Edburton

Edburton has a 13th century church of St Andrew which contains another of West Sussex's rare lead fonts (there is also one at nearby Poynings). The font at Edburton dates from 1180.

Like the font at Poynings, the font at St Andrew's, Edburton escaped looting in the Civil War by being used as a horse trough, although no-one knows whether any horses died of lead poisoning as a result.

Other notable features of Edburton Church include the large porch, which is topped by a beautiful roof of Horsham stone, and the sheer size of the church compared to that of the small village it serves today.

Although the village of Edburton is tiny today, it is almost certain that the village had a much larger population in the Middle Ages.

The remains of an 11th century fort in the form of a motte and bailey castle sit above the Edburton, although there is nothing more to see these days than a ditch with a mound alongside it.

In the picture above, you can see the distinctive masts at the top of Truleigh Hill, which stands 216 metres high on the South Downs above Edburton. The hill immediately before the peak of Truleigh Hill is Edburton Hill which rises to 178 metres and which is the site of the castle remains.

Edburton lies in the parish of Upper Beeding.