THE SELSEY ARMS

Origins

The original Selsey Arms was built in the seventeenth century and additions were made around 1830. It was formerly known as "The King of Prussia" and then became "The Duke's Head" but by 1847 had become "The Selsey Arms."

1909 Postcard

This postcard of The Selsey Arms is dated 1909.

Look at how the A272 looked then!

Smuggling at The Selsey Arms

It is thought that the pub was involved in smuggling in the past. In one of the bars there is a smugglers' dial set in the ceiling - this was used by the smugglers as a form of communication between themselves. Sussex was criss-crossed by smugglers'routes due to the long coastal boundary and proximity to France. There are a lot of old sunken lanes locally that are the remains of medieval or older roads. These "mole runs" provided ideal cover for the smugglers with their horses laden with contraband, some of which was collected from small boats on the River Adur.

1994 Spitfire Salute

A salute to the Coolham D-Day Advanced Landing Ground by a Spitfire fifty years later

1906 Postcard

This postcard shows the original school at Coolham.