Pictures of Pagham

About Pagham

A short distance from Chichester on the Sussex Heritage Coast lies the beautiful and unspoiled stretch of mud flats of Pagham Harbour, now a fascinating nature reserve of over 1,000 acres. The mud flats and shingle beach offer a safe haven for hundreds of species of birds and plantlife whilst in the hedgegrows, butterflies, including red admirals, flourish. The reserve welcomes little terns, who return anually from the warm shores of West Africa, to breed at Pagham. Other birds include shelducks, curlews and oystercatchers.

Pagham has a long history, it was occupied by the Romans. A find of Middle Saxon Pottery indicates Saxon occupation. A church at Pagham was recorded in the Domesday Book and at the turn of the 13th-century King John gave Pagham a charter. By the 14th-century Pagham had become a succesful port only to have a vast number of its buildings destroyed in the great storm of the mid-14th-century. The history of the town continues with highs and lows and varying degrees of prosperity. Today, the town prospers from the tourists who flock here to the nature reserve and the fine beaches that stretch out from either side of the old harbour entrance. The village itself boarders with the great sprawl of Bognor but retains a more 'genteel' feel to that of its large neighbour. There are many old and interesting properties to be seen in the village and at the southern end of the harbour is Church Norton, where you can find the minute chapel of St.Wilfred, a 7th-century missionary who preached christianity.

Pagham, holds much to enchant the visitor, its fine beaches offer safe bathing and good off shore surfing and yachting. The pleasant countryside beyond the coast has attractive villages, while nearby Chichester offers excellent shopping facilities and a museum that records much of the history of the region.

Other interesting visits include; Arundel, Littlehampton and Steyning.