West Lavington, West Sussex

West Lavington is a village and civil parish on the edge of Midhurst in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It contains a small private nursery school and the (now deconsecrated) church of St Mary Magdalene.

West Lavington
Church of St. Mary Magdalene
West Lavington Location within West Sussex
Area	2.45 km2 (0.95 sq mi) [1]
Population	276. 2011 Census[2]
• Density	121/km2 (310/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SU892205
• London	45 miles (72 km) NE
Civil parish	West Lavington
District	Chichester
Shire county	West Sussex
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MIDHURST
Postcode district	GU29
Dialling code	01730
Police	Sussex
Fire	West Sussex
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Arundel and South Downs
List of places UK England West Sussex 50.97704°N 0.72965°W / 50.97704; -0.72965

The church was constructed for Henry Edward Manning^[3] who was at the time rector of Woolavington, now East Lavington, with West Lavington forming a detached portion of that parish until 1851. The churchyard contains the grave of Richard Cobden although he lived in the neighbouring parish of Heyshott.

In the 2001 census there were 111 households with a total population of 298 of whom 115 were economically active.^[1] At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish was 276.^[2]

As a result of falling congregations and the church's poor condition, St Mary Magdalene church was closed in September 2008 and the congregation transferred to neighbouring Cocking.^[4][5] The two parishes were subsequently united and are now known as "The Parish of Cocking with West Lavington".^[6] In 2013, the former church at West Lavington was offered for sale, although the graveyard will continue to belong to the parish with public access.^[7][8]

References

1. "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
2. "Civil parish 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
3. "West Lavington - St Mary Magdalene". Sussex Parish Churches. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
4. "West Lavington church to close". Gravelroots (The Rother Valley Guide). 9 August 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
5. "Ceiling fall could spell end for West Lavington church". Mid Sussex Times. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
6. "St Catherine of Siena: About the Parish". A Church Near You. The Church of England. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
7. "St Mary Magdalene Church". House for sale: West Lavington, Midhurst, West Sussex. www.rightmove.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
8. "St Mary Magdalene Church West Lavington" (PDF). Jackson-Stops & Staff. Retrieved 23 May 2013.

External links

Media related to West Lavington, West Sussex at Wikimedia Commons