Just opposite the pub is the Old Toll Bridge. This was originally built across the River Adur in 1781 & rebuilt in 1916. The old wooden bridge has been recently restored & was officially re-opened by HRH Prince Andrew in October 2008. They made a beautiful job of it & it now looks better than it has for many years. Believe it or not this was the main A27 trunk road until December 1970 when the new Shoreham flyover was opened. It's now restricted to cycles, horses & pedestrians. The familiar landmark of Lancing College Chapel is on the right with the HQ of Ricardo Engineering to the left of the bush. The Sussex Pad Hotel is visible in the distance across the bridge.
This is all that's left of the railway line between Shoreham & Horsham. I travelled along here to school on the Steyning Flyer from 1953 - 1959. The crossing keepers also collected the toll from road traffic crossing the bridge. They were out there in all weathers & we reckoned they made a small fortune out of it.
Here's the new Shoreham flyover in all its glory. That's Mill Hill on the right with the old Beeding cement works quarry at centre & the works chimney at far left. You can see where the railway track ran along the river bank. This is now a cycle & footpath. I shall have to walk it one day & see how far it goes.
This view is from the other side of the bridge looking towards Old Shoreham. You can see the passing points where two double-decker buses could just pass each other. Fortunately there were no 40-ton articulated trucks when the bridge was in use. St. Nicholas Church in the centre is recorded in the Domesday Book & dates back to at least the 9th Century.
If you're wondering what the object on the other side of the fence is, here's a close-up. This is a rare relic of the WWII defences. An anti-tank 'hairpin' roadblock made from a railway line. This one is all that's left & is apparently in its original position. It's possibly the only one of its kind in Sussex.
Hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane.
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