Southwick West Sussex

I recently posted photographs and details of a walk in and around Shoreham Port in Southwick West Sussex. This time my walk took me towards the main part of Southwick town. I travelled by train to Southwick Station and turned left to go under the railway arch towards the town.

The photographs below, are shown in the order I took them.

Photo Gallery – Southwick West Sussex

Looking towards Southwick. — Southwick West Sussex

The Ship Inn in Southwick. — Southwick West Sussex

It was a cold yet crisp autumn day, but as you can see, the sun kept me company throughout my walk. The first sight of Southwick town is framed by the railway arch just outside the station. The pastel pink colour of the Ship Inn can be seen in the distance and invited me to venture further, which I eagerly did along Southwick Street. Just past the Ship Inn, I caught sight of the splendid Manor House, set back among its leafy grounds.

A little further on, I saw Southwick Community Centre, part of which is in the beautiful building shown in the photo gallery above. I back-tracked a few steps to investigate Southwick Square, which is the main shopping area of Southwick. I discovered, from the plaque shown in the photograph, that the centre had been opened in the early sixties. Tasteful modern architecture from that time, clearly showed what had been achieved when the town planners “got it right”.

I would estimate there are scores of shops in the centre, and I only counted one closed showing a “To Let” sign. I spotted a functioning Barclays Bank, Co-Operative store, WH Smith and a Hanwells hardware store alongside many independent shops. A further surprise was a butcher and greengrocer, both a rarity these days. There is scope for refreshments, as can be seen in the coffee shops, shown in the gallery.

Judging by the number of people walking around Southwick Square and coming in and out of the shops, the area seems to be thriving.

I made my way towards The Green, one of the largest I had seen in a small town. I cut across the green and made for the peaceful area of St Michael & All Angels Church.

Retracing my steps back, I observed the ancient houses lining the leafy periphery of The Green. There I spotted the Southwick War Memorial with its peaceful back-drop of The Green.

As the sun was almost down, I approached the railway arch and station from where I had started my exploration of this beautiful area. The sun-lit masts of yachts berthed at the Lady Bee Marina in Southwick Port could be seen in the distance.

Not having visited this part of Southwick before, I was unsure what to expect but had been told by a friend that the town is lovely and well worth exploring. I was not disappointed and found myself captivated by the charm of Southwick, which I felt in every part had an almost rural charm.