West Sussex is a ceremonial county on the south coast of England, between the English Channel and the Surrey border. It covers 769 square miles (1,991 km2) and had a population of 885,048 at the 2021 census. Chichester is the county town; Crawley is the largest.
The county is run in two tiers: West Sussex County Council plus seven district and borough councils. The South Downs National Park runs the width of the county and separates the coastal strip from the Weald.
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | South East England |
| Area | 769 sq mi (1,991 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 885,048 |
| Density | 445 people per km2 (1,151 per sq mi) |
| County town | Chichester |
| Largest town | Crawley (118,493) |
| Districts | Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Worthing |
| Postcode areas | RH, BN, PO, GU |
| Council | West Sussex County Council |
Towns and Villages in West Sussex
The GeoNames gazetteer records 416 named places in West Sussex. The 250 below cover its towns and villages, alphabetically from Abbotsford to Yapton; the remainder are suburbs and named quarters within the coastal towns.
- Abbotsford
- Adversane
- Albourne
- Aldsworth
- Almodington
- Amberley
- Angmering
- Ansty
- Ardingly
- Arun
- Arundel
- Ashington
- Ashurst
- Ashurst Wood
- Avisford
- Balcombe
- Balls Cross
- Barlavington
- Barnham
- Barns Green
- Beggars Bush
- Bepton Common
- Bewbush
- Bignor
- Billingshurst
- Bines Green
- Birchgrove
- Birdham
- Bognor Regis
- Bolney
- Borden
- Bosham
- Botolphs
- Boxgrove
- Broadbridge
- Broadfield
- Brook Street
- Broomer’s Corner
- Buckman Corner
- Burgess Hill
- Burpham
- Bury
- Castle Town
- Chichester
- Chidham
- Chithurst
- Church Norton
- Cinder Hill
- Clayton
- Climping
- Cocking
- Codmore Hill
- Coldwaltham
- Compton
- Coolham
- Copsale
- Copthorne
- Cowfold
- Crabtree
- Crawley
- Crawley Down
- Cross Gate
- Crosspost
- Cuckfield
- Dial Post
- Donnington
- Dumpford
- Duncton
- Durleighmarsh
- Earnley
- Easebourne
- East Grinstead
- East Hampnett
- East Lavington
- East Preston
- East Wittering
- Ebernoe
- Egdean
- Elmers Marsh
- Elsted Marsh
- Felpham
- Fernhurst
- Ferring
- Findon
- Fishbourne
- Fisher
- Fittleworth
- Five Oaks
- Fontwell
- Forestside
- Foxhill
- Fulking
- Funtington
- Furnace Green
- Fyning
- Goose Green
- Goring-by-Sea
- Gossops Green
- Graffham
- Habin
- Halfway Bridge
- Hambrook
- Hammerpot
- Handcross
- Hangleton
- Haslingbourne
- Hassocks
- Haywards Heath
- Henfield
- Henley
- Heyshott
- Hickstead
- Highbrook
- Hillgrove
- Hooksway
- Horsham
- Horsted Keynes
- Houghton
- Hoyle
- Hurst Wickham
- Hurstpierpoint
- Ifieldwood
- Ingrams Green
- Itchenor
- Itchingfield
- Keynor Estate
- Kingsley Green
- Kirdford
- Lagness
- Lancing
- Langley
- Langley Green
- Lickfold
- Linchmere
- Little Bognor
- Little London
- Littlehampton
- Lodsworth
- Lordington
- Lower Fittleworth
- Loxwood
- Lurgashall
- Lyminster
- Madehurst
- Maidenbower
- Maplehurst
- Marylands Park
- Merston
- Midhurst
- Milland
- Minsted
- Newpound Common
- North Bersted
- North Heath
- North Mundham
- Nursted
- Nuthurst
- Nyewood
- Offham
- Oving
- Partridge Green
- Patching
- Petworth
- Pickhurst
- Plaistow
- Poling
- Pound Hill
- Poynings
- Pulborough
- Quags Corner
- Rackham
- River
- Rock
- Rogate
- Rowfant
- Rudgwick
- Runcton
- Rusper
- Rustington
- Salvington
- Scayne’s Hill
- Selsey
- Selsfield Common
- Shermanbury
- Shipley
- Shopwyke
- Shoreham-by-Sea
- Sidlesham
- Singleton
- Slaugham
- Slindon
- Slinfold
- Slough Green
- Small Dole
- Snow Hill
- Sompting
- South Bersted
- South Harting
- South Mundham
- South Nutfield
- Southgate
- Southwater
- Southwick
- Staplefield
- Stedham
- Steyning
- Storrington
- Street End
- Strood Green
- Sutton
- Tangmere
- Terwick Common
- The Haven
- Three Bridges
- Tillington
- Tisman’s Common
- Toddington
- Tortington
- Trotton
- Turners Hill
- Twineham
- Tyes Cross
- Upper Marden
- Walberton
- Walderton
- Waltham
- Warnham
- Warningcamp
- Washington
- Waterbeach
- Watersfield
- West Ashling
- West Chiltington
- West Dean
- West Harting
- West Lavington
- West Thorney
- West Wittering
- Westbourne
- Westergate
- Westhampnett
- Westlands
- Whitehall
- Wiggonholt
- Wineham
- Wisborough Green
- Woodend
- Woodmancote
- Worthing
- Yapton
Crawley (118,493 in its built-up area at the 2021 census) and Worthing (111,338) are the two largest towns. Bognor Regis (63,855), Littlehampton (55,706) and Horsham (50,934) follow. Chichester, the county town and only city, holds 26,795.
Geography
Three bands run east to west. The coastal plain in the south is flat, fertile and heavily built up from Selsey Bill to Shoreham. The chalk of the South Downs rises behind it, topping 240 metres and carrying the South Downs Way along its crest. North of the Downs lies the Weald, wooded and clay-bottomed, rising to Blackdown near Haslemere, which at 280 metres is the county’s highest point.
Hampshire lies to the west, Surrey to the north and East Sussex to the east. The Arun, Adur and Western Rother drain the county, and Chichester Harbour forms a large tidal inlet in the south-west.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 885,048 residents, up 76,129 on 2011. Density averages 445 people per square kilometre, but nearly two thirds of the population lives on the narrow coastal plain and in the two northern towns.
Arun and Worthing have among the oldest age profiles in South East England. Crawley, built as a new town from 1947, has one of the youngest.
Economy and Local Life
Gatwick Airport, inside Crawley borough, is the county’s largest single employer and shapes the economy of the whole north-east. Airlines, freight forwarders and hotels cluster around it, and the town’s Manor Royal estate is one of the largest business parks in the South East.
The coastal plain grows a large share of England’s glasshouse salad crops, helped by unusually high sunshine totals. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars builds every car at Goodwood near Chichester, and the Goodwood estate’s motor and racing events draw several hundred thousand visitors a year.
History
Chichester began as Noviomagus Reginorum, the Roman capital of a client kingdom. The Roman palace at Fishbourne next door is the largest known north of the Alps. Sussex was divided into six rapes, strips running from coast to Weald, each with its own castle.
West and East Sussex were given separate county councils in 1889 and became fully separate counties in 1974. Crawley was designated a new town in 1947 and grew from a village of 9,000 to the county’s largest settlement within two generations.
Getting There
The M23 runs from the M25 to Crawley and continues as the A23 to Brighton. The A27 is the main east-west road along the coast through Worthing and Chichester, with the A24, A29 and A272 crossing the Downs and Weald.
The Brighton Main Line serves Gatwick, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill from London Victoria and London Bridge. The West Coastway line runs along the coast through Chichester, Littlehampton and Worthing, and the Arun Valley line links Horsham to Arundel. Gatwick Airport is the county’s own international airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of West Sussex?
885,048 at the 2021 census, an increase of 76,129 since 2011.
What is the largest town in West Sussex?
Crawley, with 118,493 people in its built-up area, just ahead of Worthing at 111,338.
Is Brighton in West Sussex?
No. Brighton and Hove is in East Sussex, though its built-up area spills west into Adur district around Shoreham-by-Sea.
Which councils cover West Sussex?
West Sussex County Council, plus Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Worthing at district level.
What postcode areas cover West Sussex?
RH in the north and east, BN along the central coast, PO in the west around Chichester, and GU in a few parishes near Haslemere.
Where is West Sussex?
On the English Channel in South East England, between Hampshire to the west, Surrey to the north and East Sussex to the east.