Pictures of Alfriston

a Picturesque Village in the county of East Sussex

Alfriston Pictures Alfriston Hotels Nearby Towns Nearby Attractions Alfriston Facts Alfriston Forum Alfriston Map Sponsor Registration Add Pictures Add town to favourites

About Alfriston

Delightful east Sussex village mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. It occupies a favoured position in the beautiful Cuckmere Gap and serves as a tourist village to which hoards of visitors flock to enjoy the many well preserved fine old buildings to be seen, one of the most important being the local church.

St.Andrew's Church is a 14th century cruciform church showing fragments of early glass, but the Jesse window in the south transept is from early in the 20th century. Inside the church are interesting historic relics, these include a piscina, triple sedilia, an Easter sepulchre. In these parts, this large church has become known as the Cathedral of the Downs.

The church rectory is a pre-reformation house constructed during the 14th century. It shows much timber-framing, and inside the living room is heavily beamed and has moulded king-posts. This lovely property is cared for by the National Trust who acquired it in 1896, it is known as Clergy House.

The noted Star Inn was reputedly built by the Abbot of Battle to be used as a hostel. It was later turned into an inn (c.1500) this remains today very much as it was then, with numerous faces and small carved figures peering over the passers-by. This is believed to be one of the countries oldest inns, it has a beautifully preserved interior with beams and open fires.

In the village the streets are crammed with old buildings tiled in Horsham tile, it is well worth a wander around to take a closer look at the remarkable character of these attractive properties, and others dating from as far back as the 15th century.

The village has had its share of strife, at the time of the Napoleonic wars it served as a dormitory village for troops who where settled there for fear of invasion should the French ever get past the Martello towers placed along the Sussex coast. During this period the village enjoyed a revival in fortunes, but when the troops left revenue dropped. It was then that the renowned Alfriston smugglers banded together and for a time the villagers lived on the proceeds of illicit contraband. The leader of the gang was caught in the 1830's, he was sent to Australia.

Alfriston, shouldered at each side by the south downs and amid the beauty of the Cuckmere Valley, makes an idyllic place to visit for a quiet weekend or as a base from which to explore all this lovely valley and coastal region has to offer.

For further information, please visit www.alfriston-village.co.uk

Planning a visit to Alfriston?
Please support the Pictures of England website by booking your Alfriston hotels & accommodation through this site.

Add town to favourites

History of Alfriston

Recommended towns & villages near Alfriston

	Friston (3.8 miles, 6.2 km, direction SE) Friston is well known for its beautiful forest. Found a few miles inland from the bare ridge of the incredible rock formation of the Seven Sisters, this superb beechwood is not yet 80 years old... Information | Pictures (1) | Hotels | Holiday Cottages
	Birling Gap (4.9 miles, 7.9 km, direction SE) The Birling Gap is a coastal hamlet on the South Downs in East Sussex, situated on the Information | Pictures (49) | Hotels | Holiday Cottages
	Newhaven (5.0 miles, 8.0 km, direction W) Best known for its cross channel ferries and for its fort built in the 1860's as part of Britain's coastal defences, but which is now a fascinating museum offering visitors the opportunity to experience a massive fortress at first hand... Information | Pictures (34) | Hotels | Holiday Cottages
	Eastbourne (6.6 miles, 10.6 km, direction SE) Eastbourne, is a genteel town, that owes it's distictiveness to the 7th Duke of Devonshire... Information | Pictures (317) | Hotels | Holiday Cottages
	Telscombe (7.2 miles, 11.5 km, direction W) The tranquillity of this attractive little village is owed to its seclusion. Telscombe rests in a fold of beautiful Sussex countryside, and the fact that it is difficult to reach from the coast, adds to its charms... Information | Pictures (6) | Hotels | Holiday Cottages

Recommended attractions near Alfriston

	Alfriston Clergy House (0.1 miles, 0.2 km) Amongst the treasures of this town is the first house to be acquired by the National Trust, this is the magnificent Priest's, or..... Information | Pictures (3) | Hotels
	The Long Man (1.4 miles, 2.3 km, direction E) Where he comes from nobody knows, nor does anyone know the identity of this 240 foot figure of a man carved into the side of a..... Information | Pictures (8) | Hotels
	Charleston Farmhouse (2.7 miles, 4.3 km, direction NW) .. Information | Pictures (8) | Hotels
	Seven Sisters Country Park (3.0 miles, 4.9 km, direction S) Designated a site of Special Scientific Interest, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Seven Sisters Country Park..... Information | Pictures (66) | Hotels
	Seaford Museum (3.4 miles, 5.5 km, direction SW) .. Information | Pictures (2) | Hotels

Hotels & Accommodation in Alfriston

Alfriston Hotels  Alfriston Cottages  Alfriston Bed & Breakfast

	The Star Alfriston Alfriston, East Sussex, England (0.0 miles, 0.1 km) Reputed to be one of the country's oldest inns, The Star Alfriston offers a unique blend of oak beams, open fires, an intimate atmosphere and traditional hospitality alongside the modern comforts of i... More info and book online..  Price from £65.00
	Deans Place Hotel Alfriston, East Sussex, England (0.2 miles, 0.4 km) 14Th Century Country House Hotel, set in the heart of the Sussex Downs in the pretty village of Alfriston. The seaside town of Eastbourne and cosmoplitan Brighton are just a short drive away.... More info and book online..  Price from £47.00
	Crossways Hotel Alfriston, East Sussex, England (2.0 miles, 3.2 km, direction NE) Set in the heart of the glorious Cuckmere Valley, this refined Georgian house is the ideal base for visits to Glyndebourne Opera House, Charleston Farmhouse (Bloomsbury Set) or walking the South Downs... More info and book online..  Price from £145.00
	Premier Inn Eastbourne (Polegate) Eastbourne, East Sussex, England (3.8 miles, 6.1 km, direction NE) At the junction of the A22 and the A27, a mile (1.6 km) from Polegate Railway Station, the hotel offers free parking and is a 15-minute drive from Eastbourne beach.... More info and book online..  Price from £55.00
	Premier Inn Newhaven Newhaven, East Sussex, England (4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction W) Newhaven Premier Inn is between Eastbourne and Brighton, half a mile from Newhaven Ferry and near to Newhaven Town Train Station and the A26.... More info and book online..  Price from £54.00

Nearby travel help