steyning, a built-up area at this crossing-point of the river.

Steyning has existed since Anglo-Saxon times. Legend has it that St Cuthman built a church, at one time dedicated to him and now called St Andrews, where he stopped after carrying his paralysed mother in a wheelbarrow from Devon or Cornwall. Several of the signs that can be seen on entering Steyning bear an image of his feat.

Area Photos...
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