Funtington offers several clearly distinct points of interest for trip planning: medieval church architecture, prehistoric remains, a public footpath and a farm shop selling meat from the farm. The Parish Church of St Mary and Adsdean Farm Shop are in Funtington; the Itford Hill settlement is in Kingley Vale within the parish. This makes it easy to choose between architectural history, archaeology, landscape and a focus on shopping.
Churches and architectural history
The Parish Church of St Mary in Funtington is listed as a Grade II* building. Its north arcade in the nave dates from the 13th century. The listed status and the age of the building relate to different aspects: Grade II* denotes the building’s heritage designation, while the date identifies a specific architectural feature. An arcade is a series of arches. Here, it is on the north side of the nave, making it possible to trace the building’s history through a clearly defined architectural feature.
St Mary’s at Sennicotts is also known as Sennicotts Chapel. During its renovation, original details were carefully restored. These include the pink “pig’s blood” shade of the walls, a distinctive feature of the design. There is also a precisely dated historical reference: in 1829, Charles Baker applied to build Sennicotts Church.
Archaeological remains and periods
The flint mine on Stoke Down comprises at least 70 roughly circular pits, up to 9 m in diameter. Flint mines are generally associated with the extraction of flint nodules during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, around 3500 to 1200 BC. The late Bronze Age settlement at Itford Hill, dating from the 10th to 8th century BC, is in Kingley Vale within the parish of Funtington. It includes at least five roughly circular or semicircular banked enclosures, measuring between 8 and 30 m in diameter. These archaeological sites therefore highlight different forms and periods: the general association of flint mining with earlier prehistoric periods, and the specific dating of the settlement to the late Bronze Age.
Footpath and farm shop
A public footpath passes St Mary’s Church in Funtington. It runs from Church Lane towards open farmland. This gives the route description both a named starting point and a clear landscape reference. If you plan to use the path, check the current public rights of way conditions before your visit.
Adsdean Farm Shop in Funtington is a farm shop visitors can visit; it sells meat from the farm. If you are interested in these products, check the current visitor arrangements and range before your visit, as both may change.
Discover more destinations: Barnham, Hassocks, Madehurst, Horsham, Littlehampton, Merston, Rake, East Grinstead.
For the wider travel overview: West Sussex.
