Amberley, St Michael

Amberley is often thought of as one of the show villages of West Sussex and so far has escaped the ravages of over development that threaten many other parts of the county. The church stands at the end of the main street which is very picturesque with many thatched cottages. It was built in the 12th Century and contains Medieval wall paintings, a brass and several interesting modern stained glass windows. The tower and the south aisle were added in the 13th Century. The chancel windows are also of this same date and the triplet at the east end is a common feature found in many Sussex churches and also in Hampshire.

Behind the church is Amberley Castle now a posh hotel. It was for long one of the residences of the Bishops of Chichester. It was normal during the Middle Ages for Nobles and Bishops to move around from home to home or manor to manor during the course of a year. With the Bishops of Chichester, they would conduct business relating to the church and deal with disputes - either relating to church law or to do with their tenants on a particular estate that they owned. Prior to the English Reformation, Diocesan Bishops had considerable power and often owned land many miles from their cathedral city, as in the case of Winchester that held the manor of Taunton in Somerset. Other Dioceses such as Lincoln covered a huge swathe of of England from the Midlands north-eastwards. Amberley Castle is still impressive and a reminder of the power of the church in the Middle Ages.