Cocking

Situated on and around the main A286 road, and at the foot of the South Downs, which rise to nearly 250 feet here. The South Downs Way is accessible from the village. Much of the area remains in the ownership of the Cowdray Estate.  The church of St Catherine of Siena has a splendid setting at the foot of the Downs and dates from Norman times, c 1080. It has a Saxon font and some 13th Century wall paintings. Surprisingly, the church wasn't dedicated until the 20th Century, when the name St Catherine was found engraved on one of the bells.  The village still retains an excellent village shop.

In December 2019 the “Blue Bell at Cocking” re-opened as a community-based village Hub and was saved from disappearing forever into a housing development. The pub had closed three years earlier and there seemed to be no hope of its return, following a number of unsuccessful attempts to find another owner or tenant.  “The hub will be a relaxed, accessible venue where people of all ages can enjoy the facilities and activities – a beer or a glass of wine, coffee and chat, enjoy a good meal with friends or stay the night and explore the area.”  See Blue Bell for more information.


St Catherine of Siena Church



Blue Bell Community pub/hub


Cocking History Column

A column containing 48 low relief bronze panels that wind their way downwards in a spiral recording history from the Bronze Age at the top to the Millennium at the bottom. Twisting around the column between the panels is a narrow ribbon of national history giving context to the Cocking events. Beneath the column on the Portland stone base are inset two bronze relief parish maps facing north and east.