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HISTORY
St. Bartholomew’s Church, Burstow is an 11th-Century place of Worship and Architect Benjamin Ferry is responsible for its restoration, which took place between the years 1884 - 1895, it is now a Grade 1 listed building. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave the Parish of Burstow to Cluniac monks of Lewes, east Sussex in 1121 but re-acquired it during the war with France in 1294 and there seemed a real possibility at the time that the Archbishop would dedicate the Church to St. Michael.
The oldest part of the church is the 11th-Century tile north wall that includes Saxon herringbone stonework and a blocked Saxon window that’s still visible from the outside. The western half of the chancel dates from the 12th-Century and includes a Norman window in its north wall. The bell tower, south aisle and east end of the chancel were all added in the 15th-Century, including internal features such as the four-square cluster shafts of the south arcade, font and north wall aumbry.
John Flamsteed (the Astronomer Royal to Charles II) was rector from 1684 to 1719 and the chancel holds his final resting place; the east window is a memorial to Flamsteed.
Restoration of the Church took place in 1884, with the addition of a new roof and the south porch. The church consists of a conventional nave and chancel with a south aisle, south porch, northeast vestry, and west bell tower with a broached base and spire. Builders used local rubble and sandstone to construct the walls of the nave, chancel and south aisle using moulded limestone dressings to windows and doors. The vestry is of recent construction (c1976) with rubble sandstone cladding to the external walls. The entire bell tower structure is hardwood timber as is the south porch. Builders used Oak hewn from nearby Worth Forest to construct the now almost unique bell tower, its base walls are clad with timber boarding externally, with shingles to the upper walls. Clay tiles cover all the roofs apart from the spire, which again, uses shingles; in 1897, the lych gate came in to being.
Rounding off the completely spiritual feel of St. Bartholomew’s Church are its grounds. There are remains of rare timber "sheep-board" or "bed-head" grave monuments in the churchyard as well as some very old and mature trees such as large yew trees in the southeast corner of the churchyard, two large oaks, a large ash and another large tree along the east boundary.
The oldest part of the church is the 11th-
John Flamsteed (the Astronomer Royal to Charles II) was rector from 1684 to 1719 and the chancel holds his final resting place; the east window is a memorial to Flamsteed.
Restoration of the Church took place in 1884, with the addition of a new roof and the south porch. The church consists of a conventional nave and chancel with a south aisle, south porch, northeast vestry, and west bell tower with a broached base and spire. Builders used local rubble and sandstone to construct the walls of the nave, chancel and south aisle using moulded limestone dressings to windows and doors. The vestry is of recent construction (c1976) with rubble sandstone cladding to the external walls. The entire bell tower structure is hardwood timber as is the south porch. Builders used Oak hewn from nearby Worth Forest to construct the now almost unique bell tower, its base walls are clad with timber boarding externally, with shingles to the upper walls. Clay tiles cover all the roofs apart from the spire, which again, uses shingles; in 1897, the lych gate came in to being.
Rounding off the completely spiritual feel of St. Bartholomew’s Church are its grounds. There are remains of rare timber "sheep-