Church, churchyard and walks
Framfield brings together a church with Saxon origins, houses dating from several centuries and a public footpath through the churchyard. The village lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. St Thomas Ă Becket Church was built in the early 13th century on a site where a church had already stood since Saxon times. The church site therefore dates back further than the early 13th-century building; the other houses add to this historical picture through different styles and periods.
A public footpath runs through the churchyard and connects it to walking trails to the south and east. If you would like to combine a visit to the churchyard with a walk, check local path conditions in advance. Protected slow worms have occasionally been spotted in the churchyard. A sighting cannot be guaranteed, but these observations add a natural history aspect to the site's ecclesiastical character.
Historic houses in comparison
Framfield Place is a Grade II* listed house from the early to mid-19th century, remodelled by Norman Shaw and Sir Edwin Lutyens. Inside is an elliptical billiard room with Neo-Adamesque plasterwork by Norman Shaw. The house brings together remodelling by Shaw and Lutyens with a specific room whose plasterwork is also attributed to Shaw. The construction period, remodelling and interior detail offer different points of reference for its architectural classification.
Little Streele, also Grade II listed, is a T-shaped house. Its timber-framed north wing dates from the 16th century; the east and west wings date from the 17th century. The T-shape describes the overall layout, while the different dates of the wings reveal several building phases. Framfield Grange offers a different emphasis: this Grade II listed house from the late 18th century is made of red brick and has a doorway with fluted Doric columns. Fluted means having vertical grooves; the column profile is a specific detail alongside the house's construction period and material.
Duckings is another Grade II listed building from the 16th century. The ground floor has a red brick façade, with tiles covering the exterior above. Compared with Framfield Grange, the emphasis here is on the façade across its two levels. Chronologically, the span runs from the Saxon church site through the houses of the 16th and 17th centuries to Framfield Grange and Framfield Place in the late 18th and early to mid-19th centuries, respectively. This lets you choose your focus by period or architectural detail: the arrangement of the wings, the doorway, façade materials or the interior.
Refreshments in the village
The Hare & Hounds in the village of Framfield is a pub and restaurant. The food offering may change; if you plan to stop for a meal, check the venue's latest information beforehand.
Discover more destinations: Vines Cross, Rodmell, Robertsbridge, East Hoathly, Fairlight, Icklesham, Crowborough, Piltdown
For the wider travel overview: East Sussex.
