Steyning Methodist Church
From a total of 123 houses at the time of the Domesday Book, it now houses over 6000 inhabitants.
The name means 'built in stone', such as to describe the steyning around the top of a well or the foundations of a house.
Location in the UK
The village of Bramber used to be a sea-port from Saxon times until the Elizabethan era, and Steyning developed as a market town nearby to provide supplies for re-victualling the ships.
The Norman castle at Bramber (now largely a ruin - see the picture at right) used to have a tidal moat and St. Mary's House in Bramber (above) is a relic of that era. Steyning used to support a number of local breweries in connection with the sea-going trade, but these have almost entirely disappeared over the years.
The village of Steyning is a few miles inland from the south coast of England, about 10 miles north-west of Brighton.
The village lies on the edge of the South Downs, alongside the old flood plain of the River Adur and at the southern edge of the Sussex Weald.
It reflects something of its history as a market town and indicates that it has been a fixed landmark for many centuries.
King Alfred's Close, on the east side of the field, recalls a link with the past: The church contains what is believed to be the coffin lid of King Alfred's father, King Aethelwulf. He was originally buried in Steyning, but his remains were later transferred to Winchester.
The school buildings in Church St. (right) are those of the old Grammar School, dating from 1614, although there is known to have been a school in Steyning from at least 1584. The Church Street premises are still used for full-time boarding pupils, but also house years 7 and 8 of the day pupils. The later school years are housed in new premises in Shootingfield, down Church Lane.
Location in Sussex
The map at the right shows the town of Steyning in relation to the river and the other towns around it. The South Downs run horizontally across the map past Findon and Patcham, with a gap for the Adur river flood plain past Botolphs and Coombes.
