History of the Parish:
Appledram or Apuldram or Appuldram – Who knows!
The Ordnance Survey maps use both. In 1440 the parish was called Appuldram.
Apuldram’s place name means ‘Water meadows with apple trees’ or alternatively it may also come from the Dutch polder, low lying land reclaimed from the sea.
In 1432, there were three street Port Street , Cotman Street and Townman Street, the rent returns record show detailed information of the landholdings. There is no longer any trace of these streets, however, the footings of the cottages is hidden under grass land in the fields to the west of Manor Farm.
In the first National Census held in 1801 the population was recorded as 134.
The buildings of note within the Parish are Manor Farm House, Rymans and St Mary the Virgin.
Rymans was built in 1410 for William Ryman, a lawyer. The house was built using Upper Greensand stone and was brought in by barge directly from the quarry in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. In Pevsner the buildings of England, Rymans is described as ‘a delightful small 15th century manor house’. The manor house has 14 acres of grounds which are open to the public via the open garden scheme. The garden has a beautiful display of bulbs, flowering shrubs, roses, ponds any many unusual trees and shrubs.
Rymans Stables was originally based within the grounds of Rymans and in later years moved to the paddock boarding the church, when it became Apuldram Stables. The riding school was affiliated with the Riding for the Disabled and gave both able bodied and disabled children riding opportunities, including the current clerk (Louise). There were lots of gymkhana and fancy dress competitions, and rosettes were regularly given out by Christopher Timothy the actor of All Creature Great and Small Fame. Linda’s husband Bob was the village blacksmith and in the early 1980s would deliver Christmas presents to the children in the surrounding villages on Christmas Day on his horse and cart.
St Mary the Virgin, is near the harbour and was built to allow the residents of the parish to worship in the village rather than having to travel to Bosham.
The triple lancet window in the chancel is a very fine specimen, combining Purbrook Marble Shafts and stone mouldings.
The font has been dated to have been carved in the 12th century, originally it stood in the nave but was moved when the southern aisle and porch were added.
The Church has two bells and are dated from the 15th century. The bells bear the inscription SANTA MARIA ORA PRO NOBIS (St Mary pray for us) and BENEDICTA SIT SANCTA TRINITAS (Blessed be the Holy Trinity)
In 1447, the residents petitioned for a burial ground, prior to this the dead would be taken to Bosham via a flat bottom boat, which was known as the Old Cadaver Ferry.
Dell Quay in the past Dell Quay was a very important Quay which was the only place of landing in the Port of Chichester for foreign trade, in the 14th Century the Port of Chichester lay claim to being the seventh most important port in the Country. Goods were also exported from the Quay, records show in 1226, Emery of Chichester shipped wool, bacon and cheese to France. The most important import to land at the quay was wine, however, the majority of the imports were unmilled grain, milled flour, malt, coal and granite chippings. By the 1930’s only the occasional barge docked at the quay, and the warehouses on the quay were demolished. During the World War Two and anti aircraft guns were put in place. One of the attractive late 18th Century remains in place and is now used by Apuldram Fishing and Boat Club.
Farming there is a long history of farming in the parish, the land being farmed by William the Conqueror, William’s son Henry I, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Chichester the records from in 1296 it is recorded that there are 23 farm servants, because of the flooding in 1274 the residents sowed their crops on rides and these were separated by farrows to prevent the salt water damaging the crop.
The Tithe map of 1845 shows three main farms, Church Farm, Manor Farm, and Crouchers Farm, farming continues in the parish. Manor Farm continues to be a working farm, and is also a Bed and Breakfast. Crouchers Farm and Church Farm were purchased by West Sussex County Council after the Great War and split into smaller farms to keep farming alive, these farms are still in the ownership of the County Council and are tenanted.
Apuldram Roses is a small family run business was was originally founded by Di Sawday, the wife of Ted who farmed Manor Farm, the business continues to flourish and produces 50,000 rose bushes per year.
Apuldram during the wars the men who gave their lives from the parish in the Great War 1914-18 are recorded on the war memorial opposite the font in St Mary the Virgin Church. The parish was very busy during World War II as three hundred acres of Manor Farm became an airfield, a base for three squadrons of Czech Spitfires. Further information on those who served in Apuldram at the Airfield and the residents who lost their lives in both wars can be found in the booklet “In Memoriam” which is available at St Mary the Virgin along with a booklet which provides further information on the history of Apuldram is available in the booklet A History of Apuldram (Edition May 2024).