Adoring Adur Heritage Open Day in Shoreham encourages people to explore district’s rich history

The rich history of the Adur district will be celebrated as part of the 25th anniversary of the national Heritage Open Days, running throughout September.
The view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231aThe view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231a
The view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231a

Activities and events are being organised by the Shoreham Society, under the banner Adoring Adur, on Saturday, September 14, from 10am to 1pm.

Volunteers are needed to help as stewards on the day and anyone willing to be involved is asked to contact Jenny Towner, email [email protected].

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There will be free guided tours of the bell tower at the 11th century St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham, including an opportunity to see the ringing room, which is not normally open to the public.

The view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231aThe view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231a
The view towards St Mary de Haura Church from Shoreham Beach. Photo by Derek Martin DM1921231a

St Mary de Haura has stood proudly in the centre of Shoreham for more than 800 years and is a unique part of church architecture in British history.

There will be an exhibition in the church, highlighting heritage green sites in the town, including Shoreham Airport and Shoreham Port.

There will also be a children’s quiz, highlighting the history of the churchyard and its plants.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Residents and visitors will be able to pick up a specially-produced map, which will guide them on a walk around the town to discover historic gems.

The annual Sussex Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride is scheduled for the same day, bringing people from all over Sussex to walk or cycle between a number of churches, including St Mary’s, St Nicolas’ in old Shoreham, the Church of the Good Shepherd on Shoreham Beach, and St Giles’ and St Julian’s in east Shoreham.

In keeping with the green theme, the Shoreham Society will also be launching Adur Arbor, a tree planting scheme designed to make the town more attractive.

This is an extension of an idea from Rosslyn Road residents, who planted nine new young trees in their road.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The society thinks this could also be done in other parts of the town and district, and is stepping up its campaign to make the town greener by is encouraging groups of residents to follow the Rosslyn Road example, planting 20 to 30 trees and shrubs every year.

The society has produced a leaflet describing the benefits and explaining how to go about it. Visit www.shorehamsociety.org.uk for more information.

It also hopes to build on this year’s Adoring Adur and having more events for next year’s Heritage Open Days.