St Mary Our Lady
A Church Funded by Medieval Riches
Church of St Mary Our Lady, Sidlesham
The village of Sidlesham, on the edge of Pagham Harbour, is a peaceful place today, but in the 11th and 12th centuries the area was bustling with activity to-and-from a flour mill, located on the Harbour’s shore. Grain crops were brought in from far and wide to be milled here and this rich source of income made the village well-off compared with other communities.
The people put some of their wealth into building the Church of St Mary Our Lady. The building took 20 years to complete and was finished in 1120. It sits in a beautiful church yard, which attracts lots of wildlife.
The Church is open every day and has had an interesting history, including a number of renovations over the centuries. Sidlesham Quay, where ships of grain used to arrive for the mill, remains on Pagham Harbour, however the mill has since been demolished.