Alciston

The East Sussex village of Alciston sits underneath Firle Beacon (217 metres high) and it's a very pretty village with thatched cottages and a large proportion of old buildings along its narrow main street.

Alciston Tithe Barn

Alciston's medieval tithe barn is simply huge - it's over 50 metres long. The tithe barn is an indicator of just how rich the church was in the middle ages - the barn would have been full of the church's cut (or tithe) of the annual harvest each year.

Other Alciston information

There's a traditional ceremony of Easter skipping at Alciston. It all takes place outside The Rose Cottage Inn each Good Friday.

Places of interest around Alciston

Interesting places in and around Alciston include:

• St Mary's Church in Alciston is a mainly 13th century flint church built on the site of an earlier Saxon church, built of clunch - a stone and chalk mixture - on top of a small mound;
• The South Downs Way passes a mile to the south of Alciston.
• Firle Beacon has a viewpoint with wonderful views over the East Sussex Weald;
• Tumuli on bostal hill above the village are scheduled national monuments. The tumuli at Alciston form one of largest groups of burial barrows on the South Downs;

Alciston travel notes

The nearest towns to Alciston are Eastbourne and Lewes. Both can be reached easily by following the A27 road, which is only a few hundred metres from the centre of Alciston.

The nearest railway station is Berwick, which is a couple of miles away.