St Peter's Church, Henfield

The ground of the parish of Henfield is mostly composed of Weald clay, but towards the centre of the parish are low ridges of plateau gravel lying on Lower Greensand. On one of these, near the old road that ran from Eatons, near Ashurst, to Hurstpierpoint, stands the church of St Peter, rather to the north-west of most of the village's older buildings. The first St. Peter's Church, probably built on the same spot, was founded by thegn Waerbald and his wife Tidburg, to whom Osmund, king of Sussex, granted 15 hides of land for that purpose in the year 770. It has been suggested that this church was a minster, i.e. that it held a community of clergymen, but this remains a disputed point. The…

The church of St Peter as it stands today consists of a nave with north and south aisles and transepts, a chancel flanked by a chapel to the north and a vestry to the south, a porch and a tower. The nave dates from the 13th century, though whether early or late is disputed. The chancel arch, though 13th century, was rebuilt in the 19th. The aisles and chancel are products of the 1870–1871 restoration. The 15th-century Parham chapel is remarkable for its east window, a lovely example of the Gothic style of Henry VI's reign. The tower is in a rather austere version of the Perpendicular style, "as grim", Pevsner says, "as it would be in Northumberland". During the restoration work of 1870–1871…

Since 1978 St Peter's, Henfield has formed part of the united benefice of Henfield with Shermanbury and Woodmancote, but it remains a distinct parish. The parish is served by a vicar, an assistant priest and an assistant curate. Holy Communion is celebrated on Sunday at 10.00 a.m., sometimes with the Book of Common Prayer liturgy and sometimes with Common Worship, except on the first Sunday of every month when there is a family-friendly service without Communion. There are also sometimes services earlier on Sunday morning, and at 6.30 on Sunday evening. Holy Communion is celebrated on Wednesday at 10.30 a.m. and on Thursday at 7.15 p.m., and services are regularly conducted in two local…