Selsey

It was cold and wild but fine down at Selsey on the south coast of Sussex today. Selsey is south of Chichester at the end of the wonderfully named Manhood Peninsula. The name has various interpretations, the most likely origin being Old English meaning Man’s Wood, in other words, common land. Even stranger, Manhood used to be in the Rape of Chichester, rape being a county sub-division peculiar to Sussex. There is only one road in and out of Selsey, which used to flood each day at flood tide, when a boat had to take horses and passengers across to the neighbouring village of Sidlesham and beyond. Today, there is a road bridge, but Selsey is greatly at risk of flooding along the length of its coast. A major new type of sea defence has recently been tried at nearby Medmerry, , combining it with 10km of new foot and cycle paths and more than 180 hectares of important new wildlife habitat.

Probably the most famous Selsey resident was Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012), the astronomer and TV presenter who lived in the village from 1968 until his death.