Littlehampton

Railway Sleepers Littlehampton West Sussex

Approximate Population: 25,593

Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, located on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies 51.5 miles (83 km) south southwest of London, 17.5 miles (28 km) west of Brighton, and 11 miles (18 km) east of the county town of Chichester.

The parish covers an area of 11.35 km2 (4 sq mi) and has a population of 25,593 persons (2001 census). The conurbation includes other settlements: Wick in the north west; Lyminster to the north; East Preston, Rustington and Angmering to the east. Wick and Toddington became part of the town in 1901. Nearby towns include Bognor Regis west southwest and Worthing to the east. The town is also the Westernmost settlement of the 12th largest urban area in the UK, the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation, a region encompassing some 461,181 people (2001 census).

The headquarters of The Body Shop is located in Littlehampton. Local company, Dando Drilling International Ltd has been exporting drilling rigs from Littlehampton since 1867. Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB) salad growers were a major employer in the town from 1964–2003. Much of the local economy comprises smaller companies with fewer than ten employees, however Sainsbury’s are in the town centre and the local authority is actively seeking to promote and expand business opportunities.

Littlehampton has received a great deal of publicity as the home of the East Beach Cafe, a building on the seafront designed by Heatherwick Studio.

The building is a fully welded monocoque structure. The building reflects its exposed location with a rough, weathered appearance which Heatherwick describes as being like a piece of weathered flotsam swept up onto the beach. It was built in Littlehampton, with steelwork by Littlehampton Welding Ltd and site work by Langridge Developments, another local firm. The construction of the cafe caused a stir in Littlehampton, with some seeing it as an eyesore and others welcoming it as a world class piece of architecture and a symbol of regeneration.

Railway Sleepers Littlehampton West Sussex

Hereford

Railway Sleepers Hereford Herefordshire

Approximate Population: 50,400

Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Worcester, and 23 miles (37 km) northwest of Gloucester. With a population of 50,400 people, it is the largest settlement in the county.

The name “Hereford” is said to come from the Anglo Saxon “here”, an army or formation of soldiers, and the “ford”, a place for crossing a river. If this is the origin it suggests that Hereford was a place where a body of armed men forded or crossed the Wye. The Welsh name for Hereford is Henffordd (or Henfordd).

Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains the Mappa Mundi, a medieval map of the world dating from the 13th century which was restored in the late 20th century. It also contains the world famous Chained Library.

Hereford is home of Hereford United Football Club, best known for beating Newcastle in the FA Cup in January 1972, when they were still a non-league side and Newcastle were in the top division of English football. They had a spell in the Football League from 1972 to 1997 reaching the second tier of English football in 1976, and were relegated to non-League status in 1997 before returning to beat Halifax Town A.F.C. 3-2 in the Nationwide Conference play-off final in 2005-06 to book a return to the Football League. They were again promoted, this time automatically, during the 2007-08 season, projecting them to this level of football for the first time since the late 1970s.

Railway Sleepers Hereford Herefordshire