Bosham

Historic harbour village, Chichester, West Sussex

Bosham is a harbour village on the south coast of West Sussex, roughly three miles west of Chichester. It sits at the head of Bosham Channel, one of the four main tidal channels that feed into Chichester Harbour. The village is one of the most photographed in Sussex, known for its waterfront, its Saxon church and its place in the events leading to the Norman Conquest.

The name is pronounced "Bozzum." Visitors who say "Bosh-am" are gently corrected.

Harold and the Bayeux Tapestry

Bosham's most celebrated historical connection is to Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. According to tradition, Harold set sail from Bosham in 1064 on the voyage that led to his fateful meeting with William, Duke of Normandy. The scene is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, which shows Harold and his companions riding to Bosham church before boarding their ship.

Harold's brother, Earl Tostig, held the wider Bosham estate before the Conquest. Tostig rebelled against Harold, allied with Harald Hardrada of Norway, and was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September 1066, just three weeks before Harold himself fell at Hastings.

Holy Trinity Church

The Church of the Holy Trinity stands at the southern tip of the village, facing the harbour. Parts of the building date to the late Saxon period, and the church is believed to be the one depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. A chancel arch of Saxon origin survives, and excavations in the nineteenth century uncovered a stone coffin containing the remains of a young child, traditionally identified as a daughter of King Canute.

The church and its churchyard are regularly flooded at high spring tides, when the harbour water rises over the quay and into Bosham Lane. This flooding is a familiar sight and a frequent subject for photographers.

Bosham in Domesday

The Domesday Book of 1086 records Bosham as one of the wealthiest and most significant manors in Sussex. The entry describes extensive agricultural holdings, a church, mills and fisheries. The manor was held by Earl Godwin before the Conquest and passed to the Crown after Hastings.

Bosham's Domesday entry also reveals the origins of the neighbouring settlement of Old Fishbourne. In 1086, a man named Engeler held two hides of land carved from the manor of Bosham, recorded as "Fiseborne." This holding became the Manor of Old Fishbourne, documented continuously from that point through Southwick Priory to Anne of Cleves. Old Fishbourne was, in effect, born from Bosham.

The Hundred of Bosham

Bosham was the administrative centre of the Hundred of Bosham, the medieval unit of local government between the manor and the county. The hundred included Bosham itself and several surrounding settlements, among them Old Fishbourne, Broadbridge and Creed. The 1296 Subsidy Roll records the taxpayers of the hundred, providing a snapshot of the population and economy in the late thirteenth century.

The Village Today

Bosham remains a working harbour village with a sailing club, a handful of shops and pubs, and a strong sense of local identity. Bosham Walk, a waterfront arts and crafts centre, occupies converted buildings near the quay. The Anchor Bleu pub overlooks the harbour.

The village is famously affected by tidal flooding. Cars parked too close to the waterfront at low tide are regularly caught out by the rising water, and the sight of vehicles semi-submerged at high tide has become something of a local tradition.

Bosham is accessible by road from the A259 and lies roughly two miles west of Fishbourne. The nearest railway station is Bosham, on the West Coastway line between Chichester and Havant.

Nearby

Bosham's immediate neighbours include Old Fishbourne to the east, Chidham to the west, and the harbour villages of Chichester Harbour around the shoreline. Fishbourne Roman Palace, the largest known Roman residence north of the Alps, lies roughly two miles to the east in fields between Old and New Fishbourne.