Out of Town

Which of us does not enjoy a jolly? A day out, usually in the company of a good friend or friends, to some new, hitherto unexplored or, indeed, familiar place is, in my book, an excellent and uplifting way of countering these dark days of winter.

So it was that a week or so back, whilst staying with the ever engaging and delightful T and G in their Regency house in Brighton, that we motored along the coast and headed inland to that quintessentially English of villages, Alfriston.

Nestling within a fold of the Sussex Downs, the jewel of Alfriston must surely be the church of St. Andrew which, dating from around 1360, must qualify as one of the finest examples of the period, completed at one time and, unusually, without any major later additions.

Perched on a raised mound and overlooking the village green, attractively name the Tye, St. Andrew's is of flint construction and built in the form of a Greek Cross at the centre of which is a tower and spire, supported from within by a series of lofty arches. Of interest in an interior surprisingly plain on account, or so the guidebook informs, of the absence of a grand house with attendant family memorials, are fine examples of sedilia [stone seats for the clergy] and piscina [a wash bowl for the priest].

Outside once more we inspected the nearby Clergy House, acquired by the National Trust in 1895 as their first property but closed to visitors for the winter, and then, at the boys' welcome suggestion, repaired to Dean's Place where we enjoyed an excellent luncheon.

The High Street, if such it is, contains a fascinating collection of mediaeval buildings,not least of which is the heavily beamed Star Hotel, now sadly disfigured with bills proclaiming room reductions and half price meals. Signs of the times!

Beyond the Star and tucked away in West Street is to be found the brainchild of two very enterprising Americans, Cate Olson and Nash Robbins, who, far from their native home, have established 'Much Ado Books'. This is a must for all bibliophiles for it represents two floors of new, old and antique books arranged amongst lamp lit tables, comfortable armchairs and objets d'art. A treasure trove indeed.

With the light fading, and rain setting in, we made haste for the motor car, passing en route the lighted windows of Rose Cottage, the home of Dennis Healey, former Chancellor of the Exchequer and lifetime politician.

P.S. The picture is of St. Andrew's Church, Alfriston, Sussex taken from the Tye.