St Mary's, Upwaltham, West Sussex.
“The church in a field” can be found between Chichester and Petworth on the A285. The tiny, Grade 1 listed, drovers’ church lies in a stunningly beautiful valley in the South Downs in the rural hamlet of Upwaltham. Cardinal Manning, a previous incumbent and subsequently Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, described it as “very nearly heaven”.
I have been lucky enough to have visited this church on a few occasions and it is one of the most beautiful I have seen. It is in the middle of nowhere and sits right on the South Downs Way. The only signs of humanity are a nearby farm. You will not find a more beautiful church or setting anywhere else. Definitely worth a visit.
