Michelham Priory

History

The priory was dissolved in 1537 during Henry VIII's suppression of the monasteries, after which the buildings passed into private hands and were adapted for farming and domestic use over the following centuries. The Sussex Archaeological Society took on the site in the twentieth century and has since opened it as a museum, garden and working watermill.

Architecture

The house is T-shaped and built of stone, with the thirteenth-century east and north wings forming the oldest part of the structure and a sixteenth-century west wing added later. The north wing, originally the prior's lodging, rises three storeys with an attic, while the remaining wings are two storeys under a tiled roof.

Worth knowing

During the Second World War the priory took in evacuee children, a period now recreated in one of the bedrooms open to visitors.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds cover around seven acres, with kitchen, herb and vegetable gardens alongside a restored watermill still open to the public.