St John The Evangelist, Coolhurst

With dark leaden skies it was getting dark by 3.20pm, so I just about managed to get a picture this afternoon! This church is sited about a mile from the edge of Horsham in St Leonards Forest. It was built in 1838 and enlarged to the designs of John Oldrid Scott in 1889. The church served the two large estates and their workers of St Leonards Park owned by the Aldridge family, and Coolhurst owned by the Scrase-Dickins family. These two families are still present in the area today and their ancestors are buried in the churchyard. This church is in regular use, but owing to it's isolated situation does not welcome visitors. I have never seen inside as it is always locked - even when it is meant to be open on special occasions!. The churchyard is rich in wild flowers and the trees and woods around most of the site have probably helped to give rise to the numerous stories about it being haunted. This has been investigated by paranormal investigators and there are even stories of a motorbike engine being cut out as the rider passed by! Whatever the truth, it does have a certain spookiness about it - most often in the early mornings and as today, in the dim light of a late autumn day.