Alfriston is a picturesque village of just over 800 inhabitants within the South Downs National Park. Located 3.5 miles inland at a gap in the downs through which the River Cuckmere flows on its way to the English Channel, the village’s name derives from Tun, a farm, and Aelfric, a South Saxon (Sussex) name. We are visiting Aelfric’s Farm.

Humans have been active within the area for millennia with numerous ancient hill forts and burial sites existing within a few miles of the village, the closest being a 5,000 year old Neolithic Long Barrow of 56 metres in length, 20 metres wide and standing to a height of 1.5 metres. Positioned high on the downs half a mile to the west of the village, archaeological excavations suggest it was later reused during the Bronze Age. Earlier archaeological evidence from the lower ground in the village includes a Lower Paleolithic (150,000 – 500,000 years ago!) hand axe and Mesolithic (6,000 – 12,000 years ago) flint workings including 25 axes and over 200 blades..

This page is an index of the historical buildings and curiosities that I have photographed and investigated within the parish boundaries. This will be a work in progress so please bookmark and visit regularly for updates.