Church of the Transfiguration, Pyecombe
| Church of the Transfiguration | |
|---|---|
The church from the southeast
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| 50°53′54″N 0°9′52″W / 50.89833°N 0.16444°WCoordinates: 50°53′54″N 0°9′52″W / 50.89833°N 0.16444°W | |
| Location | Church Hill, Pyecombe, Hassocks, West Sussex BN45 7FE |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Dedication | Transfiguration of Jesus |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 28 October 1957 |
| Style | Medieval |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Pyecombe, The Transfiguration |
| Deanery | Hurst |
| Archdeaconry | Chichester |
| Diocese | Diocese of Chichester |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Rev. Peter Morgan |
The Church of the Transfiguration is an Anglican church in the village of Pyecombe, in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. The mostly 12th- and 13th-century building, in an isolated setting facing the South Downs, has been designated a Grade I Listed building. It is the parish church of Pyecombe.
The small village of Pyecombe is situated in a long, deep valley (or coombe) formed by the river Wellesbourne as it flows towards the English Channel at Brighton. (The river is now a winterbourne and runs underground for most of its length.) The South Downs rise to about 700 feet (210 m) to the east and west. The village is in two parts about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) apart. The original medieval settlement formed around the church and an ancient trackway across the South Downs; when this declined, new development took place to the west. A 16th-century cottage which may have been part of the manor house is in this newer area. Pyecombe manor was probably split from the larger manor of Pangdean (mentioned in the Domesday Book) by the 13th century, although they were later reunited.
The church was built on the west side of the trackway, which was at the centre of three ancient routes across the South Downs which split at the south end of the village. The western route became the main London Road, now the A23; the eastern route forms the A273 to Clayton, Hassocks, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath. The church existed, under the name of Pangdean (or Pingeden) Church, at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, when the St Pancras Priory at Lewes held the advowson. In 1537, during the Reformation, it passed to King Henry VIII.
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