West Thorney

---

title: "West Thorney" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chichester-district", "local-nature-reserves-in-west-sussex", "populated-coastal-places-in-west-sussex", "villages-in-west-sussex"] description: "Village and parish in West Sussex, England" topic_path: "general/chichester-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Thorney" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village and parish in West Sussex, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

Field	Value
official_name	West Thorney
country	England
civil_parish	West Thorney
region	South East England
static_image	West Thorney Church.JPG
static_image_width	240px
static_image_caption	West Thorney Church
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	12.23
population	1,183.
population_ref	2011 Census
population_density	88 /km2
os_grid_reference	SU768023
coordinates
post_town	EMSWORTH
postcode_area	PO
postcode_district	PO10
dial_code	01243
constituency_westminster	Chichester
london_distance	59 mi NE
shire_district	Chichester
shire_county	West Sussex
::

| official_name = West Thorney | country = England | civil_parish = West Thorney | region = South East England | static_image = West Thorney Church.JPG | static_image_width = 240px | static_image_caption = West Thorney Church | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 12.23 | population = 1,183. | population_ref = 2011 Census | population_density = 88 /km2 | os_grid_reference = SU768023 | coordinates = | post_town = EMSWORTH | postcode_area = PO | postcode_district = PO10 | dial_code = 01243 | constituency_westminster = Chichester | london_distance = 59 mi NE | shire_district = Chichester | shire_county = West Sussex | website = **West Thorney ** was a village and civil parish on Thorney Island in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, located 9 km west of Chichester south of the A27 road. The village was demolished after the Air Ministry requisitioned the island during the second world war and was replaced by housing and infrastructure for military families. Just to the south is the smaller Pilsey Island, a haven for birds. The island was a World War II airfield RAF Thorney Island which remained in use until 1976. Since 1982 the base has been used by the Royal Artillery. Only the church and coastal footpath are open to the public. It is necessary to give one's name and address by intercom to be allowed through remotely controlled gates. The parish has a land area of 1223 ha. In the 2001 census 1079 people lived in 217 households, of whom 679 were economically active. At the 2011 Census the population was 1,183.

The parish church

The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The original building dates from around 1100 A.D. probably on the orders of Bishop Warlewast.

History

The Manor of Thorney belonged to the chapelry of Bosham at the Norman Conquest and was held by the Bishops of Exeter. In 1086 A.D. the Domesday Book recorded that 'Mauger holds of the land of this church 12 hides as one manor; it is called Tornei and pays geld for 8 hides'. It was sold by the Bishop of Exeter in 1548 to Thomas Fisher, who the following year sold it to Henry Bickley.

Landmarks

Chichester Harbour, a Site of Special Scientific Interest is partly within the parish. This is a wetland of international importance,a Special Protection Area for wild birds and a Special Area of Conservation. The harbour is of particular importance for wintering wildfowl and waders of which five species reach numbers which are internationally important.

Pilsey Island

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Pilsey_Island.JPG" caption="Pilsey Island seen from the Thorney Island sea wall"] ::

Pilsey Island is a small island in Chichester Harbour, just off the south eastern tip of Thorney Island. The island is an RSPB nature reserve and a designated Local Nature Reserve.

References

References

1. "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish". West Sussex County Council.
2. "Civil parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
3. [http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_b/2043/ Walking Britain; walk 2043]
4. (12 June 2009). "Sussex seashore, Thorney Island, West Sussex". The Guardian.
5. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41741 British History Online]
6. "SSSI Citation — Chichester Harbour". Natural England.
7. (21 March 2012). "About Pilsey Island". RSPB.
8. "Pilsey Island". Natural England.
9. "Map of Pilsey Island". Natural England.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::