Adventure by Bus: Steyning

I wanted to see a bit of the area near Hove, so I studied the map and the local bus routes and decided on a day trip to Steyning. It was an excellent choice as the town is very attractive. But what delighted me the most was the bus trip.

I had an excellent view from the front of the top deck of the double-decker bus. The first part of the route was very residential as we passed through Hove to Shoreham-by- Sea. The bus then turned inland with lovely views over the rolling green hills of the South Downs.

At a distance, I spotted a very tall church standing almost by itself on a headland. Some research indicated it was the Lancing College Chapel. It’s not very old as construction began in 1868 and was still being completed just a few years back. It is, however, the largest school chapel in the world with the nave reaching a height of 90 ft and the rose window, the largest in England, is 32 ft in diameter.

As we approached Steyning, we passed through Upper Beeding with its narrow streets and old buildings before arriving at the foot of the ruins of Bramber Castle. Bramber Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest to defend a gap in the South Downs. Perched on a high point, it must have been a substantial building as the one remaining tower wall is 14 metres high.

Steyning itself used to be a port on the River Adur and has been in existence since Anglo-Saxon times. It has some lovely old timber-framed buildings and a variety of independent stores line the high street, including an independent bookstore and a high-end food store. Near the end of the street is a store dedicated to dollhouses. Some of them weren’t in great condition, but there was a tremendous variety of figures and settings.

The grammar school was founded in 1614 and is now used for other purposes.