East Chiltington is a small village situated at the end of a lane, itself off a small side road on…read morethe B2116 from Lewes to Burgess Hill. Too small to warrant a dedication, the church was originally a chapel before it became the parish church. It's a wonderfully tranquil spot. The church is mediaeval in origin, with a 12th century nave and a squat 13th century tower, with a tiled pyramidal cap. It has a very attractive exterior, more so because of the ancient yew that guards its entrance said to be at least 1,500 years old. The crown of the tree has long since disappeared, and to keep it upright the villagers have filled the trunk with concrete. Very odd, but it seems to have worked. Once inside, the atmosphere betrays the work of heavy Victorian restoration which, despite the lovely scale small and intimate has nevertheless left feeling it a little soulless, especially the rather large and new-looking chancel arch, the neat tiled floor and modern pews. There are a few items worth noting, though: there's an original 12th-century Norman round-headed window, barely 6 inches wide, piercing the South wall next to the porch, and the inside arch of the South Door also looks ancient. Most of the other windows are Victorian inserts. The roof, with its heavy tie beams, is 17th century, and the pulpit and solitary bell date from the 18th. But it's well worth a look if you are in the area walking, or visiting the nearby Jolly Sportsman pub.

Tucked away on a dead-end lane a mile away from the modern village that bears its name,…read moreWivelsfield's church is a delightful amalgam of building from different periods. History Wivelsfield is first recorded as a village in an 8th century Anglo-Saxon charter as Wifelesfelda, and a church may have existed from around this date. There was certainly a church here before the Norman conquest, as the old Saxon North doorway testifies. The church was first expanded in the 13th century, with an enlarged chancel, the south arcade of two bays and a south chapel. During the 14th century, the nave was extended westwards and the 15th century saw the south aisle wall rebuilt (c. 1500), along with a porch and the addition of the tower. A gallery was inserted in the west of the nave in 1716. Thus it remained until the Victorians removed the gallery and added the north aisle in 1869, thankfully preserving the Saxon doorway by incorporating it in the new north wall. They also added the porch and extended the chancel, incorporating the original East Window in the east end of the north aisle. The church The most striking features on entering the churchyard are firstly a large yew on the left supposedly over a thousand years old and the original Saxon doorway. This is in typical Saxon style tall and narrow, with a carved arch of two orders, carved with simple reeding decoration. The modern entrance is via the south porch, but before entering, take a look at the 14th century west doorway, and then the main south window of the tower: the arch has two carved label stops, on the left an owl and on the right a man playing a rather large wind instrument. Sadly, they are rather eroded. The church guide implies they may have been using Celtic imagery here, with the owl for wisdom and the music for joy and praise. Inside, the south arcade of the nave is in classic Early English style, and the south chapel has a distinctive single lancet window with wide splays. The north arcade and aisle are clearly Victorian, but the east window of the north aisle, a triple lancet under an arch, is the former east window, re-set. The chancel and south chapel have piscinas and the chancel has what may be an Easter Sepulchre, with a small attractive stained glass window depicting St John the Baptist (now lit from the vestry behind). The furnishings include a plain Victorian font and a pulpit. The base of the pulpit is taken from the original Jacobean sounding board, turned upside down.

Shoreham has two churches, both ancient. New Shoreham, as its name implies, is the younger of the…read moretwo. But the moniker 'New' belies the fact that the church is over 900 years old, founded in 1103 by a Crusader returning to England from the first crusade. Unusually dedicated to 'St Mary de Haura' (St Mary of the harbour), this is a landmark church: from a distance, it looks like a Cathedral. Closer inspection reveals that half the church has disappeared, however: the original Nave became a ruin when New Shoreham's economy declined, and was demolished in the 17th century. What is left is the crossing and chancel, but this is still impressive. The lower part of the tower and transepts date from the original church, in true romanesque style. The Chancel was rebuilt around 1180, and demonstrates beautifully the transition from Romanesque to Gothic: the north aisle columns are rounded and octagonal in Norman (romanesque) style, whereas the south aisle is pure Early English Gothic. Overall, this is a beautiful and dramatic space. Other items of interest include the original Norman font, two lovely 15th century floor brasses and - just to demonstrate that it's not a new problem - a quantity of 17th century graffiti carved into the stone-work! The church is a venue for regular choir concerts and for events during the Adur festival. There is more information on the church's excellent web-site.

This is a classic church. What I mean by this remark is that when one thinks of a church this is…read morewhat one imagines. The stained glass windows dazzle when the sun rays shoot through them. The stone work is tastefull. The atmosphere is welcoming. There was church volunteers milling about like it was there second home. The grounds was full of flowers and gravestones that blended in. It didn't feel like a place for the dead but a place to rest.

Rottingdean is nowadays part of Brighton, but as a settlement dates back at least to Saxon times…read more(the name means 'the Valley of Rota's people') and still likes to think of itself as a village, despite the volume of commuting traffic and suburban sprawl around it. However, there's no denying that the old centre still has a villagey feel to it, with old pubs (one dating from 1513), a proper village green (with pond), and houses built in a very authentic Tudor style fronted by some lovely gardens. Rudyard Kipling lived in the village for some years, as did the eminent pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones. The large, sprawling churchyard is entered through a lovely lych gate, erected in 1897. The church itself dates in part from the Saxon period, although most of what you see now is essentially a Norman rebuild from the 12th century. The exterior is classic Sussex, all flints and red roof tiles, with a sturdy looking tower, erected in 1205 to replace an earlier structure that blew down in a gale. This was the scene of tragedy in 1377 when, during the Hundred Years' war with France, the villagers took refuge in the church during a French raid. The raiders set fire to the tower, burning to death all those inside. As the guidebook tactfully puts it, 'Now our visitors from France come in peace'. Once inside, the interior is a little bit of a disappointment: the architecture is largely unremarkable, although it is pretty enough. Unusually, the floor of the church rises up steps from the nave into the tower and then again up to the chancel. It is lit throughout by simple Early-English style windows or single decorated lancets. These contain the most interesting items in the church: a series of seven pre-Raphaelite stained-glass windows by Burne-Jones, whose daughter was married here. The other item of special interest is the church cat: in the summer, he can often be found sitting in his basket in the lych gate. He's very aloof - clearly having more important things to do than pander to visitors...

The highlight of this beautiful church is the stained glass work designed by Sir Edward Burne Jones…read moreand carried out by William Morris. The colours are blindingly vivid, the detail is exquisite and the overall effect is to instil a sense of the numinous. The large east window, behind the main altar, features three archangels, from left to right, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Below the main panels, Gabriel delivers stunning news to Mary; Raphael, the healer, is seen in his traditional role as a protector of children; centre stage Michael, a paean to Burne Jones's ardent medievalism, is slaying a dragon. On the south window the Virgin Mary looks remarkably like a pre-Raphaelite beauty, ethereal and alluring, as does the eponymous St Margaret on the wall opposite. St Margaret of Antioch was a young girl living in the 11th century who was imprisoned and put to death for her beliefs she was much loved by the Crusaders who were fond of tempering their militaristic ethos with tales of chaste femininity. Further down the church, on the north wall, there are lovely depictions of Saint Veronica and Saint George and also Saint Martin. The original church was Saxon and there are a few remnants of its beginnings on the north wall; otherwise it is a fantastic example of Norman and Early English (which is to say Late French) architecture and craftsmanship.

Ditchling is an attractive little village, built on a cross-roads in the shadow of the South Downs,…read morewith narrow streets which would be lovely were it not for the volume of traffic. But standing above all this is the large and handsome church of St Margaret, situated on a rise above the village green, duck pond and next to the little museum. The present church was built on the site of a Saxon church mentioned in the Domesday Book, the remains of which have been found in parts of the lower walls of the nave. The earliest dateable part of the church is the South Aisle, built by Cluniac monks from the Priory in Lewes in the 12th century, which suggests that the present Nave must have already have been there. The chancel dates from around 1260, the tower later on in the 13th century, and the south chapel called the Abergavenny chapel from the 14th century. Although the arches of the very modest south aisle arcade are simple and plain, the Early English Gothic in the Chancel is unusually rich: the single lancet windows all have shafts with stiff-leaf capitals, and have hoods with human heads at the ends, which may represent Henry III and Queen Eleanor. The crossing arches are later around 1300 but equally rich in style, with more stiff-leaf carving and clustered shafts. The chapel has Decorated Gothic windows, but again with shafts and hoods which may have been re-used from the chancel. The main furnishing of note is the monument to Henry Poole (d. 1580), moved in 1863 from the North Transept to its present position in the Abergavenny Chapel. It originally had four shields, but one was knocked out to 'admit a stove pipe' in Victorian times. Official vandalism is nothing new!

The charming village of Ovingdean, tucked away in its own little valley a mile inland from the sea,…read moreis now part of Brighton, but remains a world away in spirit. It is also famous as the birthplace of Charles Eamer Kempe, the renowned designer of stained glass: his work fills the church and he is buried in its churchyard. History There was a 'little church' and settlement here in Saxon times, recorded in the Domesday book, and it seems that it was rebuilt almost immediately after the Conquest, when the current Nave and Chancel were erected. This was followed by the short, robust tower early in the 13th century, followed by the south porch around 1300 (rebuilt around 1867). The south wall shows the unmistakeable signs of a south aisle of two bays also built around the 13th century, and which may have been destroyed during a French raid. A south chapel was added leading off the chancel in 1907 on the foundations of an earlier structure. The dedication to the 7th century French Bishop St Wulfran is unusual, shared only by the Parish Church of Grantham and the collegiate church in Abbeville, in France, where he is buried. The Church The church is set into a steep hillside, and the floor progressively descends from the tower to the chancel. Save for the corner stones, its walls are entirely of flint, with a red tiled roof and a typical Sussex pyramidal cap on the tower. The walls are pierced only by narrow Norman windows or simple lancets, save for the Decorated Gothic windows in the south wall of the nave. These, as well as others through the church, contain glass by Kempe, with his tell-tale wheat sheaf signature. Inside, the interior is something of a surprise: the walls of the nave are bright with whitewash, and the eye is immediately drawn to the unusual arrangement of three chancel arches, underneath a rood screen. The plain central arch is the Norman original, with the two flanking arches added in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th; the rood is Kempe's work from 1867. Opposite the south door are the remains of the original Norman north door, complete with water stoup. To the west, a generous pointed tower arch leads to a spacious tower room, which now contains additional pews and the font. High the east wall above the arch is the original mediaeval bell wheel. Turning east, the Chancel has yet more lancets and Norman round-headed windows; the tiles reredos and painted wooden panels either side of the East Window are late Victorian, while those in the gable above by Maude Bishop were painted 1957-63. Of greater interest to most visitors, however, is the painted ceiling: although the ceiling is a 19th century replacement, the paintings of birds and foliage was done was Kempe in 1867. Off the Chancel is the small south east chapel, built in 1907 on the foundations of an earlier chapel. Back outside, the old churchyard is worth a look; as well as the Kempe family tomb, is that of Magnus Volk (1851-1937), builder of the electric railway which still plies its trade along Brighton's seafront. Practicalities The church is most easily reached from the A259 main road Brighton to Newhaven: turn left at the roundabout just after passing Roedean School, next to St Dunstan's Care Home. The church is a mile up the valley, after a hairpin bend, on the left. You can also walk from this point if alighting from the frequent 12 or 14 buses, which takes about 10-15 minutes; the hourly 52 bus (57 on Sundays) will drop you off closer to the church at the junction of Greenways and Ainsworth Avenue. The church has limited opening hours: see website for details.

This is a beautiful and inviting little church with a fascinating history. I stopped here several…read moretimes during my week in Ovingdean to give thanks for my journey.

Sullington's ancient church is situated at the end of a mile-long lane, south-east of the modern…read morevillage of Storrington. The lane turns south off the busy A283 road and, immediately, you feel far from the modern world. It is like a journey back in time, and one of the loveliest corners of Sussex I have visited in quite a long time. The church itself is located next to a sprawling farm, which has an impressive 17th century tithe barn. It is surrounded by a church yard full of ancient yews, with lovely, sweeping views up to the South Downs. It is listed at Grade I. The church is also ancient, dating from around 1050. The stumpy tower show signs of Saxon 'long and short' work, with corner stones laid alternately horizontally and vertically, and the nave - tall, long and narrow, could also only be Saxon. The main west door (there is no porch) is clearly early Norman, but has been rather over-restored. Much of the rest of the building was rebuilt around 1220 in the Early English style, with tall single lancet windows. The exception is the East Window, a delicate Decorated Gothic design from 1295. There is a small chantry chapel on the north side, dating from 1389, separated from the nave by an elegant two-bay arcade. A very wide 13th century arch separates nave from the chancel, on the right hand side of which is a small low window and the remains of a squint, which would have allowed lepers and others not allowed into the church to watch the service. There are some interesting furnishings, and pride of place must go to the early 13th century effigy of a knight in armour, dating from the reign of Henry III. Although badly damaged (probably in the Reformation), what remains is of high quality. It is thought to be of Sir William de Covert: the de Coverts were local Lords of the Manor. His legs are crossed in the manner of a crusader, and a 'de Covert' is mentioned at the siege of Acre (1189-91). Could this be him? Next to the tomb is a 14th century Perpendicular font, and further along is a Saxon tombstone, depicting an elongated cross, now propped up against the north tower arch. The other furnishings are mostly Victorian, but nicely done, and there is some attractive modern stained glass. It marries ancient and modern together perfectly.

This is a beautiful old church. it is not over ornate andhad a wonderful feel inside. Outside it…read moreis up a country land next to a farm's barn. There are Yew trees surrounding the church that must be over a thousand years old. It is a lovely place to go for some quiet reflection. My half brother is buried in the small churchyard, with a lovely view across the surrounding area.

St John-sub-Castro - or St John's-under-the-Castle - is a large early Victorian church just to the…read morenorth of Lewes castle, which incorporates 11th century elements from a previous building, and has a lovely, hidden graveyard. History The first church on this site (actually slightly north of the present church) was erected at least as early as the 11th century, and possibly before. Details of this church are sketchy - almost literally - as what is known of it comes from drawings and descriptions made before it was rebuilt. These show a traditional Sussex church, with elements from the 12th-14th centuries and a tower, and which lost its chancel some time around the reformation. The present church was designed by George Cheesman, part of a family business based in Brighton, and completed in 1839. This incorporates some Anglo-Saxon elements from the fabric of the earlier church. An apsed chancel was added by Philip Currey in 1883. The church Cheesman's design is neo-Gothic in style, of flint with red brick detailing, and tall windows with broad transoms, decorated with trefoil headed arches. The axis runs north-south, with the ritual east end to the north. The most prominent - and best - feature is the beefy castellated tower at the west end, which dominates the view along Abinger Place. Pevsner was unkind about the window tracery, but as a whole, the building works well enough. The spacious interior has galleries on iron columns on three sides. Of most interest, however, are the relics from the earlier church, set into the walls either side of the apse at the east end. On one side is a late Anglo-Saxon doorway, with three demi-shafts supporting an arch with three matching roll mouldings, and unusual wide square marble abaci which cut across all three. In place of a door, a mediaeval tombstone slab decorated with a cross design is set into the wall. On the opposite side, next to the churchyard footpath, is an archway which may have been set in the old church's chancel - there is some debate about whether it was the chancel arch proper or not. Again, in place of a door is another ancient cross tomb slab, of similar design to that on the other side. The arch is inscribed in Latin: CLAUDITUR HIC MILES DANORUM REGIA PROLES MANGUS NOME EI MANGNE NOTA GENIEI DEPONENS / MANGNUM SE MORIBUS INDUIT AGNUM PETE VITA FIT PARVULUS / ARNACORITA., This refers to a warrior of Royal Danish lineage, Magnus, who became an anchorite at the church. Anchorites were an extreme type of hermit, who were literally sealed up in a cell attached to a church. Through a window onto the chancel they could participate in services, as well as being fed and watered. They usually stayed there until death. The churchyard itself is also worth a look; it is semi-derelict, surprisingly large and heavily wooded, and a wonderful hidden space.