Marden, West Sussex

East Marden is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Marden, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is on the spur of the South Downs It is first mentioned in the Domesday Book as Meredone and was given in 1086 to Roger, Earl of Montgomery. The church, St Peters (UK Ordnance Survey grid reference SU807145), dates from the 12th century and is still used for worship every other Sunday. Its oldest house today dates back to 1728 ( Salzman, 1953). The village, some 100 metres above sea level, is in an area of unusually high rainfall. Its most famous landmark is the thatched well on the village green. The population has remained static for over a century. In 1931 the parish had a population of 80. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished to form "Marden".

North Marden is a tiny village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Marden, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is 7.5 miles (12 km) northwest of Chichesteron the spur of the South Downs and on the B2141 road. In 1931 the parish had a population of 12. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished to from "Marden".North Marden is one of the smallest, out-of-the-way parishes in Sussex. At the end of the 19th century the population was between 20 and 30 inhabitants. The parish is mentioned in the Taxatio records of Pope Nicholas IV (1291) and in the Novae return (1341). The plan of the Church of St Mary, approached through a farmyard, is simple but unusual in the chancel having an apsidal, or semi-circular termination. The elaborate Norman south doorway in Caen stone suggests a date of the middle of the 12th century. The three Norman windows in the apse have been restored, but the jambs and rere-arches are ancient along with the small Norman window at the west end. The Norman sandstone font was provided an octagonal stem base in the 14th century, and parts of the ancient flint walls were repaired in places with 18th-century brickwork. The single bell dates from 1829.

Up Marden is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Compton, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is on the South Downs 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Chichester, close to East Marden and North Marden. In 1931 the parish had a population of 266.There are neolithic and Roman sites in the area. Recorded history of the settlement starts in the 10th century and a church was in existence by 1121. The present church building is of Norman style construction and the church has remained almost unchanged. It has been described as having one of the loveliest interiors in England. The landscape, which is protected within the South Downs National Park, is based on chalk rock strata formed in the Late Cretaceous.

Harting Downs is a 336.3-hectare (831-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Midhurst in West Sussex. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and an area of 206.6 hectares (511 acres) is a Local Nature Reserve which is owned and managed by the National Trust.This site consists of several parallel valleys on the steep slope of the South Downs. Habitats are chalk grassland, which is being invaded by scrub, together with areas of long-established woodland. The site is important for insects, with a nationally rare snail, Helicondonta obvoluta, two uncommon moths, the wood tiger and the maple prominent, and many rove beetles.

The River Ems is a much-sluiced, six miles (9.7 km) river that is located in the far west of the county of West Sussex, England.The last one and a half miles (2.4 km), of this river, delimits eastern Hampshire, before flowing into the sea at Chichester Harbour. The river was so named, the "Ems", by a chronicler in the Tudor period.

Pads Wood is a 22.2-hectare (55-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Midhurst in West Sussex.This ancient coppiced wood is mainly hazel and sweet chestnut with pedunculate oak and ash standards. The site has a rich lichen flora, most of which are epiphytic on the oak and ash standards, and a woodland ride has a rich display of flowering plants.The site is private land with no public access.

Beacon Hill, also known as Harting Beacon, is a hillfort on the South Downs, in the county of West Sussex in southern England. The hillfort is located in the parish of Elsted and Treyford, in Chichester District. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument with a list entry identification number of 1015915. The hilltop enclosure is dated to the Late Bronze Age, from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. The hillfort defences were renewed during the Late Iron Age.The fort extends approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) east-west by approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) north-south, and covers an area of approximately 10 hectares (1,100,000 sq ft). Archaeological investigations of the hillfort took place from 1948 to 1952, and from 1976 to 1977. Cross dykes on neighbouring hills are considered to be outlying defences associated with the fort. As well as the Bronze Age remains, the area of the fort also includes an Anglo-Saxon burial mound, and the foundations of a late 18th-century telegraph station.

Stoughton is a village and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located nine kilometres (5.6 miles) north west of Chichester east of the B2146 road, on a lane leading to East Marden. The parish has a land area of 2,987 hectares (7,380 acres). In the 2001 census 631 people lived in 255 households, of whom 286 were economically active. At the 2011 Census the population including Walderton had increased to 659. The parish is crossed from west to east by the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath, which passes through the villages of Stoughton and Walderton. There is one pub, The Hare and Hounds. Famous 19th-century cricketer George Brown was born in the village.

Rook Clift is a 10.7-hectare (26-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of South Harting in West Sussex. It is also a Special Area of Conservation.A stream rises in this steep sided valley, which has semi-natural ancient woodland on its slopes. The canopy is dominated by a nationally scarce tree, large leaved lime, with other trees including beech and ash. The rich mollusc fauna includes Helicodonta obvoluta, which is a Red Data Book species.

The Devil's Jumps are a group of five large bell barrows situated on the South Downs 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) south-east of Treyford in the county of West Sussex in southern England. The Devil's Jumps site is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and as a Local Nature Reserve. Most barrows along the South Downs have been damaged by agriculture and treasure hunters but the Devil's Jumps are considered to be the best preserved Bronze Age barrow group in Sussex. The barrows are laid out in a line running approximately south-east to north-west. The five barrows vary in diameter from 26 to 34 metres (85 to 112 ft) and stand up to 4.8 metres (16 ft) high. Two smaller barrows were situated close to the five main mounds. Traces remain of a sixth barrow. The Devil's Jumps have been dated to the Bronze Age and they are believed to be between three and four thousand years old. The Devil's Jumps were explored in the 19th century, when bones were found in two of the mounds, although some of the barrows contained no cremated remains at all. The main line of five barrows is aligned with sunset on Midsummer Day.The site is managed by the Murray Downland Trust and is cleared of overgrowth. The land is currently grazed by sheep and cattle as a part of this management. In 2009 permission was given by the landowners to clear trees from the site and return it to chalk downland.

The Vandalian Tower at Harting, West Sussex, England, is an 18th-century folly, built to commemorate the British colony of Vandalia, a short-lived colony that disappeared with the spread of America. It sits on the summit of Tower Hill. Today the ruin is owned by the descendants of the Fetherstonhaugh family who bought the neighbouring estate of Uppark, now owned by the National Trust. It was listed as a scheduled monument in 1976.

Goosehill Camp is a prehistoric earthwork that dates back to the Iron Age. It consists of two concentric banks and ditches. The inner enclosure has one entrance and surround two levelled hut sites. Goosehill Camp is within the Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve, on the South Downs.