St Nicolas' Church, Shoreham-by-Sea

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ælle, an Anglo-Saxon bretwalda (overlord), came ashore at a place called Cymenes ora on the English Channel coast in 477. He defeated the native inhabitants and became the first king of the South Saxons. The location of the landing place is not known for certain, and historic claims that it was near Shoreham are now considered unlikely, but a church may have been founded inland next to the River Adur in 481. Later in the Saxon era, a large church was definitely built on the site. It had a prominent tower and was more than 50 ft long. Most sources date its construction to 900 or slightly earlier. William de Braose, a Norman nobleman who participated in…

towards the altar]] St Nicolas Church is a large cruciform building with a central tower. This is a common plan in Sussex: central towers are often seen, and the cruciform layout (nave to the west, chancel to the east and transepts to the north and south) is commoner than the linear alternative without transepts. The main building material is flint rubble-work; some walls have stone dressings.

St Nicolas Church was listed at Grade I by English Heritage on 8 May 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district. The parish of St Nicolas, which covers nearly 2000 acre, is smaller now than when it was established.