Lord of Bramber - St Mary's House

St Mary's House

Another historic building in Bramber is St Mary's House, a late 15th century timber-framed house on a site associated with the Knights Templar, which was a monastic hostel for pilgrims and monks who collected the tolls at Bramber bridge, a 170-foot (52 m) long bridge over the River Adur, incorporating a Chapel dedicated to St Mary the Virgin on its central span, though now reduced to a flat bridge of just a few feet over a tributary of the river, following silting, and a change of course. This should not be confused with the nearby Beeding Bridge, a hump-back bridge which now spans the main course of the river. King Charles II is claimed to have stayed at St Mary's House during his escape to France after defeat at the Battle of Worcester. The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath, following Charles's supposed route to Shoreham-by-Sea, crosses the Adur at Bramber.