The book describes the route of the Cuckmere Pilgrim Path, a 14 mile round walk through the Sussex countryside. The path links seven churches and the Long Man, a chalk hill figure. As each church is reached, the narrative of the walk breaks off and there is a section about the detailed history of the building and its setting. The route includes Alfriston, Berwick, Alciston, Selmeston, Arlington, Wilmington and Lullington.
The first full history of Seaford in Sussex, this book covers the development of the port shortly after the Norman Conquest and its rise to Cinque Port status in the middle ages. Natural silting at the mouth of the River Ouse led to the port's decline. Later Seaford became a major poltical hub, returning two Members of Parliament. Seaford is a town that has struggled for survival, reinventing itself several times over across 900 years. Large f...
A guide to the history of Wilmington church in Sussex and its setting. The book includes the architectural history of the church and the ruined priory right next to it, as well as sections on the ancient yew tree in the churchyard and the Long Man on Windover Hill immediately to the south. The book includes way the church was altered during the Victorian restoration, as well as the latest thinking about the origins of the enigmatic chalk hill ...
An historical guide to Selmeston Church in Sussex and its setting. The church looks like a medieval church, but was rebuilt from the ground up in the nineteenth century by the vicar, William Parish, his friend Lewis Carroll often stayed at the rectory opposite the church. The history of the site goes back much further, to the first Saxon settlers, and before that to neolithic and mesolithic people, who had settlements within a hundred metres o...
Berwick church in Sussex is renowned for its wall paintings by Duncan Grant and other artists in the Bloomsbury Group. But the church also has a fascinating earlier history. It was radically restored by Edward Ellman, the Victorian rector, and before that it had a history dating back to Saxon times. The font is Saxon, and the large mound in the churchyard may be a pre-Christian burial mound. This book is a guide to the church's long and intere...
An historical guide to Alciston church and the surrounding area. The manor of Alciston is unusual in having only two owners since the Norman Conquest, Battle Abbey and the Gage family, both of whom were conscientious record-keepers. Alciston's history is therefore known in some detail. The guide explores the church's fascinating architectural history, illuminated by a rare archaeological excavation at the eastern end. 105 pages, 47 black and w...
Arlington in Sussex is an enigma - a large church and churchyard serving a tiny hamlet. What happened here? This historical guide has the church as its focus, but explores the long history of the surrounding area along the way. The Saxons chose an unusual and difficult site - low, wet and densely wooded. They may have founded a river port here. The church's Norman chapel was probably built as part of the Canterbury pilgrimage cult. 102 pages, ...
A complete record of all the inscriptions in the church and churchyard at Wilmington in Sussex. Wilmington is steeped in history and folklore. Stories of the church, the priory next to it and the figure of the Long Man looming over them on Windover Hill seem to intertwine. The yew tree presiding over the churchyard may be more ancient than any of them. A detailed historical introduction narrates the stories of all of these features and shows h...
The fascinating story of the discovery and rediscovery of a unique prehistoric stone axe hoard. The 15 flint axes were found in 1986, but then forgotten and only displayed as a hoard in 2014, when their national importance was recognized. Hoards like this are very rare. Where were the axes made? By a remarkable coincidence, the factory where they were manufactured was also discovered in 2014, very close at hand. Neolithic Seaford is re-created...
Of all the monuments left by the past, Stonehenge is the most evocative, the most memorable and the most mysterious. Whilst the monuments of other cultures have gradually surrendered their mysteries, Stonehenge alone seems to stimulate endless conjecture.
Alciston's church dates back to Saxon times, but after the Norman Conquest the village was run from Battle Abbey. It became prosperous under a progressive sheep-and-corn system. When Battle Abbey was seized by Henry VIII, the Gages of Firle became Alciston's new feudal masters. This is a village with only two owners in a thousand years. The book reviews the site's history, then gives a full record of all the inscriptions in the church and chur...
Plato's legend of Atlantis has become notorious among scholars as the most absurd lie in literature, now, "Atlantis Destroyed" explores how Plato's account can be perceived as historically true. Atlantis has hovered between fable and folk tale, taken as history by some and acknowledged as allegory by others. Now in paperback, this fascinating book theorizes how the tale of Atlantis is not one piece of identifiable proto-history, but several, a...
Selmeston in Sussex was a settlement long before the Saxons arrived, even though it has a Saxon name. Eight thousand years ago, stone age houses stood close to the site of the church. The unusual circular churchyard hints at a pre-Christian origin. The book reviews the site's history and gives a full record of all the inscriptions, together with plans, photos and indexes. 242 pages long, this book is an invaluable resource for both local and f...
The first excavators of the lost site of Knossos in the nineteenth century saw the site through the eyes of the classical authors. Rodney Castleden gives an alternative insight into the labyrinth which is equally exciting.
The first excavators of the lost site of Knossos in the nineteenth century saw the site through the eyes of the classical authors. Rodney Castleden gives an alternative insight into the labyrinth which is equally exciting.
The story of Seaford in the French Wars, 1793 to 1815, based on contemporary sources, including historic maps, court books, diaries and newspaper reports of the time. Seaford was a town with two parallel histories. Its status as a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation gave it unusual privileges, such as the right to send two Members to Parliament, and there was no shortage of ambitious politicians who wanted to stand for election here. At t...
