Mad Harper

A £7,500 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust came just in the nick of time for the 800-year-old, Grade 1 listed church in Salehurst.   St Mary the Virgin, originally built by the Cistercian monks of Robertsbridge Abbey, is mentioned in the Domesday Book; the present building dates back to the early 13 th century.   The church applied for the Sussex Historic Churches Trust grant as a matter of urgency in December after components of the wooden roof started coming loose and falling...

The spectacular statue of St Michael the Archangel that adorns the tower of St Michael’s Church in Lewes has been reinstated after extensive repair work.   The 2.4m-high work was created by acclaimed British sculptor Harry Phillips who settled in the town in his later years and was a member of the church's congregation. Phillips, who completed numerous large public sculptures in his lifetime, started his career as a wood-carver, furniture-maker, blacksmith and potter. In 1950, he was...

Scaffolding that has enshrouded the tower of St Peter’s Church in Brighton has finally come down after more than a decade. The tower of the Grade II* listed building has been a huge concern for years due to eroding masonry and crumbling stone and rust. Often dubbed Brighton’s cathedral, the church one of the city’s most prominent landmarks and is considered one of the finest examples of the pre-Victorian Gothic Revival style. Restoration work has been going on for more than 15 years but it...