Sompting - St Mary the Blessed Virgin

There was a church on the site of the present building by the early 11th century, and some elements remain from that era. William de Braose held it at the time of the Domesday survey, but in 1154 his grandson William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber passed it to the Knights Templar, who made many structural changes. They widened the church by rebuilding the nave and chancel to the same width as the Saxon-era tower. In about 1180 they erected a large chapel effectively a separate church in its own right until the 19th century, when an arch linked it to the nave and made it a south transept. At the same time, they added a north transept with an aisle and two chapels.

After the Knights Templar were emasculated in 1307, Pope Clement V conveyed ownership of the church to the Knights Hospitaller in 1324. They built a porch on the south side and carried out work on the nave walls.

The church fell into decay during the 18th century. Repairs in the 1720s and 1760s were not enough, and two bells had to be sold to pay for proper repairs in 1791.

The tower is the most important feature of the church and is known as an exemplar of Saxon architecture—although its upper stage may have been renewed in early Norman times to an identical design. The spire, a design known as the Rhenish helm because of its prevalence in the Rhineland area of Germany, is unique in England.