Ditchling sits in the shadow of the South Downs and Ditchling Beacon is the highest point in East Sussex. There are Neolithic circular earthworks at the top which were later occupied by the Romans. The lands around Ditchling were part of a royal estate belonging to King Alfred - who would have known it as Dicelinga and who is believed to have had a small palace here. The village is built around the cross-roads where the east/west road from Lewes to Hurstpierpoint crosses the north/south Haywards Heath to Stanmer road. The four streets are close packed with warm, coloured houses, mostly 18th century, as well as some earlier and timber-framed houses. The church of St. Margaret of Antioch (the Crusaders’ Saint) is a flint built cruciform building, mainly of the C13th, but with a nave and windows of the C14th & C15th. The tower, topped with a shingled spire, transepts and chancel, is Early English. The heavy handed restoration by the Victorians in 1863 robbed the church of its box pews and what remained of some murals. Opposite the church is a brick and timber-framed C16th house called Wings Place; there is also the Old Friends Meeting House, the Boweries, and many other fine buildings; the former village school contains the newly refurbished Museum of Art & Craft which holds an internationally important collection of work by artists and craftspeople who were drawn to the village. There many fine walks in and around the village with Ditchling Common to the north and the South Downs to the south. To quench the thirst the White Horse pub next to the church or for traditional teas at Dolly`s Pantry.
Attraction
Ditchling Museum
Stoneywish Country Park
Camping
Doctor
Golf Club
Pub and Bar
Bull Inn
Sandrock Inn
White Horse Inn
School
St Margaret's C Of E Primary School
Solicitor
Activities
Ditchling Archery Club(Archery)
Places to Stay near Ditchling
Tovey Lodge (0.88 miles)
Abbey House (2.10 miles)
A warm welcome.....Awaits you at our comfortable family home bed and breakfast in a pleasant residential district.We are within easy reach of Burgess Hill railway station, Burgess Hill Town Centre, ... More
Premier Inn Burgess Hill (2.59 miles)
Vinyard Lodge (2.95 miles)
Just 15 minutes from the bustle of Brighton and 15 minutes from Gatwick off the A23 London to Brighton, idyllically situated in the picturesque village of Hurspierpoint by the South ... More
Little Turrets (3.20 miles)
Little Turrets is a luxury detached contemporary Bed and Breakfast which has its own courtyard and is independent of the main house of Turrets set in 9 acres of land. Being newly converted it conforms ... More | visit website
Innkeepers Lodge (4.18 miles)
Hickstead Hotel (4.68 miles)
Set in 7 acres of peaceful Sussex countryside, this distinguished rural retreat offers a wealth of choice for meetings, dining or a well-earned break away from all the stress of modern ... More
Wickwoods Country Club (4.75 miles)
The Blacksmiths Arms (4.90 miles)
Newmarket Inn (4.96 miles)
With a convenient location, right on the A27 between Brighton and Lewes, this comfortable hotel, bar and restaurant offers a mix of traditional values and modern facilities. Newmarket Inn offers excellent access ... More
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