List of places of worship in Lewes District

St Andrew's Church, the parish church of Bishopstone, is one of many Grade I-listed Anglican churches in the district of Lewes. The linear chancel–nave–tower form is found frequently in Sussex.

There are 69 extant churches and places of worship in the district of Lewes, one of five local government districts in the English county of East Sussex. A further 17 former places of worship are no longer in religious use. The area now covered by the district is mainly rural and characterised by small villages with ancient parish churches. The riverside market town of Lewes, the port of Newhaven and the seaside towns of Seaford, Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs are the main urban areas and have higher concentrations of religious buildings.

Most residents of the district identify themselves as Christian, and there are no places of worship serving any other religious groups. Many Christian denominations are represented—the town of Lewes in particular has a long-established history of Protestant Nonconformism—but the majority of churches serve the Church of England community.

English Heritage has awarded listed status to many of Lewes district's places of worship. A building is defined as "listed" when it is placed on a statutory register of buildings of "special architectural or historic interest" in accordance with the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, a Government department, is responsible for this; English Heritage, a non-departmental public body, acts as an agency of the department to administer the process and advise the department on relevant issues. There are three grades of listing status. Grade I, the highest, is defined as being of "exceptional interest"; Grade II* is used for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest"; and Grade II, the lowest, is used for buildings of "special interest".

Location of Lewes and its places of worship

Lewes district located within East Sussex

Lewes district covers 113 sq mi (290 km²) of the western part of East Sussex. The English Channel forms its southern boundary for 9 miles (14.5 km); four of the five largest towns in the district—Peacehaven, Telscombe Cliffs, Newhaven and Seaford—are on the coast. Lewes, the administrative centre of the district and the county town of East Sussex, lies inland in the centre of the district. The rest of the district is mostly rural. The city and unitary authority of Brighton and Hove lies to the southwest; the district of Mid Sussex, in the neighbouring county of West Sussex, is to the west; and Lewes's eastern boundary is with Wealden district.

The Rape of Lewes, one of the pre-Norman subdivisions of Sussex, had been granted by William the Conqueror to William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, who had become a major landowner by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. Outside the town of Lewes itself, most manors and villages had developed by the 12th century, and many of their associated churches date from that time—although the Victorian enthusiasm for church restoration had an effect throughout the district.

The town of Lewes enjoys a strategic position on the River Ouse and surrounded by hills. There is evidence of Anglo-Saxon habitation, and by the 10th century it had become the most important borough in Sussex. The oldest surviving church is St Anne's, the parish church, which is 12th-century. Other churches such as St Andrew's, St Martin's and St Mary-in-the-Market-Place declined and fell out of use by the Middle Ages, and their parishes were combined with others in the town. Nonconformism has been established in the town for more than three centuries: Unitarians, Methodists, Quakers, Baptists, Strict Baptists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists all founded chapels in the 18th or 19th centuries, many of which are still in operation. Newer denominations have also become established: Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, most associated with Northern Ireland, founded one of its seven English congregations in the former Strict Baptist chapel in the Cliffe area of town. Ditchling and Wivelsfield were also associated with Nonconformist worship.

Religious affiliation

According to the 2001 United Kingdom Census, 92,177 people lived in Lewes district. Of these, 72.02% identified themselves as Christian, 0.44% were Muslim, 0.3% were Buddhist, 0.29% were Jewish, 0.15% were Hindu, 0.03% were Sikh, 0.4% followed another religion, 18.18% claimed no religious affiliation and 8.21% did not state their religion. The proportion of Christians was slightly higher than the 71.74% in England as a whole, while Buddhism and other religions not listed in the Census were also followed by more people than average. The proportion of people with no religious affiliation was much higher than the national figure of 14.59%, but there were fewer followers of Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism in the district than in England overall: in 2001, 3.1% of people in England were Muslim, 1.1% were Hindu, 0.7% were Sikh and 0.5% were Jewish.

Administration

All Anglican churches in Lewes district are part of the Diocese of Chichester, whose cathedral is at Chichester in West Sussex. Three archdeaconries—Chichester, Horsham, and Lewes and Hastings—make up the next highest level of administration; the district has at least one church in each. St Laurence's Church in Falmer, which is part of a united parish with Stanmer Church across the border in the city of Brighton and Hove, is part of the Rural Deanery of Brighton, one of five deaneries in the Archdeaconry of Chichester. St Peter and St John the Baptist's Church at Wivelsfield is in the Rural Deanery of Cuckfield, and the churches at Ditchling, Streat and Westmeston are part of the Rural Deanery of Hurst; these are two of the eight deaneries in the Archdeaconry of Horsham. The Archdeaconry of Lewes and Hastings, which also has eight deaneries, is responsible for all other Anglican churches in the district. Except for the churches in Chailey and Newick, which are in the Rural Deanery of Uckfield, all are controlled by the Rural Deanery of Lewes and Seaford.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, whose cathedral is at Arundel, administers the four Roman Catholic churches in Lewes district. The diocese has 13 deaneries, each with several churches: Brighton and Hove Deanery's 13 churches include the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Peacehaven, Lewes Deanery controls St Pancras' Church at Lewes and five others outside the district, and Eastbourne Deanery is responsible for the Church of the Sacred Heart in Newhaven, St Thomas More Church in Seaford and eight churches in other districts of East Sussex.

The three United Reformed Church congregations, at Lewes, Seaford and Telscombe Cliffs, are in the Southern Synod—one of 13 Synods in Great Britain. The Synod is responsible for about 170 United Reformed churches in Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and parts of Surrey. In September 2007, the United Reformed and Methodist churches in a large area of central Sussex came together to form a joint administrative group, the Central Sussex United Area. Member churches in Lewes district are Christ Church in Lewes, Chyngton Methodist Church and Cross Way Church in Seaford. St Michael's Anglican church in Newhaven is also involved.

Open places of worship

Name	Image	Location	Denomination/ Affiliation	Grade	Notes	Refs
St Mary the Virgin Church		Barcombe 50.9162°N 0.0141°E / 50.9162; 0.0141 (St Mary the Virgin Church, Barcombe)	Anglican	II*	The church serves a large rural parish whose original settlement declined in the 14th century. Part of the nave is 12th-century; the tower and widened chancel were built a century later. Restoration work in 1879–1880 included replacement of all the ancient lancet windows. Charles Eamer Kempe provided some stained glass.
Jubilee Christian Centre		Barcombe 50.9108°N 0.0165°E / 50.9108; 0.0165 (Jubilee Christian Centre, Barcombe)	Baptist	–	Barcombe's first chapel, associated with the Strict Baptist and Calvinist movements, was established in 1810 just off the road to Hamsey. It was a brick structure in the Vernacular style. A modern brick building now stands on the site. The FIEC-aligned church changed its name from Barcombe Baptist Church in 2006.
St Andrew's Church		Beddingham 50.8526°N 0.0515°E / 50.8526; 0.0515 (St Andrew's Church, Beddingham)	Anglican	I	The isolated riverside settlement was founded in the 9th century but has declined to a negligible size. The church has Norman origins and was added to over a long period: most of the structural work is 14th- and 16th-century. The flint building has a chancel, nave and tower.
St Andrew's Church		Bishopstone 50.7897°N 0.0877°E / 50.7897; 0.0877 (St Andrew's Church, Bishopstone)	Anglican	I	Norman settlers rebuilt this village's early 8th-century Anglo-Saxon church, but parts remain in the nave, porch and tower. The 12th-century reconstruction produced an Early English-style flint and stone church.
St Peter's Church		Chailey 50.9567°N 0.0192°W / 50.9567; -0.0192 (St Peter's Church, Chailey)	Anglican	II*	This sandstone and ashlar church retains its 13th-century chancel and tower with its shingled spire. The nave was enlarged (and aisles added) in 1878–1879 by John Oldrid Scott.
St Thomas à Becket Church		Cliffe, Lewes 50.8745°N 0.0188°E / 50.8745; 0.0188 (St Thomas à Becket Church, Cliffe, Lewes)	Anglican	II*	Also known as St Thomas-at-Cliffe Church, this sturdy flint structure has work from several periods from the 12th century to the late 19th century, when it was restored twice in quick succession. A square tower rises in three stages at the west end.
Lewes Free Presbyterian Church		Cliffe, Lewes 50.8755°N 0.0187°E / 50.8755; 0.0187 (Lewes Free Presbyterian Church, Cliffe, Lewes)	Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster	I	This large chapel was built for a Strict Baptist congregation in 1805 and extended in 1826. The timber-framed building is faced with bricks and slate tiles, there is a Tuscan porch, and the roof is barrel-vaulted. It is one of seven churches in England used by followers of Ian Paisley's Protestant denomination.
St Leonard's Church		Denton 50.8045°N 0.0628°E / 50.8045; 0.0628 (St Leonard's Church, Denton)	Anglican	II*	The church has some structural work from the Norman era, and the font is of the same age. The external appearance was altered in the 19th century, but there are some ancient windows. The nave and chancel run into each other with no dividing arch.
St Margaret's Church		Ditchling 50.9213°N 0.1157°W / 50.9213; -0.1157 (St Margaret's Church, Ditchling)	Anglican	I	The appearance of this church, which stands on raised ground at the village crossroads, is 13th-century, and most of the work was done then. The nave is two centuries older, though, and there are later additions. The cruciform building is of flint and sandstone. The central tower has a squat spire.
Emmanuel Chapel		Ditchling 50.9199°N 0.1149°W / 50.9199; -0.1149 (Emmanuel Chapel, Ditchling)	Evangelical	–	Ditchling's tradition of Nonconformism continues in the 21st century: this former mission hall, opened in the early 20th century, is one of three extant non-Anglican places of worship in the village. It may have replaced an earlier hall on another site.
Friends Meeting House		Ditchling 50.9225°N 0.1142°W / 50.9225; -0.1142 (Friends Meeting House, Ditchling)	Quaker	–	This small meeting house in the centre of Ditchling serves the village and nearby settlements such as Hassocks and Burgess Hill.
Ditchling Unitarian Chapel (The Old Meeting House)		Ditchling 50.9216°N 0.1131°W / 50.9216; -0.1131 (The Old Meeting House, Ditchling)	Unitarian	II	Built in 1740 for General Baptists on a twitten off East End Lane, this Vernacular-style chapel is attached to a partly tile-hung house of 1672. The red-brick chapel, with tall windows, was renovated between 1877 and 1887; additions included a gabled porch.
St Peter's Church		East Blatchington 50.7790°N 0.1036°E / 50.7790; 0.1036 (St Peter's Church, East Blatchington)	Anglican	II*	Parts of this long, thick-walled church date from the 13th century—in particular the tower, a piscina and a priest's door, with its rounded arch—but Norman origins have been claimed. The chancel has lancet windows.
Seaford Baptist Church		East Blatchington 50.7769°N 0.0955°E / 50.7769; 0.0955 (Seaford Baptist Church, East Blatchington)	Baptist	–	The present building, a low circular structure, was built in the 1970s to replace an Early English-style red-brick church in Seaford town centre, which existed from 1901 until 1973.
East Chiltington Church		East Chiltington 50.9194°N 0.0525°W / 50.9194; -0.0525 (East Chiltington Church)	Anglican	II*	Although this sandstone church now has its own parish, it was a chapel of ease to Westmeston for centuries. The nave is the oldest part: it was built in the early 12th century, and buttresses were added later in the century. The tower is slightly later, and the chancel is 14th-century.
St Laurence's Church	File:Falmer church.jpg	Falmer 50.8624°N 0.0760°W / 50.8624; -0.0760 (St Laurence Church, Falmer)	Anglican	II*	A restoration of 1840 was responsible for the unusual Neo-Norman appearance of this church, which was rebuilt between 1815 and 1817 from the demolished ruins of a medieval predecessor.
St Mary the Virgin Church		Glynde 50.8646°N 0.0683°E / 50.8646; 0.0683 (St Mary the Virgin Church, Glynde)	Anglican	II*	Sir Thomas Robinson, an advocate of Palladian architecture, rebuilt Glynde's parish church in that style between 1763 and 1765. The boxlike, pedimented cobbled flint and ashlar building has a large cupola containing a bell. Pevsner disliked its stained glass, and the church has been criticised as "being in bad taste".
St Peter's Church		Hamsey 50.8912°N 0.0095°E / 50.8912; 0.0095 (St Peter's Church, Hamsey)	Anglican	I	This 12th-century church is situated on a slope by a loop in the River Ouse—a very remote spot. The east part of the nave and the west end of the chancel are original; their other parts are 14th-century, as is the tower. A porch was added a century later on the south wall.
St Nicholas' Church		Iford 50.8484°N 0.0007°W / 50.8484; -0.0007 (St Nicholas' Church, Iford)	Anglican	I	Victorian restoration has not disguised the 12th-century origins of this small village's church, which stands on the site of a Norman predecessor recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086. The flint structure is long and narrow; the oldest part is the nave, which is separated from the chancel by a substantial, short tower topped by a shingled spire. The windows (mostly lancets) and a piscina are also original. A former north aisle has now vanished.
St Pancras' Church		Kingston near Lewes 50.8563°N 0.0245°W / 50.8563; -0.0245 (St Pancras' Church, Kingston near Lewes)	Anglican	II*	The tall and wide chancel and nave are balanced by a curiously slim tower with a tiled pyramidal roof. The church was built in the early 14th century in the Decorated Gothic style. Much of the original stone and flintwork was restored in 1874.
St Anne's Church		Lewes 50.8724°N 0.0016°E / 50.8724; 0.0016 (St Anne's Church, Lewes)	Anglican	I	Originally called St Mary Westout in reference to the ancient suburb of Westout, the Early English-style flint exterior reflects a restoration of 1889, but Norman details predominate inside. The long nave has a porch in which a 12th-century door has been inserted. St Anne's is the parish church of Lewes.
St Michael's Church		Lewes 50.8723°N 0.0071°E / 50.8723; 0.0071 (St Michael's Church, Lewes)	Anglican	I	This town-centre church is one of three in the Ouse Valley with a circular west tower, although its 13th-century date is later than the others. It has an octagonal spire and is pebbledashed; the rest of the building is of flint. An aisled nave and chancel run parallel with the High Street.
St John sub Castro Church		Lewes 50.8760°N 0.0094°E / 50.8760; 0.0094 (St John-sub-Castro Church, Lewes)	Anglican	II	The dedication means St John under the Castle. An Anglo-Saxon church stood nearby; its chancel arch and a doorway were incorporated into George Cheeseman's new knapped flint Early English-style structure of 1839. The side windows are tall lancets with tracery.
Eastgate Baptist Church		Lewes 50.8751°N 0.0134°E / 50.8751; 0.0134 (Eastgate Baptist Church, Lewes)	Baptist	–	The first Baptist place of worship in the area was a chapel of 1741 in Southover. A flint, yellow brick and stone Romanesque Revival chapel opened in 1843 on Eastgate Street, replacing an 1819 building on the same site. It has a tower and spire at one corner, and was extended in the 20th century.
Kingdom Hall		Lewes 50.8720°N 0.0111°E / 50.8720; 0.0111 (Kingdom Hall, Lewes)	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	This Kingdom Hall serves the Jehovah's Witnesses community of Lewes. Regular services are held in Sign language. Part of the building was originally a National school built in 1840.
Friends Meeting House		Lewes 50.8726°N 0.0139°E / 50.8726; 0.0139 (Friends Meeting House, Lewes)	Quaker	II	The town's first meeting house was built in 1675 and altered in 1752; the present brick and mathematical tile structure replaced it in 1784, and an adjoining cottage was built in 1801. There is a brick-faced wooden porch with Doric pilasters topped with a pediment.
St Pancras' Church		Lewes 50.8724°N 0.0025°E / 50.8724; 0.0025 (St Pancras' Church, Lewes)	Roman Catholic	–	A stone church built in 1870 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart was replaced in 1938–39 by a larger red-brick and flint building by Edward Walters. It is a simple Gothic-style structure with no tower.
Westgate Chapel		Lewes 50.8718°N 0.0067°E / 50.8718; 0.0067 (Westgate Chapel, Lewes)	Unitarian	II*	Parts of a late 16th-century inn were used in this chapel, built in about 1700. The timber-framed building has a plain exterior with some knapped flintwork. The entrance is in a brick porch. Extensions have included a 19th-century library. The early congregations were Presbyterian, but Unitarian views were practised by the time members of the former Southover General Baptist Chapel joined in the early 19th century.
Christ Church		Lewes 50.8760°N 0.0025°W / 50.8760; -0.0025 (Christ Church, Lewes)	United Reformed Church/Methodist	–	This modern building houses United Reformed Church and Methodist congregations, and is now the only church in the town serving those denominations.
St Mary's Church		Nevill Estate, Lewes 50.8802°N 0.0082°W / 50.8802; -0.0082 (St Mary's Church, Nevill Estate, Lewes)	Anglican	–	This modern church on the edge of Lewes is part of the parish of St Anne's Church. It is used as a church hall and for community activities, and occasional services are held.
St Michael and All Angels Church		Newhaven 50.7918°N 0.0454°E / 50.7918; 0.0454 (St Michael and All Angels Church, Newhaven)	Anglican/ Methodist	II*	Newhaven's parish church stands on high ground overlooking the town. Its east tower and attached apse (a rare combination) are Norman; William Habershon restored the rest of the church in 1854. The nave has wide aisles and was built in 1791 to replace its Norman predecessor.
Newhaven Baptist Church		Newhaven 50.7935°N 0.0463°E / 50.7935; 0.0463 (Newhaven Baptist Church, Newhaven)	Baptist	–	A chapel built in 1835 was replaced in 1901 by the town's present Baptist church. The red-brick structure stands above the Brighton Road.
Elim Pentecostal Community Church		Newhaven 50.7929°N 0.0476°E / 50.7929; 0.0476 (Elim Pentecostal Community Church, Newhaven)	Pentecostal	–	A Pentecostal congregation worships at this red-brick building on Meeching Rise in the town centre.
Church of the Sacred Heart		Newhaven 50.7900°N 0.0514°E / 50.7900; 0.0514 (Church of the Sacred Heart, Newhaven)	Roman Catholic	–	Newhaven's Roman Catholic church was built in 1898, reputedly by W. H. Romaine-Walker. The flint and brick structure is in the Neo-Norman style with round-headed windows, and has been extended and altered in the 20th century.
St Mary's Church		Newick 50.9693°N 0.0232°E / 50.9693; 0.0232 (St Mary's Church, Newick)	Anglican	II*	Fragments of the original nave, built in about 1100, remain; it was added to in the 14th century when the church was extended and the chancel was added. The latter was taken down and moved during John Oldrid Scott's rebuilding of 1886–1887. The Perpendicular Gothic tower is 15th-century.
Newick Evangelical Free Church		Newick 50.9723°N 0.0071°E / 50.9723; 0.0071 (Newick Evangelical Free Church, Newick)	Evangelical	–	This small building, dating from 1892, was originally a mission hall. It is now used by an Evangelical community as their place of worship and meeting place.
St Peter's Church		Offham 50.8920°N 0.0099°W / 50.8920; -0.0099 (St Peter's Church, Offham)	Anglican	II	Ewan Christian designed this church in the Decorated Gothic style in 1859. The flint and sandstone structure has an apsidal chancel with a tower and spire. Jean-Baptiste Capronnier provided stained glass windows in 1862 and 1876.
Church of the Ascension		Peacehaven 50.7931°N 0.0032°E / 50.7931; 0.0032 (Church of the Ascension, Peacehaven)	Anglican	–	L. Keir Hett's red-brick church, with a squat tower above its entrance, a side chapel and a gallery, replaced the community's first church—a prefabricated building of 1922.
Peacehaven Evangelical Free Church		Peacehaven 50.7902°N 0.0081°E / 50.7902; 0.0081 (Peacehaven Evangelical Free Church, Peacehaven)	Evangelical	–	This modern brick building, serving an Evangelical congregation, is on the main South Coast Road.
Kingdom Hall		Peacehaven 50.7889°N 0.0108°E / 50.7889; 0.0108 (Kingdom Hall, Peacehaven)	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	This modern Kingdom Hall serves the local Jehovah's Witnesses community, and is also situated on the South Coast Road.
Church of the Immaculate Conception		Peacehaven 50.7929°N 0.0006°W / 50.7929; -0.0006 (Church of the Immaculate Conception, Peacehaven)	Roman Catholic	–	The town's first Roman Catholic church was built in 1925. Intended as a temporary structure, it survives as a church hall, but has been replaced by a permanent brick church.
St John's Church		Piddinghoe 50.8095°N 0.0355°E / 50.8095; 0.0355 (St John's Church, Piddinghoe)	Anglican	I	The round tower and the nave of this riverside church are early 12th-century. A north aisle was added a few years later; its roof descends to a very low level outside. The south aisle and an aisled chancel were built by the 13th century; all were restored in 1882.
St Michael and All Angels Church		Plumpton 50.9051°N 0.0717°W / 50.9051; -0.0717 (St Michael and All Angels Church, Plumpton)	Anglican	I	This flint, stone and local marble church, surrounded by Plumpton Agricultural College buildings, is isolated from the village. The nave is mostly 12th-century; the buttressed west tower and its spire is a century newer, as is the chancel; a porch and vestry are later additions.
All Saints Church		Plumpton Green 50.9350°N 0.0602°W / 50.9350; -0.0602 (All Saints Church, Plumpton Green)	Anglican	–	Nikolaus Pevsner thought that Samuel Denman's 1893 church was "plain funny", mainly due to the composition of its octagonal tower. It was originally a chapel of ease to St Michael and All Angels Church, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south. The ancient font is believed to have come from the old St John sub Castro Church in Lewes.
St Mary the Virgin Church		Ringmer 50.8940°N 0.0544°E / 50.8940; 0.0544 (St Mary the Virgin Church, Ringmer)	Anglican	I	Norman-era fragments remain in this large church, rebuilt in the 15th century and further altered in 1884 by Ewan Christian. John Christie, founder of the nearby Glyndebourne Opera House, donated the organ.
St Peter's Church		Rodmell 50.8385°N 0.0177°E / 50.8385; 0.0177 (St Peter's Church, Rodmell)	Anglican	I	Some windows have been replaced, and the chancel arch was restored during the Victorian era, but otherwise the church has changed little since the late 12th century, when the tower and an adjacent room were added to the slightly older chancel and nave.
St Leonard's Church		Seaford 50.7719°N 0.1013°E / 50.7719; 0.1013 (St Leonard's Church, Seaford)	Anglican	I	The size of this church reflects Seaford's medieval importance as a port: the River Ouse's estuary was here until it silted up and moved to Newhaven. The nave and some clerestory windows remain from the Norman era, and a sculpture of Saint Michael battling a dragon has been attributed to 1130. The tower is 15th-century.
Kingdom Hall		Seaford 50.7713°N 0.1003°E / 50.7713; 0.1003 (Kingdom Hall, Seaford)	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	This Kingdom Hall serves the Jehovah's Witnesses community of Seaford. It stands on West Street on the town centre.
Cross Way Church		Seaford 50.7702°N 0.1017°E / 50.7702; 0.1017 (Cross Way Church, Seaford)	Methodist	–	This church is mostly red-brick but also has stone dressings. It was built in the Early English style in 1894 in the town centre. The congregation has formed a partnership with the town's United Reformed Church, and the name "Cross Way" has been adopted.
St Thomas More Church		Seaford 50.7739°N 0.1073°E / 50.7739; 0.1073 (St Thomas More Church, Seaford)	Roman Catholic	–	In 1935, James O'Hanlon Hughes and Geoffrey Welch built a simple rectangular church with a rendered exterior with some flintwork. In 1969, an extension was built using yellow artificial stone, and the interior was opened up.
Seaford Independent Spiritualist Church		Seaford 50.7735°N 0.1032°E / 50.7735; 0.1032 (Seaford Independent Spiritualist Church, Seaford)	Spiritualist	–	This church was established in 1991. The congregation met in a hall at first, but they later acquired a building (now known as Seafordspirit) in the town centre. Services are held on Thursdays.
Cross Way Clinton Centre		Seaford 50.7732°N 0.1019°E / 50.7732; 0.1019 (Cross Way Clinton Centre, Seaford)	United Reformed Church	–	The "Cross Way" name has been used since the link with the town's Methodist church was forged. Most worship takes place there, but some services are still held in W.F. Poulton's Early English-style flint and ashlar chapel of 1877. Its slender buttressed corner turret is distinctive. The roof has king posts and queen posts.
Chailey Free Church		South Chailey 50.9372°N 0.0192°W / 50.9372; -0.0192 (Chailey Free Church, South Chailey)	Evangelical	–	This independent Evangelical congregation worships in a former mission hall used by Nonconformist groups.
St Michael and All Angels Church		South Malling, Lewes 50.8812°N 0.0068°E / 50.8812; 0.0068 (St Michael and All Angels Church, South Malling)	Anglican	II*	A young John Evelyn laid the foundation stone of the rebuilt church in 1626, but the building has 13th-century origins, and the tower arch and its responds survive from the 14th century. A restoration was carried out in 1874.
King's Church		South Malling, Lewes 50.8778°N 0.0156°E / 50.8778; 0.0156 (King's Church, South Malling, Lewes)	Evangelical	–	This Charismatic Evangelical community, founded in 1985 and aligned with Newfrontiers and the Evangelical Alliance, worships in an industrial unit. In 2009, planning permission was granted for a nearby industrial building to be converted into a new church.
St Peter's Church		Southease 50.8295°N 0.0192°E / 50.8295; 0.0192 (St Peter's Church, Southease)	Anglican	I	Like St Michael's Church in Lewes and St John's Church in Piddinghoe, this ancient building has a round tower. The present nave and chancel are housed in the 11th-century nave, whose accompanying chancel was demolished in the 14th century. Wall murals from about 1280 have been uncovered, and the bell is of the same age, making it one of the oldest in Sussex.
St John the Baptist's Church		Southover, Lewes 50.8691°N 0.0062°E / 50.8691; 0.0062 (St John the Baptist's Church, Southover)	Anglican	I	Although greatly altered, the building was originally the late 11th-century hospitium of the adjacent Lewes Priory, England's first Cluniac House. Its conversion to a church came in the 13th century. The tower collapsed in 1698 and took 40 years to rebuild. Additions were made in the Neo-Norman style in the 19th century.
Streat Church		Streat 50.9202°N 0.0795°W / 50.9202; -0.0795 (Streat Church, Streat)	Anglican	II*	This modest church, with a nave dating from about 1200, a slightly older chancel and a small belfry with a spire, was heavily restored in 1854; an aisle was added to the nave in that year. In 1882 a porch and vestry were built on the north side.
St Luke's Church		Sutton, Seaford 50.7766°N 0.1278°E / 50.7766; 0.1278 (St Luke's Church, Sutton, Seaford)	Anglican	–	Part of the combined parish of Sutton with Seaford, this multi-purpose modern brick and flint building, built for £15,791, serves the Chyngton and Sutton areas of the town. It has a rounded tower at one corner. The site was acquired in 1954, the first stone was laid on 8 November 1959 and the church was opened in June 1959.
Seaford Community Church		Sutton, Seaford 50.7802°N 0.1147°E / 50.7802; 0.1147 (Seaford Community Church, Sutton, Seaford)	Evangelical	–	This independent Evangelical community worships in a modern building in the east of Seaford.
Chyngton Methodist Church		Sutton, Seaford 50.7799°N 0.1273°E / 50.7799; 0.1273 (Chyngton Methodist Church, Sutton, Seaford)	Methodist	–	This church, housed in a multi-purpose building used by many groups from the local community, serves Methodists in the Chyngton and Sutton areas of Seaford.
St Mary's Church		Tarring Neville 50.8157°N 0.0487°E / 50.8157; 0.0487 (St Mary's Church, Tarring Neville)	Anglican	I	There is a nave and south aisle under an undivided roof, chancel and west tower with a tiled pyramidal roof at this 13th-century church near Newhaven. Instead of the usual free-standing font, there is one attached to the aisle wall; this was added in the 14th century.
St Lawrence's Church		Telscombe 50.8128°N 0.0064°W / 50.8128; -0.0064 (St Lawrence's Church, Telscombe)	Anglican	I	The 12th-century church is one of the only buildings in the hamlet, which is reached down a long road from Southease. The nave has one aisle, and there is a chancel with a Lady chapel, a small vestry, porch and tower. The chancel arch looks Norman but is 19th-century; the Lady chapel and north aisle were also rebuilt then.
Telscombe Cliffs United Reformed Church		Telscombe Cliffs 50.7961°N 0.0181°W / 50.7961; -0.0181 (Telscombe Cliffs United Reformed Church, Telscombe Cliffs)	United Reformed Church	–	This United Reformed church, one of four in the district, serves the coastal urban area of Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs.
St Peter's Church		West Firle 50.8450°N 0.0884°E / 50.8450; 0.0884 (St Peter's Church, West Firle)	Anglican	I	One reset doorway, dating from about 1200, is the oldest part of this church. The rest of the structure was built in the late 13th and 14th centuries. The nave has north and south aisles, and there is a vestry and porch. A crenellated tower with substantial buttresses stands at the west end. Adjoining the 13th-century chancel is a private chapel (the Gage Chapel) for members of the Gage baronetcy.
St Martin's Church		Westmeston 50.9067°N 0.0972°W / 50.9067; -0.0972 (St Martin's Church, Westmeston)	Anglican	II*	This small church beneath the South Downs serves a long, narrow parish, and administered East Chiltington's church until 1934. The structure is of flint and sandstone, but 19th-century restoration has obscured its original appearance. The nave is mostly 12th-century, but its south aisle was added later.
St Peter and St John the Baptist's Church		Wivelsfield 50.9709°N 0.0952°W / 50.9709; -0.0952 (St Peter and St John the Baptist's Church, Wivelsfield)	Anglican	II*	Some 11th-century masonry and a doorway remain from the original building. Although it is mostly 13th-century, the present church has parts from a range of architectural eras—the legacy of a 14th-century lengthening, a restoration of 1869, and other work.
Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel		Wivelsfield 50.9627°N 0.0952°W / 50.9627; -0.0952 (Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel, Wivelsfield)	Baptist	II	The secession of some members from Ditchling's Baptist community in 1763 led to the founding of a new Strict Baptist chapel in nearby Wivelsfield in 1780. The building has one weatherboarded bay but is mostly of brick, and has been enlarged several times from its original rectangular layout.
Ote Hall Congregational Chapel		Wivelsfield 50.9678°N 0.0907°W / 50.9678; -0.0907 (Ote Hall Congregational Chapel, Wivelsfield)	Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion	II	Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, who lived in the village, founded a chapel for her Calvinist sect in 1778. The glazed brick building was completed in 1780. The windows and original (now blocked) entrance door are round-arched, and the tiled roof is hipped.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints		Wivelsfield Green 50.9635°N 0.0733°W / 50.9635; -0.0733 (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Wivelsfield Green)	Mormon	–	In 1999, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gained planning permission to build a church on a derelict site in the centre of Wivelsfield Green village. It is one of several churches in the Crawley Stake.

Closed or disused places of worship

Name	Image	Location	Denomination/ Affiliation	Grade	Notes	Refs
St Francis of Assisi Church		Barcombe Cross 50.9248°N 0.0196°E / 50.9248; 0.0196 (Former St Francis of Assisi Church, Barcombe Cross)	Anglican	–	The settlement of Barcombe Cross developed north of the old village. Squire of Barcombe Sir William Grantham provided built a timber and brick structure to serve it in the late 1890s. It went out of use in about 2003, and is now used as a community hall and meeting place.
Protestant Dissenters Mission House		Barcombe Cross 50.9234°N 0.0110°E / 50.9234; 0.0110 (Former Protestant Dissenters Mission House, Barcombe Cross)	Independent	–	This non-denominational mission chapel was established in the first half of the 19th century on the road from Barcombe Cross to Hamsey. It is no longer in religious use.
Beulah Strict Baptist Chapel		Ditchling 50.9222°N 0.1142°W / 50.9222; -0.1142 (Former Beulah Strict Baptist Chapel, Ditchling)	Baptist	–	George Grenyer built a chapel for the Strict Baptist community on East End Lane in 1867. After its closure in the late 1930s it became a private house.
St John the Evangelist's Church		East Blatchington 50.7767°N 0.0975°E / 50.7767; 0.0975 (Former St John the Evangelist's Church, East Blatchington)	Anglican	–	This church was built in the mid-1920s as a second church within the parish of East Blatchington, but closed in 1980. It is now used as a nursery school. The building has a roughcast exterior and tiled roof.
Laughton Methodist Chapel		Laughton 50.9073°N 0.1289°E / 50.9073; 0.1289 (Former Laughton Methodist Chapel, Laughton)	Methodist	–	This former chapel and the accompanying Sunday school and minister's house have been converted into a house. It was built around 1879 on the road from Laughton to Shortgate.
All Saints Church		Lewes 50.8724°N 0.0134°E / 50.8724; 0.0134 (Former All Saints Church, Lewes)	Anglican	II*	This building—an accumulation of parts from several eras—has been used as an arts and community centre since its redundancy in 1975. The 16th-century flint tower was retained when Amon Wilds built a new nave in 1806; an Early English-style chancel followed in 1883.
Providence Baptist Chapel		Lewes 50.8760°N 0.0112°E / 50.8760; 0.0112 (Former Providence Baptist Chapel, Lewes)	Baptist	–	This chapel is now a theatre auditorium. It closed in 1932 after about 70 years of religious use. The building, of blue and red brick, stands on Lancaster Street.
Providence Strict Baptist Chapel		Lewes 50.8752°N 0.0121°E / 50.8752; 0.0121 (Former Providence Strict Baptist Chapel, Lewes)	Baptist	–	Opened with the name Gospel Temperance Mission Hall in 1906, this Vernacular-style flint and brick building served as a Baptist chapel from 1924 until about 1980, after which it was converted for residential use.
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel		Lewes 50.8727°N 0.0110°E / 50.8727; 0.0110 (Former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Lewes)	Methodist	–	An 18th-century Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion chapel stood on this site; it was taken over by Methodists in 1807 and demolished in 1867 when the present building was built. The Early English-style red-brick and stone building was closed in 1973 and became an antiques centre.
Hamilton Memorial Presbyterian Church		Lewes 50.8741°N 0.0117°E / 50.8741; 0.0117 (Former Hamilton Memorial Presbyterian Church, Lewes)	Presbyterian Church of England	–	This large chapel, closed in the 1940s, has also become an antiques showroom and market. It is in the Renaissance style and is mostly of brick.
Calvinistic Baptist Chapel		Newhaven 50.7918°N 0.0493°E / 50.7918; 0.0493 (Former Calvinistic Baptist Chapel, Newhaven)	Baptist	–	This was built in 1904 on the town's Norman Road. The red-brick structure was distinguished by the Dutch gable on the façade. It was closed in 1976 and later became a house.
Congregational Chapel		Newhaven 50.7930°N 0.0488°E / 50.7930; 0.0488 (Former Congregational Chapel, Newhaven)	Congregational	–	After its closure in 1938, this Neoclassical building was restored and turned into a market, but this has now closed. H.N. Goulty designed and built the rendered stone chapel in 1866.
Newhaven Methodist Church		Newhaven 50.7930°N 0.0513°E / 50.7930; 0.0513 (Former Newhaven Methodist Church, Newhaven)	Methodist	–	Charles Bell's 1893 church for the Methodist community has become a Sea Cadets headquarters since its closure in 1940. Yellow and red brick, stone and terracotta were used in the design. A rose window remains above the entrance.
Primitive Methodist Chapel		Newhaven 50.7928°N 0.0506°E / 50.7928; 0.0506 (Former Primitive Methodist Chapel, Newhaven)	Methodist	–	Newhaven's first Methodist chapel dates from 1885. Architect W.S. Parnacott was commissioned; his design was in the Gothic Revival style and incorporated a hall. It is no longer in religious use and has been significantly altered.
Convent Chapel of the Sacred Heart		Newhaven 50.7927°N 0.0463°E / 50.7927; 0.0463 (Former Convent Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Newhaven)	Roman Catholic	–	Newhaven's first Roman Catholic place of worship was designed in about 1878 by a French architect whose name does not survive in any records. It is Romanesque Revival in style and has an apsidal end and rendered walls. It fell out of use in about 1943 and was later used as a library and an arts centre.
Zion Chapel		Newick 50.9746°N 0.0091°E / 50.9746; 0.0091 (Former Zion Chapel, Newick)	Baptist	II	This modest brick-built chapel dates from 1834. It has a large pediment, an entrance porch and a cemetery at the rear. In 2001, planning permission was granted for conversion into flats.
St Mary the Virgin Church/Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven		North Chailey 50.9721°N 0.0218°W / 50.9721; -0.0218 (Former St Mary the Virgin Church/Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, North Chailey)	Anglican and Roman Catholic	II	Built in 1876 in the 13th-century style by John Oldrid Scott, this chapel of ease to St Peter's Church was used by Anglicans until 1976, after which it was leased to the Catholic Church for about 20 years. It is now redundant and for sale. The sandstone building has a saddleback roof.
Rehoboth Independent Congregational Chapel		Ringmer 50.8940°N 0.0597°E / 50.8940; 0.0597 (Former Rehoboth Independent Congregational Chapel, Ringmer)	Congregational	–	The present red-brick building was converted into a house in 1995. It dates from 1914, and stands on the site of a predecessor which was built in 1834.
Congregational Chapel		South Heighton 50.8074°N 0.0577°E / 50.8074; 0.0577 (Former Congregational Chapel, South Heighton)	Congregational	–	This small brick chapel in the village of South Heighton, now part of Newhaven, was erected in 1891. It fell out of use in the mid-20th century and is now in residential use.
Southover General Baptist Chapel		Southover, Lewes 50.8700°N 0.0082°E / 50.8700; 0.0082 (Former Southover Baptist Chapel, Southover)	Baptist	II	This chapel was converted into a house in 1972 after more than 200 years as a place of worship. It was built in 1741 as the first Baptist chapel in the Lewes area, and retains its knapped flintwork, original hipped roof and door, which has been reset in a modern weatherboarded porch.
St Bartholomew's Church		Spithurst 50.9391°N 0.0284°E / 50.9391; 0.0284 (Former St Bartholomew's Church, Spithurst)	Anglican	–	Henry Card, a local man, designed this Early English-style flint church in 1880 to serve the hamlet of Spithurst in Barcombe parish. It was declared redundant in 1994 but is still used by the Diocese of Chichester as a retreat and youth centre.

See also

• List of demolished places of worship in East Sussex

Notes

Bibliography

• Elleray, D. Robert (2004). Sussex Places of Worship. Worthing: Optimus Books. ISBN 0-95-331-3271. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Lindsey, Joyce (1983). Newick: The Story of a Sussex Village c. 900–1950. Newick: Newick Parish Council. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Nairn, Ian (1965). The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071028-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Pé, Diana (2006). Mid Sussex Church Walks. PP (Pé Publishing). ISBN 0-954-36902-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Stell, Christopher (2002). Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting-houses in Eastern England. Swindon: English Heritage. ISBN 1-873592-50-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Vigar, John E. (1986). Exploring Sussex Churches. Rainham: Meresborough Books. ISBN 0-948193-09-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Vigar, John (1994). The Lost Villages of Sussex. Stanbridge: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1-874336-29-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)