The strange pattern came to light some years ago when I was checking out the possible application of the landscape theories of the late Alfred Watkins to this area of Sussex. His controversial work about “leys”, particularly his book “The Old Straight Track” published in 1925 is bedside reading to students of earth mysteries and anathema to orthodox historians. In a nutshell, he believed that ancient historical sites and artefacts could be observed along laser straight lines in the British landscape. His work has been re-interpreted over the years and it is fair to say that his followers today divide into two groups – the spiritual/energy believers and those looking for more pragmatic explanations to what is unquestionably a real phenomenon.

I have no objection whatever to an intuitive or experiential approach particularly in attempts to unravel the puzzle for explanations ~ in fact one of the relationships came to me in a dream! However, in my survey I focus on objective, factual, observable, measurable, verifiable, repeatable relationships between solid objects securely anchored in the landscape and shown in inks, to scale, on officially surveyed maps.

SOME LOCAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ~

According to the Church guide-book there was pre-Norman Christian presence with the original Saxon building, probably of wattle and plaster, being built sometime after St Wilfred entered Sussex in AD 681. King Alfred’s father, Elthelwulf died in the parish in AD 858. After the Normans invaded, William de Braose, Lord of Bramber Castle, founded a Priory just north of the Church and it became known as Sele Priory. It was placed under the control of the Benedictine Monastery at Saumur on the River Loire in France. Thereafter to the present day the site has had an almost unbroken sacred use.

Sighted on a hillock the point has views directed towards the two downland ridges over which the sun rises and sets for most of the year. There is also a magnificent prospect of Chanctonbury Ring and an east/west Roman road crossed the river nearby. The Benedictines were first in possession of the House back in mid C11th. and the former Order is reputed to have taken an interest in geometry (as did the Knights Templar who also feature very heavily in the history of the area.) There are seals showing the building and its three towers and also a nearby hospital, which seems to have had associations with St Catherine’s wheel and rather “suspect” tree icons. Many ancient Sussex churches are believed to have occupied pre-Conquest sites. Various place-name derivations have been suggested but “sel, sil and sol” all have astronomical associations and, of course, “Seline” was the moon goddess.