Inside the 'special' church among UK's smallest

Lullington Good Shepherd Church is one of the UK's smallest

Nestled in the South Downs and Cuckmere Valley, it would be easy to miss what is one of the smallest churches in the country.

At about 16ft by 16ft (4.8m by 4.8m), Lullington Good Shepherd Church can host about 20 people at a time, whether they are members of the community, returning visitors or hikers who have stumbled across the site.

Only accessible by foot, the church sits just off a section of the South Downs Way which winds its way through Alfriston and towards the Long Man of Wilmington.

The Reverend Stephen Stuckes, rector of the Cuckmere Churches, said: "It creates its own special spirituality."

He added: "The knowledge and love of this place extends far and wide beyond the immediate community to the many people who find it by reputation or by accident.

"There's something about the scale which makes it extra special. You can only gather here with a limited number of people.

"Somehow that makes it distinctive amongst churches that are often so much larger."

Lullington Church is thought to be the chancel of a larger former church

Thought to date back to the 13th Century, it now stands as Sussex's smallest church.

It is thought to be the chancel of a much larger space believed to have been burned down by a fire in the mid-17th Century Cromwellian period.

In the church hangs a bell, believed to date back to the 19th century, and an organ which featured on the 2003 song The Smallest Church in Sussex, by Sea Power.

The altar and harmonium in the church

But, in a countryside church which is more often sound tracked by birdsong and the whistle of the wind, what stands out, according to Rev Stuckes, is the serenity.

He added: "One of my favourite times to come here is when nobody else is around, such as early morning on a spring or summer day.

"You can walk up here and find that you have the place to yourself and sit here in the pure silence of this special place.

"It gives you a sense of your connectedness with this ancient place and a moment to find yourself amongst the singing of the birds and the gentleness of the breeze."