This is an ongoing appeal to raise funds to maintain our village church, and retrospectively cover the cost of an essential fungicide treatment that was completed in early 2023 in order to safely open the church to the public.

More than just a village church

Peaceful, calm and holding the energetic legacy of centuries of religious practice and devotion, St Peters Church, Southease, is welcoming to all and naturally lends itself to quiet reflection, meditation, prayer, and connection to spirit/God. It has been a place of worship for over a thousand years, and yet it is so much more besides...

Nestled in a quiet crook of the South Downs National Park, and located on the South Downs Way (East Sussex), St Peters is a Grade 1 Listed Building of significant historical and cultural import. It was given by King Edgar to the Abbey at Hyde in 966, and subsequently recorded in the Doomsday Book. Its architecture is Norman/early Gothic. The original chancel and aisles have been lost, but the reduced-size church has existed as it is for centuries. It has a 12th Century Round Tower (one of only three in East Sussex), one of the two bells in the tower dates from 1280 and inside it has early medieval wall paintings. It has attracted visitors from all over the world, including former Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan. It is that remarkable a place.

Southease is a tiny village, and the church holds a great deal of importance for those who live there; it's both a literal and figurative centre of their community. Lacking any other shared community space, the church is the only place for meetings, concerts, lectures and community events. All the villagers (not just church goers) make use of and contribute towards the support and maintenance of the Church. Day-to-day maintenance of the church and grounds is undertaken by the villagers on a voluntary basis, who also ensure the church is kept open daily to visitors and walkers who wish to rest weary legs, escape the elements, or simply soak up the vibes!

The grounds are maintained in keeping with the principles of wilding and local habitat provision. They are home to a great many insects, small mammals, slow worms and very likely grass snakes. They provide hunting habitat for local Barn Owls, Kestrels and other local birds of prey. In summer evenings they are a popular hang out for local bats. They are also planted with a great many snowdrops, some quite rare, which carpet the ground in very early spring and attract a number of visitors and enthusiasts. By late spring, the grounds are filled with wild flowers and grasses.

It is a unique and very special place.

Like so many village churches, however, it is also expensive to maintain and the large congregations who traditionally would have supported its upkeep are sadly a thing of the past. Our community is now looking to other ways to support and maintain our much loved church so that we can remain open to the public and preserve the space for future generations. These include quiz nights, concerts, community events, and the annual Southease Open Gardens weekend, along with online fundraising, which is a very recent development for us.

In addition to running costs such as heating and electricity, and the provision of a water tap for visitors, walkers and cyclists, the building is subject to routine structural inspection, and any repairs deemed necessary must be undertaken in a timely manner to prevent damage and degredation. In 2022 the ceiling woodwork was found to be infected by Aspergillosis and other spores following contract work on the roof four years previously. As the spores are dangerous the Church had to be shut to the public on immediate discovery and remained closed for well over a year (having previously been closed during lockdown). This was great tragedy, and risked further damage to the interior, including the frescoes.

A great deal of effort and work was put into the resolution of the problem following the closure. The cost of the work, along with readying the church for opening was estimated at £15000, however the contractors insurance would not pay for the required fungicidal treatment without a Court Order and the PCC could not afford to go to court to secure one. A significant portion of the cost of this essential work was secured through donations in 2022. The structural work was approved by the Architect (as per requirement) and carried out at the beginning of 2023, and the Church was finally able to re-open to the public in February 2023.

Not all of the cost was met however, and this is what we are presently fundraising for. Once the cost of the repair work has been covered, any further monies raised will go towards the further maintenance and upkeep of this much loved historical building.

If you would like to support us, anything you can give will be wonderful and deeply appreciated by both Church and local community.