St Michael and All Angels Church, Southwick

The Romans settled in the area that became Southwick: a large villa was in use for nearly 300 years until the 4th century, and no more development took place until the late Saxon era. The earliest record of the name "Southwick" came in 1073, when it was part of the large manor of Kingston Buci estate to the west. A church from earlier in the Saxon era—probably a wooden structure—stood on the site of the present building earlier in the Saxon era, but by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 a stone structure was in place. (sources differ), the advowson was conveyed to the Knights Templar, who by this time were also patrons of the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin in nearby Sompting. It…

]] St Michael and All Angels Church is a flint-built structure with dressings of stone. Most of the flint has been renewed, although there is still some 11th-century work around the entrance door. The nave also has lancets, put in during the 1835 rebuilding, Internal fittings include an elaborately carved pulpit with some early 17th-century panels, an organ restored in the mid-1970s and a substantial square font which is believed to date from the 13th century.