Summersdale

Leafy residential area of Edwardian and inter-war housing north of the city centre, adjoining the redeveloped Graylingwell Park and the Centurion Way cycling path.

Summersdale is a residential area to the north of the city centre, broadly covering the streets between the Broyle Road to the east and Lavant Road to the west. It developed primarily during the Edwardian and inter-war periods, when Chichester began to expand beyond its medieval walls. The housing is a comfortable mix of Edwardian villas, 1920s and 1930s semis, and some later infill. Many of the houses have generous plots with mature gardens, and the tree-lined streets give the area a settled, leafy character. The northern end of Summersdale adjoins the former Graylingwell Hospital site, a Victorian county asylum opened in 1897 and designed by the architect Arthur Childs. The hospital closed in stages from the 1990s, and the site has been redeveloped as Graylingwell Park, a large mixed-tenure housing development that incorporates some of the original hospital buildings. The chapel, water tower and administration block have been retained and converted, providing architectural landmarks within the new development. Summersdale Road runs through the centre of the area and connects to the Lavant Road at its northern end. The Centurion Way, a walking and cycling path built on the former Chichester to Midhurst railway line, passes through the western edge of the area and provides a traffic-free route into the city centre and northward towards West Dean and the South Downs. Summersdale has no significant commercial centre of its own. Residents walk or drive into the city centre for shopping and services, a journey of no more than fifteen minutes on foot. The area is served by Jessie Younghusband Primary School and is within the catchment of Chichester High School. It is a popular family area, prized for its proximity to the centre, its quiet streets, and the access to the Downs provided by the Centurion Way.