Compton and Up Marden
About our ParishThis parish is one of the Octagon group, in the Deanery of Westbourne and in the Archdeaconry of Horsham. The total population of the area covered by the parishes is approximately 900.
The parish of Compton and Up Marden consists of three ancient downland villages with a total population of 378. The church of St Mary and the vicarage are in Compton, the largest of the three, with village shop, parish room, pub which hosts a weekly morning Post Office, two schools and regular bus service.
West Marden is three-quarters of a mile south and also has a pub and a bus service, but no church.
Up Marden, a mile to the east, is the smallest and most remote of the three villages, with neither pub, shop nor bus. Here stands the 12th century downland church of St Michael noted in Simon Jenkins’s ‘England’s 1000 Best Churches’.
Like other rural villages across the country, Compton has seen dramatic change in the last fifty years. Compton Farm now employs four instead of forty and the farm cottages have been sold or turned into holiday lets. The majority of the economically active residents work outside the parish. Use of a car is regarded as essential.
The three villages are most desirable places to live. They are quiet, surrounded by lovely countryside, offering good walking and country pursuits. The cities of Chichester and Portsmouth provide opportunities for employment, recreation and shopping. Trains to London from Petersfield take less than an hour. Contrary to popular belief the proportion of residents over 65 is lower than the regional average; a number of young professional couples with families having moved into the parish in recent years.
There is a strong feeling of community in the parish. Compton square, a regular daily meeting place, is the venue for the annual summer Square Dance and other social occasions. The Parish Room, the centre for village and family gatherings, is the meeting place of, amongst others, the pre-school group, the art club, the gardening club, the youth group and the Cub Scouts. The Recreation Ground, children’s area and cricket nets see much youthful activity and the hard tennis court is in regular use by all ages. Compton cricket club, with its own field, flourishes and is in the process of building a new club house. The Compton and District Relief of Sickness Fund helps people in distress in all the parishes of the Octagon.
The Octagon Website
Email: sammy@martell.me.uk
Our magazine accepts advertising, contact us for details
For Genealogical Enquiries the local Diocesan Record Office is:
Chichester County Records Office
For Parish enquiries please contact:
The Parish Administrator, The Vicarage, Compton PO18 9HD
Churches in our Parish or Benefice
