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Yapton & Ford Through The Ages
Location: West Sussex
The 11th century village of Yapton and 12th century village of Ford sit between the South Downs and the sea in the economically important West Sussex Coastal Plain. Rich in social and architectural history the parishes boast two large Conservation Areas and 17 Listed Buildings as well as many others of “Special Interest”.
There are two threads to Yapton & Ford Through the Ages:
We believe it is important to document the history of the local buildings and in that way to preserve our architectural heritage. This is the focus of our Heritage Walk project. Our proximity to Arundel Castle provides a catalyst for research into the social history of medieval times while in more recent times, the building of the Portsmouth to Arundel Canal, the South Coast Railway and Ford Aerodrome gives impetus to the modernisation and change associated with the Industrial Revolution and an increasingly mobile population.
More recent history should not be forgotten either; we have a number of older residents who are born and bred in the villages and it is important to record their knowledge of how Yapton and Ford have changed over the last 100 years. This is the focus of our Oral History project. Yapton has changed considerably in the last 60 years both geographically and sociologically and we believe there is no substitute for first-hand experience of what our villages were like before the changes. We can then preserve this knowledge for future generations.
Heritage Walks
Five discrete walks around the villages have been identified and mapped out highlighting places of interest. Each walk is being documented in a booklet complete with a guided map showing the route to be followed. Numbered locations on the map refer to a description of each location in the booklet identifying the nature and history of the building/location.
Each walk has required extensive research into various public and private archives and copies of the material found are available in our society’s library for future reference and research. In fact the walks only scratch the surface of the underlying work. All material has been cross-referenced and checked for integrity which has been a lengthy and time-consuming process only made possible by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of volunteers.
We hope to publish the first of the five booklets in September 2006. Copies of the booklets will be given freely to residents, local schools, libraries and the County Record Office.
Oral History
Many of the villagers have experienced first-hand the changes which have occurred in the parishes over the last 80 years. After reading about Oral History projects undertaken by various groups elsewhere in the country we decided this would be an ideal way to preserve the memories and spoken dialects of these residents. Thanks to the LHI funding, members of our project team have been trained in oral history techniques and we have purchased professional recording equipment to ensure the quality and longevity of the recordings.
People who were at first apprehensive about being interviewed, thinking that they didn’t have anything useful to contribute, have been amazed at the amount of detail and knowledge they can recall with a little prompting from our interviewers! Many have commented that they found it a pleasant and thought-provoking experience.
As of June 2006, a significant number of recordings have been made but we still have a large number of people to interview. A synopsis has been made of each recording which is also transcribed verbatim. This improves the usefulness of the recordings and allows them to be quickly searched for information when researching and cross-checking information. Much useful information is contained within the recordings and we don’t want them to just lie in a dusty box never to be heard again!
Once we have the collected reminiscences we will produce a summary booklet and compilation CD giving a flavour of what life was like growing up in the villages in the 1950s and 60s which will be distributed freely to local schools, public libraries and the County Record Office.
At the end of the project, copies of the transcriptions will be deposited with the County Library Service and the County Record Office. Actually we do not envisage an ‘end’ to this project as such – we hope to continue to use the equipment and techniques learned to broaden the research and include memories of other villagers, all of whom have something to contribute towards conserving our history for future generations.
Group Name |
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Yapton and Ford Local History Group |
| Project Postcode |
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BN18 0HB |
| Finishing Date |
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2007 |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £19497
Nationwide Building Society: £3260
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