[Illustration:  LITTLEHAMPTON HARBOUR.]

Amberley Church is a small Norman building with Early English additions; note the brass to John Wantle (1424) and the beautifully ornamented door in the south aisle.  There is an hour-glass stand in the pulpit.  Notice also the ancient font and the remains of frescoes at the east end of the nave.

The road now runs eastwards with the fine escarpment of Rackham Hill to the right and in about two miles reaches Parham Park, the seat of Lord Zouche.  A short distance further east is Storrington, which we have seen on our way to Worthing.  Delightful walks may be taken across the park, which is freely open to the pedestrian.  This stretch of sandy and picturesque wild land is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful domains in the south.  Its fir-trees are characteristic of the sandstone formation which here succeeds the chalk.  Visitors should make their way to the lake where the scene, with the Downs as a background, is one of extreme beauty.  The Heronry here is famous; the birds were originally brought from Wales to Penshurst, from which locality they migrated to Angmering and then to Parham.

Lady Dorothy Nevill, in her interesting “Leaves,” refers to Parham as a favourite resort of smugglers.  A former Lady de la Zouche, while a little girl, was made to open a gate for the passage of a long procession of pack-horses laden with kegs.

Parham House is a fine Elizabethan manor, although partly spoilt by some modern additions; built by Sir Thomas Palmer about 1520 it passed to the present family in 1597.  The house is famous for the magnificent collection of works of art, early printed books and ancient illuminated MS.; permission to inspect these may be obtained by written application when the family are not in residence and for purposes of research this important collection is always available.  Some time since the most valuable items were removed to the British Museum for safety.  The house contains a priest’s hole, the entrance to which is from a window seat in the long gallery; one of the Babington conspirators—­Charles Paget—­was hidden here.  South of the house is Parham Church, possessing one of the three leaden fonts of Sussex.

[Illustration:  AMBERLEY CASTLE.]

It is now proposed to visit Pulborough and the valley of the Rother.  Though rather far afield from Seaward Sussex and the chalk lands, this district comes naturally within the Down country, but must have a chapter to itself.  From Parham we may either go direct to Pulborough by the highroad or, more profitably, by Greatham to Coldwaltham on the Roman Stane Street, the great highway from Chichester to London; here we turn north east and in a mile (just past the railway) note the scanty ruins of Hardham Priory on the right; another mile and, crossing the old Arun bridge, we are in Pulborough.

[Illustration:  STOPHAM BRIDGE.]

CHAPTER VII