Picture of St Mary's Church at Apuldram, south of Fishbourne near Chichester

The village of Apuldram

Apuldram, which is sometimes spelt Appledram, is a small, quiet village which is a little strung out along its single road. As well as a fine 13th church sitting in a lovely setting, the village contains a special manor house called Rymans.

Rymans was built in the early 1400s and has an unusual design, featuring a central tower with a pyramid shaped cap, which was added to it two centuries later. Although Rymans isn't open to the public, look out for the occasional chance to have a look at the house when it's gardens are opened to the public.

Apuldram parish contains the old port of Dell Quay. Although Dell Quay is now only used by smaller yachts and dinghies, it used to be a fairly major port, serving Chichester. The silting up of the northern reaches of Chichester Harbour made Dell Quay's commercial viability slip away over time, just as the Roman port of Fishbourne further up the Birdham Channel had become redundant before it. Dell Quay itself had replaced an earlier port that was as far north as Apuldram Church, but which itself fell victim to the effects of silting up and disappeared.

Dell Quay's today is a beautiful place nonetheless and the garden of the Crown and Anchor pub is a great place to watch the sun set across the Chichester Harbour AONB, listening to the sounds of the birds across the water and the clinking of the boats moored nearby.

Apuldram village used to be a more substantial place largely as a result of its medieval port. A survey in 1433 noted that there were three main streets in the village, two of which no longer exist other than as footpaths. These lost streets ran between Apuldram Church and the what would then have been a relatively busy harbourside.

The only road passing through Apuldram is often used as a rat run by motorists looking to to avoid traffic jams at the A27 at Chichester. Cyclists and walkers can avoid this traffic however by using the excellent Salterns Way cycle path which runs through fields in Apuldram before heading on to Birdham Pool and the Chichester Yacht Basin and on towards the mouth of Chichester Harbour at East Head.

APULDRAM VILLAGE INFORMATION

Apuldram Church

St Mary's Church is in a lovely spot near Rymans at the end of a pretty walk through the trees.

The Apuldram Centre

The land round Apuldram is a growers' delight - see Apuldram Roses below. It's fitting therefore that The Apuldram Centre provides day care for adults with learning difficulties in the form of a working garden with glasshouses where fruit and flowers are grown. You can also buy woodwork and cookery produced by the people who make use of the Apuldram Centre's facilities.

Apuldram Roses

Rose nursery with a very good reputation for producing high quality and unusual roses. Apuldram Roses now has an online shop so you can buy your roses online.

PLACES NEARBY

SUSSEX INFO

Saturday February 04