St Peter's Church, West Blatchington

Like nearby Hangleton, West Blatchington started as an isolated village on the South Downs north of Hove, and had declined to such an extent by the 19th century that only the manor house, the church and some farm buildings and cottages were left. West Blatchington Windmill, near the church, had been built in 1820. The parish church, St Peter's, was thought to have been built in the 12th century by the Normans. Archaeological work carried out in the 1980s, however, revealed 11th-century, Saxon origins. In particular, the flint walls which survive as part of the present building contain numerous pieces of Roman-era debris, such as fragments of broken tiles and stones from furnaces. These…

The church is in three distinct parts—Saxon/Norman, late 19th century and mid-20th century—which nevertheless blend together well. The 19th-century rebuilding kept as much of the nave and chancel intact as possible, and added a short weatherborded bell-tower topped with a spire at the west end; a porch on the south side with a gabled roof; three Decorated-style lancet windows; and a barrel vault roof. The interior fittings are fairly austere, and no internal fixtures remain from the ancient church; a 16th-century brass memorial tablet commemorating the Scrase family was taken to St Nicolas Church, Portslade and installed in the south aisle there.

St Peter's was listed at Grade II* on 24 March 1950. Worship is in the Reformed Catholic tradition of the Church of England. There is a parish Eucharist on Sunday at 10am with Sunday school and once or twice a month, a teens group called spy. The parish, which was established in 1940, covers a large area north of Hove immediately west of the Brighton boundary, although much of it is uninhabited downland. The boundaries are Goldstone Crescent, The Droveway, Nevill Road, the land behind Nevill Avenue, Hangleton Road and Amberley Drive; the South Downs as far as Waterhall Golf Course; Mill Road and Woodland Avenue. Since 2008, the church has been part of the Portslade and Western Hove Group…