Buncton

Buncton

All Saints Church at Buncton dates from the 11th or 12th century
Buncton
 Buncton shown within West Sussex
OS grid referenceTQ145139
Civil parishWiston
DistrictHorsham
Shire countyWest Sussex
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town STEYNING
Postcode district BN44
Police Sussex
Fire West Sussex
Ambulance South East Coast
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentArundel and South Downs
List of places
UK
England
West Sussex

Coordinates: 50°54′48″N 0°22′21″W / 50.91332°N 0.37259°W / 50.91332; -0.37259

The church carving which was destroyed in 2004.

Buncton (/ˈbʌntᵿn/ or /ˈbʌnktᵿn/) is a small village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, part of the civil parish of Wiston 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north. It lies to the east of the A24 road, 11 miles (18 km) as the crow flies, about 18 miles (29 km) by road south of Horsham and 6 miles (9.7 km) north west of Shoreham by Sea.

Buncton existed as a settlement at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, when it was called Bongetune.[1][2] Its origins lie in a manor whose land lay within two exclaves of the parish of Ashington within the Rape of Bramber, one of the six ancient subdivisions of Sussex.[3] The medieval manor house has vanished, but a 17th-century replacement still stands.[3]

The most notable building in Buncton is All Saints Church, a grade I listed building.[4] This 11th or 12th century structure is composed mainly of flint and rubble masonry with some fragments of tile salvaged from the earlier Roman building that existed nearby.[5] The church was built by the monks of neighbouring Sele Priory, and parts of the stonework show evidence of having been previously used at Sele. The church contained a curious carving, claimed by some to be an example of a sheela-na-gig, which was destroyed by an act of vandalism in 2004.[6]

Until 2007 All Saints' was a district chapel of ease, subordinate to St Mary's Church at Wiston, but in that year the status of the two buildings was reversed, with All Saints' becoming the Parish Church.

Buncton Tea Rooms (also known as Wiston Granary Tea Rooms) are a popular summer venue for local people, where a wide variety of chickens, ducks, and other domestic fowl roam in the gardens amidst the tea room tables.

Notes

  1. Fisher, E.A. (1970) The Saxon Churches of Sussex. p67
  2. Hudson, T. P. (ed) (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2 – Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) including Horsham. Ashington". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 62–65. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 Hudson, T. P. (ed) (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2 – Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) including Horsham. Ashington – Manors". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 65–67. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  4. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1354113)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 August 2012. Grade I Listing Entry
  5. Hudson, T. P. (ed) (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2 – Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) including Horsham. Ashington". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. p. 73. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  6. Pagan whodunnit grips village, Adrian Lee , The Times (UK), December 20, 2004.

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