Our Village - East Preston
In the Domesday Book as Prestetune, the village of East Preston is situated on the south coast in West Sussex between Worthing and Littlehampton. The downs roll peacefully to the North and the English Channel laps along the South, sometimes serenely onto the sand and shingle beach, sometimes with all the ferociousness a southwesternly storm can bring.

Once a very small village East Preston now hosts some 5,500 persons, having expanded greatly after the Second World War and in the housing boom of recent years. The fact that it is approximately one a half hours to London by train is a distinct advantage from commuters.

The original Saxon settlers farmed the area and the sea was a great source for farming the salt which needed for preserving food. Robert, mentioned in Domesday Book, was possibly the Sheriff of Arundel and died in 1087. After his death the village was owned by the de Millieres family (later called Millers), who probably built the Church and Manor House. The ownership of the Manor House and East Preston changed a few times between 1271 and 1722. Then, in the 19th century, Reginald Augustus Warren began purchasing farms, buildings and land in East Preston, ultimately becoming Squire. After his death in 1911 his estate was broken into smaller areas, some parts sold and some left to the village.

The Beautiful Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin is of Norman origin, about the 12th century, and is built on ancient Saxon burial ground. The nave of the church is 12th-century, the chancel 12th-century and the tower around the 16th century. It has medieval stained glass and did have a stone steeple which regrettably had to be removed in 1951 as it had become unsafe. Prior to its demolition many groups of pupils from the old local village school had climbed into the steeple for history projects.

Fortunately there are still some old buildings remaining in the village. These include the old Manor House now called Midholme, Baytree Cottage, Beehive Cottages, Boxtree Cottage, which has a date stone 1670, the Old Smithy Forge Cottage in The Street, Baytrees, The House on the Bend, Coastguard Cottages and Qistaria Cottage.

Sadly, however, some old buildings have been demolished in recent years including the Homestead, an old thatched farmhouse in Sea Road, North Lane cottages and the old Union workhouse which was used to house the poor and travellers. This old Victorian building was demolished in 1969, but the building which was the Nurses home still stands at the Martlets, a County Council home for the elderly. The Union site eventually became a housing development. The old village school in Sea Road, which started as a Sunday School in 1840, is now an estate agents and a ladies' fashion shop.

East Preston was also home to thriving nurseries and small market gardens, sending produce to London and other towns and cities on a regular basis, but there too are now housing developments.

In 1991 a Memorial was erected in the foreground of the Library in memoriam to local people who gave their lives in both the First and Second World War. Many Commonwealth troops were stationed in the village and surrounding area during the 1939 - 1945 war and the beach was closed to all but the military.

As the years have passed the modern world has arrived in East Preston. Lanes and the horse and cart have been given way to roads and the motorised vehicle, many hedges and fields have disappeared, but it is still a pretty village, with the new blending in with the old.