St Mary Magdalene
Whatlington, Sussex
Our village church dates back to around 1200AD and was restored by the Victorians in 1862, the church is full of history and has some stunning architecture and contents.
When William the Conqueror defeated King Harold's Saxons at the Battle of Hastings, he erected a magnificent abbey at Senlac Hill to mark the location of his victory.
Benedictine monks were invited to build a monastery on the site to house up to 140 monks. The abbey was generously endowed with estates and became one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in the country.
The abbey church was finished in 1094, long after William's death, and consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Though the abbey thrived during the Middle Ages it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1537.
Very little remains of the great abbey church today but one feature to look for is a rather peculiar memorial on the site of the high altar, marking the traditional spot where King Harold fell. This rectangular stone plaque known, not surprisingly, as The Harold Stone is set into the earth on the traditional site of the high altar.
The best preserved part of the entire abbey site is the marvellous gatehouse, one of the best medieval gatehouses in England. Much of this striking structure is an early 14th century rebuilding of the original Norman gatehouse.
