Greatham Church

Greatham Church stands in a quiet hamlet in West Sussex, beside the River Arun. It is a tiny single-room stone building from the 12th century, set apart from the houses near an old manor house. The walls are made of uneven ironstone, chalk, flint and reused Roman bricks, giving the church an irregular shape. A small bell-turret with a spire rises above the roof. The church has no electricity or running water, adding to its simple, unspoilt feel. It is recognised as one of the most appealing churches in Sussex and holds Grade I Listed status. The church was built around 1100 to serve marshland farmers and shepherds in a sparsely populated area. Its original east window was blocked and replaced by two lancet windows in the 13th century, with more lancets added to the north and south walls. The north door was bricked up, though its stone jambs remain visible. In the 19th century only minimal repairs were made, unlike many other Sussex churches. A porch and vestry were added but the vestry was later removed, revealing five soldiers buried after the Battle of Greatham Bridge during the English Civil War. Inside, the church is a single space with whitewashed walls and early 19th-century fittings. A crenellated altar rail from the 17th century and a two-decker pulpit in Gothic Revival style survive, along with box pews from the same period. The porch contains a slab of local marble that may once have been part of the original altar. The building’s rough texture and modest scale make it a rare example of Saxo-Norman architecture, unchanged by modern alterations.