A few days ago I visited the Church of All Saints in Lindfield, just north of Haywards Heath, East Sussex. The village retains a high number of re-faced late medieval houses which sometimes display a teasing glimpse of old timber or brick nogging behind their Regency facades. The High Street narrows to the north as you approach the Church, the original focal point for built development. Lindfield’s Manor was held by the Canons of South Malling for centuries, and the original High Street was laid out by the Chapter.
It was a blustery day and the churchyard seemed to me like a quiet oasis. It’s a sheltered spot between the Church’s south wall, a series of mature trees and the walls of ‘The Tiger’, a former Inn which hides a (probably) 14th century jettied hall within. I was charmed to spot the tomb chest of George Newton between the porch and the south transept, set apart and sheltered from the elements. He was sometime Lord of the Manor following the Dissolution, and was granted this exalted position beneath the Church his ancestor, William, paid to restore in 1617.
The interior bears the marks of late-19th and early-20th century restorations, and there are few early monuments to be seen. Most of the pews were replaced with chairs in 2017, giving the space an airy, equitable atmosphere. Charles Eamer Kempe made his home in Lindfield, establishing a Gothic Revival masterpiece in Old Place, his house around the corner from the Church. He donated bells and a Chancel Screen to the Church, though the latter was not accepted and installed until after his death. Can you spot the little sheaf of wheat, Kempe’s signature, in the window below?
