Bignor
| Bignor | |
| Sussex | |
|---|---|
 The Yeoman's House | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU984146 |
| Location: | 50°55’23"N, 0°36’5"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 103 (2001) |
| Post town: | Pulborough |
| Postcode: | RH20 |
| Dialling code: | 01798 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Chichester |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Arundel and South Downs |
Bignor is a village in south-western Sussex, about six miles north of Arundel. It is next to the line of Stane Street, the major Roman road from Chichester to London: the village is where the road ascends the escarpment of the South Downs. The modern track from the village to the hill top climbs steeply up to and then roughly follows the Roman route, but before the car park at the top Stane Street can be seen as a wide flat terraceway below the modern track.
The 2001 census recorded a population of 103 people living in 43 households.
Contents
Parish church
The parish church of the Holy Cross is a largely 13th century structure. A church in the village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, and in the present church the chancel arch and font survive from the 11th century.
Today the church is one of a benefice of five downland churches (Barlavington, Bignor, Burton, Coates and Sutton).
About the village
Historic houses in the village include the Yeoman's House, an oak-framed hall house probably of the 15th century, built in the "wealden" type. Formerly known as the Old Shop the house has a recessed centre section with curved brackets supporting the eaves, while the first floor of the wings projects. There is some brick infill in the centre section with the rest of the walls having a mix of plaster and flint infill.[1]
Roman villa
- Main article: Bignor Roman Villa
Within the parish are the excavations of a large Roman villa which has been open to the public since 1814. The villa contains some of the finest and best preserved Roman mosaics in Britain.
Bignor Manor House
During Second World War, Bignor House was the rented family home of Major Anthony Bertram who was working for military intelligence with French resistance agents. He volunteered to use the manor house as a secret forward base for members of the resistance who were waiting to be flown by light aircraft to France on moonlit nights from RAF Tangmere air base.
His wife Barbara looked after the agents and carried out final checks on clothing and equipment to ensure that everything they had was consistent with being French. Agents returning from France would also be taken there for food, rest and initial debriefing.[2]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bignor) |
- Bignor Roman Villa
- Manor house Bertram oral history: The Imperial War Museum
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1026557: The Yeoman’s House (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Barbara Bertram, French Resistance in Sussex 1988, Barnworks Publishing ISBN 1-899174-01-X
