Stedham

Stedham is a wealthy and well-cared for village a couple of kilometres west of Midhurst. The area around the church in Stedham is particularly attractive, with three things to look out for in particular.

First, The Church of St James, Stedham is large, mainly Victorian Gothic and highly symmetrical. The plain and solid church tower is older though - it was built in 1673 and a few parts of Stedham's original Saxon Chuch still exist underneath the large building you can see today too.

St James has an attractive churchyard with a sunken road passing through it. An interesting feature of the churchyard is the wall to the adjoining Stedham Hall, with a grand door cut into it - an old fashioned version of the private members' entrance.

The churchyard also contains a yew tree which is thought to be over 2000 years old.

Secondly, the River Rother flows through this part of the Stedham and, like so many places in this part of West Sussex, the bridge crossing the Rother is solid, old and beautiful.

Thirdly, the private and rather secluded Stedham Hall is an impressive mansion sited between the church and the river. The building you can glimpse today was built as a huge Victorian villa and later expanded in Edwardian times - but, like the church, Stedham Hall rests on the site of a much old building which dates back to the sixteenth century.

For visitors to Stedham, this part of the village seems a little forbidding with "Private" signs barking at you everywhere you turn. This is a shame, although people have every right to guide people away from their property, of course.

Stedham is joined with its neighbour Iping to form one parish by the way.

Look out for Iping and Stedham Commons which are an area of sandy heathland south of the village.

STEDHAM INFORMATION

Stedham School

Stedham Primary School website

The Hamilton Arms

Stedham's Hamilton Arms is an unusual pub because, for many years, it has served delicious Thai food alongside more traditional English pub fare. The Hamilton Arms also sells Thai spices and handicrafts, with proceeds going to the Mudita Trust, which helps abused and underprivileged children in Thailand.