St Thomas à Becket Church is Grade II* Listed,  and looks and feels medieval. Like many churches it has evolved over many centuries.

Our popular Guided tours of church and tower are back again fortnightly on Saturdays at 11.30. See dates on our Visiting page.

• Probable late Saxon in origin: Cliffe was already a substantial settlement of 59 houses recorded in Domesday in 1086. There was a College of Canons on its doorstep.  And Cliffe was part of the huge manor of Malling held by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• The chancel may be on the footprint of a Norman chapel.
• The oldest feature is a blocked lancet window, Early English style (c.1180-1250), in the north aisle.
• The south aisle is dated by a 14th-century piscina in its south wall; the nave and aisle arcades were reconstructed in the early 1300s.
• Victorian restoration was completed in 1878.
• The delightful stained glass windows were glorious gifts in 1867, 1885, 1888, 1897, and 1911, when the windows were enlarged.

“The History of the Fabric and Furnishings of St. Thomas à Becket Church, Cliffe, Lewes”

By Peter Varlow, July 2025.

This new book of 128 pages and over 100 illustrations is the in-depth story of the colourful 1,000-year history of the church, inside and out.

We hope it will bring to you the joy of the legacy we have inherited in our time.

You are welcome to browse the online flipbook version below.
Use the slider on the right to go down the page, then use the FULL SCREEN button, bottom right. Close the Ad panel, button top right of the Ad space, and the book then appears larger.

If you enjoy it, a donation of £10 would be much appreciated via our Donations page but don’t feel this is obligatory.

To get the real thing:

• Buy a copy in church, price £10 (£5 of which will be donated to church funds). Use the credit card reader or put £10 in the wall safe please.
• Or request a copy to be posted, payment by bank transfer: email websitecontent@st-thomas-lewes.org.uk with your name and address and we will reply with bank details for your payment of  £14.25 (£10 + £4.25 packaging & postage).