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 appointed Head of Sculpture at Leeds College of Art in Leeds and much of his work is now housed in Leeds Museums and Galleries.   The stunning figure of St Michael the Archangel is highly dramatic with the saint suspended in a mid-air pose, arms outstretched with large wings spread behind and a large sword grasped in his right hand. The statue was installed in 1976 and was one of the last works that Phillips completed – he died the same year.   St Michael’s Church applied for a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in 2024. The statue had started to crack in a number of areas and there was extensive damage to the right arm and adjoining sword where water had got into the sculpture and was rusting the armature inside. Specialist repairs needed to be undertaken as soon as possible. The Trust does not normally give grants for the restoration of monuments and confines its assistance to essential works to the fabric of places of worship in Sussex. However, on this occasion, the Trustees thought that the dramatic nature of the work and its prominence in the Lewes townscape merited the Trust's support.   Scaffolding was erected and the statue carefully taken down and transported to LS Sculpture Casting in Aylesbury, which has provided specialist moulding and resin casting services for more than 40 years . David Challis said: “We first repaired the surface of the sword and arm to make a mould of it using silicone and fibreglass. This allowed us to cast a brand new arm and sword and we were able to attach this using laminated fibreglass. Fibreglass is just as strong and comes with the benefit of not being able to rust!   “We also cut off the left arm, removed the metal and reattached it using the same method. Other surface cracks and holes were repaired, and we also laminated the back of the wings as we found that these were mostly hollow with numerous holes and it was likely this is where water was getting into the sculpture. Finally, once everything was repaired, we re-patinated the sculpture using chemicals and waxes to achieve the verdigris finish.” The statue was finally reinstated at the beginning of October. Former churchwarden Andrew Smyth said: “We were delighted and very grateful for the Trust’s grant. St Michael’s has no spare money; we normally have to draw on fast dwindling reserves if we cannot get grants and donations for projects. It was a relief that we covered the costs without needing to. We always look to SHCT for financial assistance and it’s invariably a great help.”

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 was the latest phase, begun in late 2024, which was partly funded by a £10,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust. Revealed in all its splendour ... the tower of St Peter's, Brighton The most recent phase focused on structural repairs and essential stone replacement, removal of rusting cramps and extensive lime mortar repointing. Additional restoration work, which was identified and completed during the project, included the removal and replacement of external loose rendering around the south door and additional mechanical fixings added to the south parapet stones. Once the restoration work was completed, most of the scaffolding which has encased the church since 2014 could finally be dismantled and the splendid tower revealed once more. At the start of the project, building conservation specialists DBR (Southern) Limited described the building as in an "extremely dilapidated condition", with significant stone erosion and corroding iron cramps which had been exacerbated by the coastal environment. Fundraiser Sara Marsden-King said: “Thanks again for the support of the Trust. The impact of this project has been significant - not only in restoring our Tower but also in engaging our community. We are excited to continue to build on this momentum going forward.” St Peter’s Church was built between 1824-1828 and designed by Sir Charles Barry when he was only 28. He won the commission in a competition and it marked the start of a glittering career. Just ten years later, he was commissioned to design the new Houses of Parliament, the old Palace of Westminster having been destroyed in a fire. As it was ... for more than ten years!

A £6,000 grant awarded to the ancient parish church has helped  to fund a major project to re-tile the entire roof.    St Leonard’s in South Stoke, near Arundel, was built in the 11th century and has been a sacred place for almost a thousand years. Described on Visit Arundel website  as a “hidden gem”, the tiny flint church is situated in one of the most stunning parts of the South Downs National Park overlooking the River Arun. The church has no electricity or water and is lit by dozens of candles for the two regular services every month, along with weddings, baptisms and funerals throughout the year.   For much of its history, St Leonard's stood on its own as a parish church, celebrating the sacraments and preaching the gospel to nearby farm workers and their families. Since the 1920s, however, the parish has been joined with the neighbouring parish church of Arundel and became part of the Benefice of Arundel.    The church’s chronic roof issues came to a head four years ago when damp caused some serious internal plaster falls. It became clear that the only solution was extensive retiling.   Canon David Twinley, Rector at St Leonard, said that the roof had been "patched up, when necessary, over the years" but that an entire re-tile has been necessary since 2021.   As always with roofing projects in old buildings, a bat survey was required and church representatives also met up with experts from AEWC Ltd, an animal ecology and wildlife consultancy. Once St Leonards had acquired the necessary Bat Licence, work got underway in early September, carried out by Lion Roofing of Chichester.    Roof repairs underway at St Leonards, South Stoke Huge progress was made in the early weeks of the project, thanks to clement weather conditions. Now, with the scaffolding down, the work has been expertly completed in time for Christmas. New roof battens have been put in place. Old, damaged and broken tiles have been removed and the completed retiling  special access points for bats.   Both slopes of the Nave and Chancel roofs were re-weathered using salvaged replacement tiles along with new lead flashings. The roofers also installed a new felt underlayer to help provide a second barrier to water ingress and obviating the need for an expensive temporary roof.   The £6,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust went a long way towards meeting the £11,000 shortfall in church funds. The entire project is costing close to £80,000. Churchwarden Colin Stepney said: “The grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust was enormously helpful. We could not have completed the project without it. “Delighted’ understates how we felt and how grateful we are to the Trust. To use an expression from the world of sport, it’s fair to say we were “over the moon!”   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of nearly £100,000 in grants in 2025 including St Mary the Virgin, Warbleton , St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett , St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary the Virgin, Ninfield .     Grant dates for 2026 The grant meetings in 2026 will take place on April 10  and September 18 ; applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks in advance . Please see our Grants  page for more information.

Ancient churches are all too familiar with the perils of water getting in and causing damage to both the fabric and structure of the building. It’s a perennial and costly problem for historic places of worship all over the country.   The Grade 1 listed church of St Mary the Virgin in Warbleton, which dates back to the 13th-century, is suffering serious water ingress at the connection between the nave and the chancel, the two very oldest parts of the church. Urgent repairs are needed to stop the situation from getting any worse.   To this end, the church was delighted to receive a £3,000 grant this September from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust and the award will help meet the £14,400 cost of repairs. St Mary’s is one of 11 churches that received a grant from the Trust in the latest tranche of awards.   Churchwarden Tony Welford said: “If these issues aren’t addressed quickly, it could have a greater impact on the fabric and repair costs could increase substantially. The longer we leave it, the worse it will get, and the more expensive it will be. We therefore hope to get things started in the very near future.   “As anyone who has an intimate knowledge of Grade 1 listed buildings will know, managing repairs and providing the required funding is not straightforward but the speed with which the Trust responded to our request made things much easier for us, both on a practical and a supportive level.”   St Mary the Virgin has a rich history - the church is built on a Neolithic mound and, as well as the 13th-century chancel and nave, also features a 14th-century porch and north aisle and 15th-century tower.   Warbleton was the home parish of   Richard Woodman , one of the Lewes martyrs who was churchwarden and burned alive for his faith in 1557. Woodman, an ironmaster, publicly objected to the local Parish Priest changing from Protestant to Roman Catholic. He was captured, and taken to London to stand trial. At his trial, he showed remarkable knowledge of the Bible and was able to quote from it verbatim. He was condemned by the Bishop of Winchester and it is believed that he was locked in Warbleton Church Tower. On June 22nd 1557, he was burned to death with nine other martyrs in front of the Star Inn at Lewes.   Mr Welford added: “We are a small country Parish and issues like this always have a greater significance in comparison. The fact that we have already raised around £6k is testament to the place that the Church holds in our local community.”   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants this month including St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett , St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary the Virgin , Ninfield .   Next year’s grant meetings will take place on April 10 and September 18; applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks in advance. See our Grants  page for more information.

The 800-year-old church of St Mary the Virgin in Ninfield has been awarded an £8,000 grant by the Sussex Historic Churches Trust to help fund   vital repairs to the parapet gutter and tower woodwork.   The grant was the largest conferred by the Trust in the latest round of awards in early September.     St Mary the Virgin, which is Grade 1 listed, dates back to pre-Norman times and is thought to lie on the route that the Normans took in 1066 - from their landing site at Pevensey to the battlefield at Senlac Field in Battle. The village of Ninfield is mentioned in the Domesday Book as having been badly damaged by the invading forces.   In recent years, the distinctive wooden bell tower has suffered from water penetration, and some of the roof joists are now rotten. The substrate of the parapet gutter is also thought to be failing. The church is hoping to raise further funds to cover the cost of the project and start work in early 2026.   The Revd Paul Frostick said: “ We were delighted to receive so generous a grant from Sussex Historic Churches Trust. It will make a huge difference to our project going forward. We are a small and fairly elderly congregation and struggle to keep things going. To receive such a generous grant is a great encouragement to us.”   The church is planning a series of fundraising activities over the coming months including a Michaelmas Fair in a few weeks.   The Revd Frostick   added: “The most urgent part of the project is to make repairs to the leadwork as water seems to be getting into the tower. Once that is done, then we can proceed with the painting of the tower woodwork as scaffolding will need to be in place for both aspects of the work.”    The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants in September including awards to the ancient churches of St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett, St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary’s, Warbleton.

The ancient church of St Peter’s in Westhampnett near Chichester has been given a helping hand by the Sussex Historic Churches Trust towards the cost of urgent repairs.   The church, which dates back to Saxon times and is Grade 2* listed, is one of 11 churches that received a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in the latest tranche of awards in September.   St Peter’s had applied to the Trust to help cover the cost of repairing a 19th-century window on the south aisle as well as carrying out repairs to severely-damaged plasterwork on the north aisle.   The repair to the south aisle window will involve restoring the window hopper, shot blasting and powder-coating the frame and repairing various cracks.   The north aisle was added in 1867 when the church was renovated. Much of the render is either in poor condition or missing altogether, including around the War Memorial which consists of two grey Hopton Wood stone tablets. The World War I and World War II tablets were designed by architect MacDonald Gill.   The Trust was delighted to support the project with a £2,000 grant. Sunrise Stained Glass Ltd is undertaking the window repair while Shepherd & Grantham Stonemasons will be repairing the north aisle render. Works are set to begin in October and will continue into 2026.   St Peter’s Church, first mentioned in the Domesday Book, is mainly built of flint rubble with stone dressings but the oldest surviving part is some Roman brick in the western part of the chancel, which dates back to the 11th century.   St Peter’s takes an active role in the annual Ride + Stride fundraiser and has raised nearly £1,000 over the last three years. This year the church was treated to a visit by the bishop, The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner who is a keen Ride + Strider.   The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner pictured centre on Ride + Stride Day Churchwarden Hazel Bate added: “The window hopper repair is an urgent matter, as it is causing damage to the adjacent stonework.   “The War Memorial in the church is seen as particularly important to repair, both to honour those who died and as the main memorial for the Westhampnett community. It is regularly visited by interested people and those paying their respects.   “St Peter’s is extremely grateful to the Sussex Historic Churches Trust for their generous grant towards these repairs. The upkeep of an historic church is a heavy burden and money has to be raised continuously through the congregation and other sources to enable repairs and preservation of the church.   “A reordering project is currently in progress, to make the church more user-friendly for the ever-growing community around Westhampnett by adding an accessible toilet and a tea-point in the south-west aisle, as well as a small meeting room and creche in the north-west aisle. These additions will ensure the future of the building as a community hub.”   St Peter’s is located north of Stane Street, the Roman Road connecting Chichester to London. It continues to be visited by pilgrims travelling on route to London and to Canterbury Cathedral, as well as to the shrine of St Richard in Chichester Cathedral.   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants in September including awards to the ancient churches of St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Mary’s Ninfield, St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary’s, Warbleton.

Our annual Ride + Stride fundraiser coincides fortuitously with this year’s Heritage Open Day event which sees thousands of buildings nationwide open their doors to the public.   Among those churches which are “doubling down” on September 13 by celebrating both Heritage Open Day and  Ride + Stride are: St Mary de Haura   in Shoreham , St Mary’s in Sompting , St Thomas a' Becket in Cliffe, Lewes and  Old Hamsey Church  in Hamsey on the outskirts of Lewes.   Also taking part is St John the Evangelist church in Newtimber  which is hosting a special memorial at 11am on September 13 to recognise the part that people enslaved on Jamaican plantations played in contributing to the wealth of the church’s 19th-century benefactor Charles Gordon – see our earlier story here .   Old Hamsey Church, Hamsey, Lewes As part of Heritage Open Day AND the Lewes Artwave festival, Old Hamsey Church just outside Lewes is hosting This Land of Ours, an exhibition featuring prints and sculptures by British artist Keith A. Pettit. Pettit's artwork draws inspiration from the natural world, particularly his native Sussex landscape. The exhibition runs from September 6 – 21. Landscape artist Paul Evans will also be joining Keith in exhibiting his work. Keith will be on-site during Ride + Stride day from 11am to 5pm. No pre-booking needed. More info on the Heritage Open Day website   St Mary de Haura - parish church of New Shoreham St Mary de Haura dates from 1103 and is the largest church between Brighton and Worthing. It is Grade I listed both for its historical and architectural distinctiveness. At 2.30pm on September 13, a church tour will kick off, featuring the Romanesque and transitional Gothic architecture, mediaeval graffiti, two Kempe stained-glass windows and a war memorial which honours the only RAF fighter pilot awarded the Victoria Cross in the Second World War. The church tours have been arranged in partnership with the Shoreham Society which itself is putting on a stunning range of Heritage Open Days events. More info on the Heritage Open Day website .   St Mary’s, Sompting St Mary's Sompting Sometimes known as the "Cathedral of the Downs", there’s been a church at Sompting since before the Norman conquest. The oldest part of the building is the Saxon Tower, which stands around 25 metres high with walls 76cm thick. It’s thought to have been built in stages, starting before 1,000 AD and the spire is the earliest example of a ‘Rhenish helm’ in England. Tours will run between 10am and 4pm; please pre-book by emailing friends@stmarysompting.org.uk  or calling 01903 245639. More info in this Sussex World  article and on the Heritage Open Day website .   St Denys’s, Rotherfield St Denys’s church in Rotherfield is a medieval church with wall paintings. The church will unfortunately be closed on Ride + Stride day but Heritage fans are encouraged to visit from September 16 to September 21 when there will be church tours and an architecture-themed installation by local art and craft groups. More info on the Heritage Open Day website .   St Thomas a' Becket Church, Cliffe A unique opportunity to tour the church tower (up 42 steep steps) is on offer for visitors to St Thomas à Becket Church, Lewes on September 13. There’s the chance to see the 17th-century clock (the second-oldest in Sussex) and an even more ancient oak bell frame and the four bells. The church was founded as a chapel and probably became a church after the martyr’s death in 1170, with a 14th-century nave arcade and 15th-century tower. An introductory talk will take place before the tour. The tour is free but booking is essential through Eventbrite .  More info on the Heritage Open Day website . Ride + Stride Ride + Stride is an annual event that that raises more than £1.5 million for churches right across the UK. At the Sussex Historic Churches Trust, it is by far our biggest fundraiser of the year and plays a vital role in enabling the Trust to help churches throughout East and West Sussex. For more information on how you can take part and support your local church by getting sponsored on September 13, please see our Ride + Stride page . Heritage Open Days The Heritage Open Days initiative, England’s largest festival of history and culture, is running September 12-21. There are scores of places to visit and activities to enjoy. Click the following links to find out what's on locally: East Sussex  | West Sussex .

The beautiful Grade 2-listed church in Danehill in East Sussex is set to enjoy a major roof restoration thanks in part to an £11,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust.   A drone survey revealed severe weather damage, water ingress and leaks. The fixings were degrading and the mortar was failing meaning there was little to hold the tiles in place. The situation had reached a critical stage .   The Revd Paddy MacBain said: “The church had a similar challenge in 2011 with the south side of the roof. That led to the replacement of the old Collyweston tiles with new Welsh slate. Our goal now is to carry out similar repairs to the north side, preventing water from coming in and damaging the beautiful interior of the church.   “There is also the need to ensure the tiles were safe outside and not likely to fall on anyone! With the need and cost of having scaffolding up, the best solution was to replace the North Nave, Chancel and Lady Chapel roofs which were sadly all in need of repair.”   The whole project is costing £127,000 but the church already has substantial funds in hand and was able to secure the remainder through local fundraising, support from the Friends of All Saints Danehill and additional grants.   All Saints dates back to 1892 when a new church was built in the village after an earlier 1835 building was severely damaged by fire.   MacBain added: “The grant from Sussex Historic Churches Trust was vital in enabling the project to be able to go ahead. Without this grant it is hard to see how it could have proceeded and we are really thankful for this support.   “The repairs have just begun and it is hoped they will have been completed by the end of October. Parishioners who have heard about the grant are delighted that the roof can be repaired, allowing continued use of this vital space for the church and community. Over the years, we have had concerts, gift appeals and fundraising events to help with smaller church projects but this is the biggest project of its kind in recent years so we are really grateful for the grant from Sussex Historic Churches Trust.”   All Saints was one of nine churches that received grants from the Trust in April 2024. Since then, a further 10 churches have been awarded grants totalling nearly £100,000.

A real treat is in store for Ride + Stride participants who head to Lewes and surrounding villages on September 13 this year as the annual fundraiser coincides with the district’s fabulous Artwave festival .   The following churches are all hosting exhibitions during the festival, making them inspiring destinations for Ride+ Stride fundraisers. Most of the exhibitions are open from 11am to 5pm on September 13.   Artwave,  which involves hundreds of artists and makers exhibiting at venues all over the district, is running from September 6 to 21 and you can download the full brochure here .   All Saints, Laughton Weaving and textiles, jewellery and silversmithing, landscapes, still life and portraits are all on show with tea and cakes on offer at this lovely Grade I listed, ancient, medieval church. info here: https://www.lrcchurches.co.uk/events.html   St Nicholas Church, Iford This atmospheric 11th-century church is hosting an eclectic exhibition by Iford and Swanborough artists including paintings, prints, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, ceramics and garden structures. Tea, cake on offer. Free parking.   St John the Evangelist, Piddinghoe Nine artists will be featured at the Piddinghoe exhibition including basket-making, ceramics, flowers, jewellery, painting, papier-mâché, textiles and woodturning.   St Anne’s Church, High Street, Lewes On the site of a medieval anchorite cell, the Anchored in Silence exhibition will feature indoor and outdoor works in wood, metal, glass, stone, clay and textile. The artists include Rachael Nicholson, John Meikle, Amanda Sumpter, Kate McMinnies, Jane Sarre and Roz Cran.   St Michael, Lewes Clay Paper Shuttle at St Michael in Lewes features Fleur (ceramicist), Louise (weaver), Robert (artist), Rachael (sculptor) and plus guest makers. Refreshments. As the church puts it, “Eat cake. Breathe art.”   Old Hamsey Church, Hamsey, Lewes Old Hamsey Church is hosting This Land of Ours, an exhibition featuring prints and sculptures by British artist Keith A. Pettit. Pettit's artwork draws inspiration from the natural world, particularly his native Sussex landscape. Keith will be on-site during Ride + Stride day from 11am to 5pm.   St Andrew’s, Alfriston A rare opportunity to see the work of gifted sculptor John Roberts is in store for Ride + Stride participants who head to St Andrew’s, Alfriston. Uncrated  will be the first exhibition of Roberts’s work in nearly 20 years and is taking place from September 7-21. See our earlier story here .     Ride + Stride Nationally, Ride + Stride raises more than £1.5 million and is by far our biggest fundraiser of the year. It plays a vital role in enabling the Trust to help churches throughout East and West Sussex. For more information on how you can take part and support your local church by getting sponsored on September 13, please see our Ride + Stride page .

St John the Baptist, a Grade 1-listed medieval church in the tiny village of Westbourne near Emsworth in West Sussex, is celebrating a beautifully-restored roof, thanks in part to an £8,000 grant from Sussex Historic Churches Trust.   The tiled roof over the north aisle and nave of the church – a structure which dates back to the 13 th  century – was fully recovered in 1950, but since then had started to deteriorate. An investigation in 2018 showed that the battens supporting the tiles were beginning to fail and were also suffering from “nail fatigue”, where nails corrode to such a degree that they no longer work. By 2023 it was clear that re-roofing the north slope of the roof was the only solution.  Church treasurer Stewart Taylor said: “We could tell there had been significant deterioration of the clay tile covering and knew the situation was only going to become steadily worse  - especially if we had periods of intense rainfall and strong winds.   In January last year, the church embarked on a major fundraising campaign, applying for grants from various bodies  - including the Sussex Historic Churches Trust, as well as raising awareness locally with social media, website posts and magazine articles plus a very prominent “Help Save Our Roof” roadside banner.   Mr Taylor added: “Westbourne is something of a rat-run for drivers trying to avoid the Chichester bypass and the banner was right smack in the eye as people drove past. It all really helped. Also donations from our church congregation and the local community were considerably better than we expected.”   All about the bats Overall the project came to £84,000 but one of the bigger costs involved a series of mandatory bat surveys. The whole restoration plan was predicated on the surveys which can only be carried out at certain times of the year. Specialist ecologists conducted the surveys in the spring and summer of 2024 and, fortunately, no bats were detected. Local building firm T Couzens and Sons was able to start work in October 2024.   Mr Taylor said: “The £8,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust was one of the more generous contributions but, more importantly, it had a real snowball effect and encouraged other Trusts and donors to support us as well. If you can show that you’re getting support from charities like the Sussex Historic Churches Trust, that increases the confidence of other grant givers and donors.”   Once the project was underway, the church was delighted to discover that most of the roof timbers were sound and that a substantial number of the existing clay tiles could be reused with matched second-hand tiles used for the remainder. All the failed battens and nails were replaced and new bat-friendly roofing felt was installed.” St John the Baptist was one of nine churches that received grants from the Trust in April 2024. Since then, a further 10 churches have been awarded grants totalling nearly £100,000.   Ride + Stride St John the Baptist is open for Ride + Stride on September 13 this year and managed to raise nearly £900 at last year’s event. For more details on Ride +  Stride, please click here .

A rare opportunity to see the work of gifted sculptor John Roberts is in store for Ride + Stride participants who head to St Andrew’s, Alfriston on September 13.   Uncrated  will be the first exhibition of Roberts’s work in nearly 20 years and is taking place from September 7-21as part of the Lewes district’s annual Artwave festival .   Roberts died prematurely of cancer at the age of 56 in 2002. The exhibition will feature around 20 of his stone sculptures along with plaster studies for his cathedral and church commissions, some striking portrait heads in plaster and numerous drawings.   About John Roberts Roberts had an eclectic talent and was equally at home working in wood, limestone, clay, marble and stone. His figures and architectural carvings appear on many ecclesiastical and secular buildings around Britain, including Westminster Abbey, Lincoln Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and Woburn Abbey. In its obituary, The Independent wrote: “Roberts had a magisterial knowledge of classical and medieval sculpture and decoration enabling him to match styles with uncanny insight.”   Roberts’s most celebrated works included three carved life-size statues created for the west front of Westminster Abbey as part of the Twentieth Century Martyrs series – including the much-loved limestone carving of young South African martyr Manche Masemola . At Lincoln Cathedral, he carved a series of panels in local limestone to replace the eroded Romanesque originals on the west front.   His 1991 tympanum in Portland stone at Woburn Abbey, which replaced a 32ft by 7ft original, was awarded first prizes by both the Stone Federation and the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 1999, he created the 7-foot abstract bronze Angel on the Green in Islington.   The exhibition at St Andrew’s has been organised by Roberts’s widow, Silvia MacRae Brown, also a sculptor, in conjunction with rector Stephen Stuckes. She said: "It’s an honour to be exhibiting John’s sculptures in such a suitable setting and in a church that he loved. I would like this exhibition to be a real celebration of his work, to be seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible.   “John felt an outsider in the modern world, retreating into his London workshop to think and draw and carve his own abstracts in stone. These will be exhibited in the exhibition, as well as maquettes for his prestigious Cathedral commissions and his beautiful drawings with their delicacy of line, often in pencil.”   For more information about Roberts’s life and work, please visit the artist’s website www.john-roberts-sculptor.com . Obituaries are here: The Guardian  | Independent   Bill Rendall, the Ride +Stride organiser for St Andrew’s, said: “A significant part of John Roberts’ work was ecclesiastical and so we agreed with Silvia to provide the venue for this exhibition. The exhibition is for the whole of Artwave and it is coincidental that Ride and Stride occurs during the course of it but it does seem serendipitous to be able to combine the two events for one day.”   St Andrew’s will be open throughout Ride + Stride day on September 13 and refreshments will be available. There is also a loo in the church plus public toilets in both Alfriston’s public car parks. Rendall added: “It’s worth noting that St Andrew’s is part of the Cuckmere Pilgrim Path , a circular 12-mile walk that takes walkers on a pilgrimage around seven ancient rural churches in the Cuckmere and neighbouring benefice. This makes it a great route for those planning their Ride and Stride activity.”   The   Artwave festival , which is running September 6 to 21, involves hundreds of artists and makers exhibiting at venues all

It’s Ride + Stride day on September 13 but for those in Newtimber, West Sussex, the focus will be on a very different activity. St John the Evangelist church in Newtimber dates back to the 13 th century but it was extensive restoration work that took place in the 19 th century that has highlighted connection to the exploitation of enslaved people in the Caribbean. The church recently discovered that Charles Gordon, a wealthy benefactor of Newtimber Church, owned three Jamaican plantations, worked by enslaved people. The Gordon family’s restoration of the Newtimber church tower was largely funded by money received in compensation for the loss of their ‘property’ following the Slave Compensation Act in 1837 . The act compensated owners of enslaved people to the tune of some £20 million - around £16.5bn in today's money. More than 40,000 awards to slave owners were issued; no compensation was given to the freed slaves. We Know Your Name As part of its investigation, Newtimber church has researched the names of those enslaved people who worked the Gordon plantations and, on September 13, will recognise the exploitation of these people with a special memorial called We Know Your Name . At 11am on September 13, Professor Alan Lester and University of Sussex researcher Mira Knox will give a talk about the church’s difficult history. This will be followed by an act of memorial which will include reading of many of the names of those enslaved people whose labour contributed to the Gordon family's wealth. In the accompanying exhibition, the names of the enslaved individuals will be displayed on calico banners hanging in the church tower. One page of 'A Return of Slaves' in the Parish of Saint Anne in 1829. These are the names of some of the men, women and children enslaved by plantation owner Charles Gordon. Rev Tim Harford said: “In fact, at this stage, we only know the names of some 200 enslaved people but we believe there were many more – perhaps as many as 400 – and we are carrying out continued research into this. This area is Professor Lester’s specialist field and he’s been able to discover even more connections with our colonial history.” Records show that Charles Gordon received £8,178 thanks to the Slavery Compensation Act – more than £1.2 million in today’s money. He donated some £200 to build the Newtimber church tower from scratch. Rev Harford added: “We first learned of Newtimber’s connection to slavery and colonialism when it was pointed out to us by the Fundraising Officer Katherine Prior who was working at the Diocese of Chichester at the time. We were aware of Newtimber’s links to colonialism but didn’t realise there were so many connections. Further research has shown that, in fact, Newtimber is a hub of colonial history in a rather unique way because in 1909 the Gordons sold their estate to a man called Sydney Earl Buxton and it was his grandfather, Thomas Fowell Buxton, who was William Wilberforce’s nominated successor in the abolition movement and a leading antislavery campaigner in the British Parliament.” Professor Lester’s blog post Newtimber Church and the British Empire  gives fascinating details about this period and is well worth reading. Local researcher Sheila Marshall, who took part in the project, says the Church was also substantially altered in the mid-1700s using funds provided by Nathanial Newnham, the owner of Newtimber Place. Much of Newnham’s wealth derived from his investments in the East India Company and The South Sea Company which was involved in the trafficking of enslaved Africans. Professor Lester wrote: “Although many churches in Britain, and many idyllic rural spots, have a rich array of historic colonial connections, Newtimber’s church is possibly unique in being the locus of slavery and antislavery, rapacious colonial exploitation and attempts to ameliorate it. It represents almost the full suite of British colonial activities.” For more information, do check out the story on the Diocese website event page  and the Heritage Open Days website . St John the Evangelist church is one of thousands of institutions taking part in the Heritage Open Days scheme, England's largest community-led festival of history and culture. Ride + Stride St John the Evangelist will be open all day on September 13 and is encouraging participants in Ride + Stride to include the church on their fundraising route. Ride + Stride  plays a vital role in raising funds for places of worship and, nationally, raises more than £15 million every year. In the last year, the Sussex Historic Churches Trust has awarded nearly £100,000 in grants  to help churches carry out essential repairs and restoration. Half the money raised during Ride + Stride goes to participants’ nominated place of worship while the other half goes to the Sussex Historic Churches Trust.