St Nicholas Church.

You will have heard me talking about my local church quite often. It's a lovely old building, and I feel privileged to live so nearby.

We don't exactly overlook the church, but we are less that 4 minutes slow-walk away. We can hear the bells from home, and it is the most iconic building in our immediate area. It is known as 'The Mother Church of Brighton'.

Built of flint with stone corners and openings, it is a classic English 'Village Church', and is a Grade 2 listed building. It makes our tiny corner of this quite big city seem more intimate.

The church dates back to 1068 and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. That original church was later destroyed and the newer church built over its remains in the mid-14th Century. 

The churchyard surrounding the church is now mostly devoid of tombstones or gravestones, and the replacement well-tended area of grass is popular with sunbathers, office workers who eat lunch (and leave their detritus), and the occasional dog-walker. The old gravestones are now situated around the periphery of the gardens.

Some of the gravestones that remain are of the more interesting people who were buried here; one of whom was Phoebe Hessel (below). Hessel followed her lover into the army disguised as a man, where she served for many years along-side him. She was eventually wounded and the regimental Colonel's wife discovered the truth about her gender.

If you have the time it is worth looking at her history on the web. She was a remarkable woman.

We have a very pleasant peel of hand-rung Bells. The original set were installed in 1777, and replaced with the present set in 1922. The bells are rung from just inside the door of the Bell Tower in the top photo. I often sit on the gravestone, which you can just see outside the door, to listen to the bells and watch the ringers working. It all feels very 'English', and gives me a real feeling of 'belonging'.