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Coombes Church is perched on the side of a hill on the edge of the small farming hamlet of Coombes. Mentioned in Domesday, both the church and tiny community date from Saxon times. The name may be older. Apart from the charming location, the church is famed for its astonishing medieval wall paintings, dating from 1130, which were discovered in 1949. It is a real treasure, set in the South Downs National Park and not far from Shoreham
Beachy Head is a famous chalk headland and landmark, immediately to the west of the town of Eastbourne. There are fine views and walks along the cliffs, approx 500 feet above sea level. There is parking nearby and at Birling Gap further along the coast. Beachy Head has an interesting history and was used as a listening and lookout post during WW2. The cliffs are, however, extremely dangerous and the area has a high death-rate, through a combination of foolish accident and, unfortunately, suicide. Beachy Head lighthouse began operating in 1902.
The post code below is for the nearby pub.
The Seven Sisters are famous chalk cliffs on England's south coast. Within Seven Sisters' Country Park are a series of trails, taking in local views and wildlife, and a variety of outdoor activities are undertaken too. A favourite walk is from the country park following the small Cuckmere River to the beach, or up onto the cliffs. To get the famous view, you need to visit Seaford Head, accessed through the town of Seaford.
Seaford
The Wilmington Giant, or Long Man, is a 235 foot high figure of a man marked out on the side of Windover Hill, just south of the Sussex village of Wilmington. No one knows who he is meant to represent, or how long he’s been there. The earliest reference is as recent as 1710, but many believe he is much older than that. In 1874, he was outlined in yellow bricks, replaced by concrete blocks in 1969 that are periodically painted white. During the Second World War, the bricks were coloured green so that enemy bombers were unable to use the Long Man as a landmark. Some folk swear he’s an ancient fertility symbol, or a representation of an ancient war-god. His head, apparently, was once shaped as though wearing a war helmet. Or is he a gigantic hoax?
Wilmington's Long Man lacks some of the anatomical features enjoyed by his close relative, the Cerne Abbas Giant (though some believe the Victorians robbed him of it), but that doesn’t mean he’s not worth a brief visit if you happen to be passing. There are public footpaths if you want to get up close and personal – he’s not far from the South Downs Way. Or he can be seen from a minor road between the A27 and the A259, or a public car park just south of Wilmington Priory.
Post code is approximate. Managed by Sussex Archaeological Society.
Wilmington
Eastbourne
Chanctonbury Ring is an Iron Age hillfort, constructed c6-400BC, though actually in use since Neolithic times. It was probably not a fort, nor ever occupied, but more likely a religious site or, possibly, animal enclosure. 2 Romano-British temples have been found on the hill (they are not visible). In 1760, Charles Goring of nearby Wiston House planted a ring of beech trees around the hill; these, or their descendents, are still there. The hill was used by the army during WW2. There are several other prehistoric sites nearby. Chanctonbury also has a number of legends associated with it - most notably variations of the story that the Devil appears if running seven times anti-clockwise (or backwards) round the hill, alleged links with witchcraft (young ladies sleeping out on the hill are more likely to conceive), UFOs as well as suggestions that the hill is haunted and claims that spending the night on it is an unpleasant experience. Nonetheless, there are great views from the top.
Steyning
There isn't much left of Bramber Castle - a few sections of curtain wall, the remains of a tower, an overgrown motte, ditch, bits of masonry and an enormous section of gatehouse wall. It was built by the Norman, William de Braose, in 1073 to help control the locality and stayed in the family's hands for about 200 years. Bramber was still in use in the 15th century, but fell into disrepair and was in ruins by the time of the Civil War. Next door is St Nicholas' Church - which was originally the castle's chapel and is a little gem. The location is just on the edge of Bramber village. Legend has it that the ghosts of the 4th Baron William de Breose's children, starved to death in Windsor Castle as hostages of King John, haunt the streets nearby.
Bramber
Steyning
The tiny church of St Nicholas at Bramber was originally the chapel of Bramber Castle, built by William de Braose in 1073 and eventually becoming Bramber's parish church. It is reputedly the oldest Norman church in the county. It was originally cruciform, but the transepts have long gone. There is a lovely 11th century chancel arch with decorated capitals and several other medieval features, including a 13th century font.
Bramber
Wolstonbury Hill is a 676 feet (206 metres) high hill on the South Downs, north of Brighton, with spectacular views. It is a scheduled monument, the site of a late Bronze Age enclosure, or hill fort, and other remains, as well as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notable for chalk downland flowers, including eleven different types of orchid, and over 30 species of butterflies. It also has the highest concentration of anthills on the South Downs and the remains of a 20th century rifle range allegedly used during World War Two. What more could you ask?
There is evidence that hilltop was also used during the Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.
Extensive damage was caused during flint digging in the 18th and 19th centuries when, allegedly, some skeletons were unearthed. Other remains – animal bones, pottery and worked flint – were dug up in the 1920s. Overall, there seems to be a great deal of uncertainty about what, exactly, went on on Wolstonbury Hill.
There is some traditional association with nearby Danny House, a nearby Elizabethan mansion (not open to the public). During WW1, Lloyd George stayed at the house and is said to have mislaid some secret papers while walking on the hill. During the Second World War, the area was used by Canadian troops training for D-Day.
Access to Wolstonbury Hill is by footpath from various points – as identified on the OS map. Post Code is for Pyecombe, from which there is a bridleway leading almost to the top.
Pyecombe
The simple and tranquil Church of the Transfiguration, Pyecombe, is in the older part of the two-centred West Sussex village of Pyecombe, and on the path of many ancient routes. The village has two, distinct, parts because it is believed the older settlement, including the church, was abandoned for a short time in the 17th century due to the plague.
The church dates from 1170 and has been known locally as ‘The Shepherds’ Church’ but was officially designated as the Church of the Transfiguration as recently as 1972. Amazingly, it is not known what its dedication was before that. The shepherd connection is due to centuries of sheep farming on the nearby South Downs. For at least two centuries the (apparently) widely renowned ‘Pyecombe hook’, thought to be the best crook for catching a sheep by its hind leg, was made in the forge opposite the church. The forge is now a private house.
Included in the church’s many fascinating features is a rare lead font and a rare Tapsel Gate at the entrance to the churchyard. The Tapsel Gate is unique to Sussex; a central pivot restricts the width of the opening to keep animals out, but still allows coffins to be carried through.
Unusually for a small parish church, Pyecombe’s Church of the Transfiguration has a toilet and kitchen available for the use of visitors.
Pyecombe
Nr Brighton
The Battle of Lewes took place on 14 May 1264, the first major battle of the Second Barons' War. The prelude to this was widespread dissatisfaction with the manner of King Henry III's reign, particularly over issues such as taxation and inheritance. Matters came to a head and a rebel baronial faction led by Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester, took up arms against the king. De Montfort's force of about 5,000 approached Lewes, a royal stronghold with about 10,000 troops, from the downland to the north. The King's son, Prince Edward (later Edward I), rode out from Lewes Castle with heavy cavalry, engaged de Montfort's inexperienced left flank and chased it from the field. De Montfort, meanwhile, charged downhill at Henry's main army in the vicinity of Landport Bottom and won a decisive victory. Most of the fighting took place there, around the Black Horse pub on Western road, now a residential area and on the High Street. The king took refuge in Lewes Priory and was forced to surrender to de Monfort. Edward too was held captive - though later escaped. There is a link to a battlefield walk below. The address is for the Black Horse pub; walk from there up Spital Road, past the prison, and up onto the downs.
Lewes
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