About Us

A Grade 1 Listed building, the little church of St Mary’s, Sullington has nestled beneath the Downs for almost a thousand years offering peace, tranquillity, and a welcome to all those who enter to praise the Lord and give thanks for all His many blessings, and to those seeking solace in difficult times. The church is set within the bounds of a yew grove that is even older than the church.

The benefice includes the churches of St Mary’s Sullington and St Mary’s Thakeham – along with the now redundant Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Warminghurst – the two together serving a population of about 4000 people. The two churches work closely together sharing common expenses and we are delighted that together we continue to pay 100% of our parish quota and have been doing so now for a number of years.

The Tower and the Nave are basically Saxon, about 1050, but altered in Norman times and the 12th and 13th centuries.

The benefice is in the Diocese of Chichester under the care of Bishop Martin. We are within the Archdeaconry of Horsham and part of the Deanery of Storrington. Members of both PCC’s attend Deanery Synod, reporting back to their respective churches after the meetings.

Within the churchyard, the single remaining old yew tree dates from the Ninth Century. Some distance to the west is a small sapling taken as a cutting from a two thousand year old yew tree, planted to mark the start of the third millennium. As the seasons change there is the varying beauty of the South Downs rising to 675 feet. Immediately to the north can be seen the fine old Manor House. Approaching along Sullington Lane heading towards the church, observe the massive, weather-boarded and tiled barn with a fine tie-beam roof, dated 1685, said to be the finest example of a Tithe barn to be found in West Sussex.

Additional information can be found at: –
http://www.westsussex.info/sullington-stmarys-church.shtml