Millfield Overstrand Estate is a desirable coastal community with direct beach access in Rustington on the South Coast of the UK.
Originally Victorian farmland, the six-acre site was purchased by the London Metropolitan Asylums Board and became a Children's Convalescent Home, opening in 1903. It remained in operation until 1939, when the children were evacuated and the buildings were requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence as Army barracks until 1944.
After the war, the site stood derelict until the original buildings were demolished in 1958. Developers purchased the land in 1960, and Wimpey built the estate between 1963 and 1965, creating the coastal neighbourhood that exists today.
Links to Local services:
The Sussex Wildlife Trust was formed in 1961, and is now the largest conservation organisation dedicated to conserving the natural heritage of Sussex.
Rustington Parish Council Local Information
West Sussex Gazette Your local county paper
Littlehampton Gazette Local Littlehampton town paper
The Argus Local evening paper. News, sports and leisure activities, schools, businesses, and other local resources.
Old Post Cards Old Post cards of Littlehampton from the Early 19th Century.
Southdowns
The South Downs are the southern remnant of the Wealden dome which itself was laid down sixty million years ago as a shallow sea: the rock is composed of the microscopic skeletons of plankton which lived in the sea, hence its colour. The rock has many fossils, and bands of flint occur throughout the formation. Erosion has removed the central part of the dome, leaving the South Downs as the outer southern uplands, the North Downs being its counterpart, as shown on the diagram. The harder rock, and the highest remaining part of the dome, is the Weald. The chalk, being porous, allows water to soak through; as a result there are many winterbournes along the northern edge..