Bedham Church

Abandoned church in Bedham

Just along the road near Petworth is the remains of a settlement called Bedham.

I’d heard about Bedham Church ruins and decided to take a look. The abandoned Victorian chapel nestles at the side of a lane near Fittleworth in West Sussex – but you could easily drive past and not notice it.

Built in 1880, the church was built by William Townley Mitford – the Member of Parliament for Midhurst – and dedicated to Saint Michael and All Angels. Back in the 1870s religious morals and education were considered vital for the rural communities in the Sussex Weald, and many buildings were erected to serve as both schoolrooms and places of worship.

At one time the school had 60 pupils and 3 teachers, but by the end of the First World War the building was falling into neglect and closed as a school in 1925. For a while the building still operated as a church, but in 1959 it was abandoned completely.