Arriving in Turkdean you are immediately aware of the peace and tranquillity of the place. It’s tiny, perfectly formed and clearly extremely welcoming. We quickly got into conversation with a church warden, who told us much about the village and, naturally, about the church.

British History online tells us that the principal water spring on Chalk hill, on the northeast side of the Turkdean valley, (one of many in the valley issuing from the band of Fullers Earth above the village,) feeds a stone-lined culvert probably associated with a Roman settlement that lasted on the hillside until at least the 4th century. This goes a long way to explain the way the village is laid out. I do love it when it becomes so clear that people have appreciated the benefits of living in a particular place for so many centuries.

The church of All Saints is originally Norman, and would have been just a nave and chancel. Later a tower was added to the western end of the nave.

There are Norman remnants in this church. Half of a Norman doorway arch with chevron decorations appears in the outside north wall, and in South wall of the chancel there has been reset the upper half of a tiny Norman doorway.

The chancel arch is in the Norman style but probably 19th century; As with almost all the churches we come across alterations have been made at several times over the centuries.

The font is rumoured to be a replica of an earlier damaged perpendicular font, and there is a nice solid stone pulpit .