St Margaret's Church

The church is in the northeastern corner of the Green, the ancient heart of Rottingdean. A place of worship has stood in the position since the Saxon period, The church remained structurally unaltered until a major restoration in 1856 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. A new three-bay south aisle was built; Scott removed an ancient window from the original aisle and built it into one of the new walls. The chancel wall was also partly rebuilt at this time. ]] Additions in the 20th century comprised a porch at the west entrance, erected in 1908, and vestries in one corner of the nave, added in the 1970s in a style appropriate to the mediaeval architectural style of the church. This was designed by…

The church is built of flint, with stone dressings and a tiled roof. Although the 19th-century work by Scott also used flint, its pattern is more even than the random distribution seen in the original walls.

St Margaret's was listed at Grade II* on 13 October 1952. It remains in active use for worship, and is the only Anglican church in the Benefice of Rottingdean. The parish covers the whole of Rottingdean—reaching to the boundaries of Ovingdean and Saltdean—the coast road as far as Roedean, and surrounding areas of downland. A development project in 2024-2025 removed the pews, installed underfloor heating, added shallower steps to the altar and moved the bust of Rev Dr Thomas Hooker from over the pulpit to a new position on the north wall of the church. Further phases of development are planned, including a two-story extension on the north side of the church to provide accessible toilets, a…