St Margaret`s The Queen is church the built around 1250AD, the year that Margaret Queen of Scotland was canonized. It is a Grade 1 listed sandstone building in the Early English style, with the majority of the building remaining unaltered since the 13th century, although the tower is a later addition.
It is situated in Buxted Park, to the west of the village, and in the grounds of the Buxted Park Hotel. The village was originally based around the church until, in the 19th century, the 3rd Lord Liverpool became the owner of the Park House and landlord of the village. He allowed the housing to deteriorate and encouraged the population to move away to the other side of the valley!
The churchyard has a number of key features:
The large yew tree to the east of the church is over 2,000 years old. On the eastern wall of the churchyard is the grave of Christopher Wordsworth, Rector of St. Margaret`s from 1820 to 1846. He subsequently became Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University. He was the youngest brother of the poet William Wordsworth.
Also in the churchyard is the grave of the author Winston Graham who lived in Buxted until his death in 2003. He wrote over 40 novels, including the famous Poldark series.
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