Tarring, West Sussex


Tarring, officially West Tarring, is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies on the A2031 road north-west of the town centre. It is called "West Tarring", or less commonly "Tarring Peverell", to differentiate it from Tarring Neville near Lewes.

History

Tarring was given by King Athelstan of England to the archbishops of Canterbury in the 10th century. At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Terringes, and consisted of 50 households. It is thought that the place name means "Teorra's people", with Teorra being a Saxon settler. There is a tradition that the village was visited by Thomas Becket, the martyred archbishop, in the 12th century and also by St Richard of Chichester, patron saint of Sussex, in the 13th century.
West Tarring is noted for its 13th-century parish church of St Andrew, 13th-century Archbishop's Palace, numerous old houses including the 15th-century timber-framed Parsonage Row, and two pubs: The Vine and the George and Dragon.
Despite Tarring High Street being relatively short and very narrow, it was once home to five pubs and was also a route for double-decker buses. So the George and Dragon has an unusually high pub sign. A lamp case bearing the legend Castle Inn is still present outside one of the former public houses.
West Tarring had an ancient fig garden dating from 1745 or earlier; it existed at least until 1950.

Modern Tarring

West Tarring sub-post office was closed in 2004 and is now a tea room. There are three other shops: a small general stores, another tea room and a ladies' hairdresser. Once a village, Tarring has now become a commuter feeder area and suburban enclave.
The nearest railway station is West Worthing, away.

Famous residents