St Mary's Churchyard, Eastbourne

St Mary's Church, Old Town, Eastbourne, East Sussex

Visited March 2016

Although parts of this church date from the 12th century (more building went on in the 14th century, and there was a huge refurbishment in the Victorian period), most of the memorials in the churchyard are Victorian onwards. Apart from a small area to the east side, most of the gravestones have been cleared and lie against the walls. Part of the churchyard is still in use, as a garden of rest for cremations of parishioners. 

There are a few older monuments around, and (perhaps rather randomly) a Celtic cross brought from Cornwall to Eastbourne in 1817, which probably dates to the 12th century. It's not worth making the journey to visit the churchyard alone, but the church itself is lovely. No pictures, as there was a service when I was there, but it retains some splendid original features including stone carvings.