The Sign
The village sign represents both Great and Little Bealings and is located on Lodge Road, close to the bridge that spans the river Lark which separates the two small villages. The sign was made by Mrs. Midwinter and unveiled in 1990 by local schoolchildren. The sign was very worn when the pictures were taken in 2023.

Great Bealings panel: The main feature is the church of St Mary set behind the bridge over the river Lark, with cows and a duck by the river representing agriculture and rural nature of the village.

Little Bealings panel: The church of All Saints sits in the background showing its unusual offset tower. Three sheep are shown in the lower left foreground representing agriculture. The artifacts shown in the centre foreground relate to many archaeological finds in the area, consisting of a Saxon Sword Knife and a selection of pots and Roman coins.

The Name and Population
Little Bealings was known as Parva Belinges in the Domesday Book. The population was 420 in 2011.

Grat Bealings was known as Belinges in the Domesday Book and Magna Belinges from 1228 up until 1674. The population was 302 in 2011.

Bealings means "The dwellers on a patch of dry ground in a marsh or by a funeral pyre" or "the settlement of the followers or family of a man called Beola", from Old English.

Other Points of Interest

For more details on Little Bealings history: https://littlebealingsparishcouncil.gov.uk/about-little-bealings/brief-history

For more details on Great Bealings history: http://www.greatbealings.co.uk/History.htm

Great Bealings St Mary - photo by Kelly Adams