St Julian's Church, Kingston Buci

St Julian’s Church stands on the edge of the South Downs near the English Channel, a short distance inland from Shoreham-by-Sea. It occupies the site of a Saxon settlement called Kingston, later known as Kingston Buci, where little remains from that early period. The present building is mainly 13th-century, with a simple nave, central tower and chancel, and a north aisle added at the same time. English Heritage recognises its exceptional importance by listing it at Grade I. The church still serves a parish that keeps the ancient name Kingston Buci. The church’s history is visible in its walls and furnishings. Saxon foundations were found beneath the nave, showing the site was occupied before the Norman conquest. In the 12th century it was dedicated to Julian of Le Mans, and a century later the chancel and tower gave it the form it still has. An unusual feature survives: a hagioscope and a blocked door mark the place of an anchorite’s cell, where a hermit once lived walled inside for life. The Lewknor family tomb in the Easter Sepulchre and the 18th-century pulpit with its double deck are notable survivals. Inside, the church combines plain flint walls with rich details. The tower’s ribbed vault and columns rise directly from the quire, and its shallow pyramid roof is covered in pantiles. The organ came from Brighton Aquarium and still shows its original plaque, while the singing-desk and box pews recall older worship. Outside, the churchyard is bounded by lanes and the River Adur, following ancient parish limits. The view from the tower roof looks across fields and downland to the sea.