St Mary's, a charming 15th century timber-framed house, was originally a hostel for travellers. The River Adur had a broad navigable estuary in the 12th century and beside the bridge at Bramber, on the site of St Mary's, stood a house belonging to the Knights Templar.
The bridge and its tolls were given to the Benedictine monks of Sele Priory in around 1230.
By 1350 the Priory had also received the Knights Templar's house.
Sele Priory was given to the newly established Magdalen College, Oxford in the mid-15th century.
In 1470 the founder of the College, William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, rebuilt St Mary's as a hostel for travellers.
The present house is about half the size of Waynflete's building. On the Dissolution of the Monasteries St Mary's was acquired by Francis Shirley of West Grinstead.
The house then passed into the hands of the Gough family who used it as an occasional residence and made several alterations in the late 16th century.
In the 18th and 19th centuries St Mary's became neglected but in 1896 the house was purchased by the Hon. Algernon Bourke, a younger son of the Earl of Mayo. He restored the building and added two new wings to the west.
During the 20th century the house suffered another decline. The building was requisitioned by the army during the war and afterwards was used as a guest-house. One of the Victorian wings was pulled down and the building deteriorated.
However, towards the end of the 20th century St Mary's was restored and it is now a well-maintained and comfortable family home.
The main block, dating from the 15th century, represents the eastern half of Waynflete's building.
A narrow, galleried courtyard once separated this building from a very similar one to the west. The house is a long rectangle with close-studded timber framing.
The upper storey is jettied out and the huge roof is covered with stone slabs.
The ground floor rooms have low ceilings with panelling and fittings dating from the 16th and 19th centuries.
The English furniture dates from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
The Drawing Room, to the south, has panelling and a splendid chimneypiece with ebony columns and marquetry-work.
An Elizabethan staircase stands on the site of the original courtyard. On the landing is a blocked window which still retains the original 16th century shutters and ironwork.
The Painted Room has a unique architectural 'trome l'oeil' on its panelling. It was said to have been decorated for a visit by Elizabeth I.
The King's Room is supposed to have sheltered Charles II in 1651 while he was fleeing to safety after the Battle of Worcester.
The Library, with a 16th century chimneypiece and fine 19th century panelling, houses an important private collection of works by the Victorian poet and artist, Thomas Hood. The Music Room added by Algernon Bourke has ornate Gothic fireplaces. This room is now used as a tea room and for concerts.
St Mary's also houses a fine collection of English costume-dolls, ceramics and manuscripts.
The house is surrounded by delightful gardens.
Highlights include the amusing topiary animals and the mysterious ivy-clad Monks' walk. The lost Victorian walled and pleasure gardens, hidden for 50 years, were rescued in 1977.
2008: May to end of Sept: Sun, Thur & Bank Holiday Mon 14:00-18:00 (last entry 17:00), free guided tours of the Victorian Secret Garden at 14:30 and 16:00. Events in the summer.
Tel: 01903 816205 St Mary's Website
