Boxgrove brings together three distinct travel interests: the history of the priory, a rare archaeological find and the Windmill Trail. Boxgrove Priory was founded around 1107; the Horse Butchery Site preserves a prehistoric surface with flint artefacts and horse remains. The trail adds a walk with a named starting point to these themes. If you are choosing a destination for its cultural history, archaeology and time on a footpath, you can weigh up these highlights when planning your stay in Boxgrove.

Priory and parish church: several historical layers

Boxgrove Priory was founded around 1107 as a small Benedictine priory, originally for three monks. The church, dedicated to St Mary and St Blaise, dates from the early 12th century. The dates refer to two different things: the founding of the priory and the age of the church. This distinction helps prevent the history of the place from being reduced to a single founding date.

There was already a church in Boxgrove before the Norman Conquest; at that time, the place had the status of a parish. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the eastern parts of the priory church became Boxgrove’s parish church. The early parish and the later use of these parts of the church therefore belong to different periods in the religious history of the place.

The priory church is open daily for Mass and private prayer. If you plan to visit the church, take this use into account when arranging your visit.

An archaeological find with two connected components

The Boxgrove Horse Butchery Site is a rare, sealed prehistoric surface with flint artefacts and a butchered horse. The remains of a large female horse have been preserved. The find therefore includes both artefacts and animal remains, rather than just a single object.

The site yielded the first well-preserved assemblage of artefacts and animal remains found together at Boxgrove. The connection between these two groups of finds is therefore especially important to its archaeological interest. Those interested in archaeological context can focus here on the artefacts and horse remains preserved together.

Windmill Trail: starting point and path conditions

The Windmill Trail adds a different focus to your travel plans. It starts at the Boxgrove Village Hall car park and then follows an unsurfaced footpath, with Boxgrove Quarry on the left. This gives you a specific starting point and a landmark along the route. The trail can be considered as a walk in its own right, alongside the themes of church and local history.

Take the unsurfaced section into account when preparing for your walk. As path conditions can change, check them before setting off. This way, you can factor the condition of the path into your day’s plans.

Discover more destinations

Ansty, Southwick, Lower Beeding, Walberton, Midhurst, Coldwaltham, Selsey, Rake

For the wider travel overview: West Sussex.