Our monthly service at Pett Level is a popular 8:30am Holy Communion using the traditional liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer. This takes place on the first Sunday of the month. You can expect a warm welcome at our little church.
At St Nicholas, we want to be creative in how we use our space and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. We have extra services and events at special times of the year including Christmas and Easter, including a sunrise service on the beach. Notices of our latest events and services can be found in the porch or in the local parish magazine.
Our church is open daily for personal prayer and this is made possible by local volunteers. All are welcome to come in, make a cuppa and enjoy a moment of calm.
We stock a wide selection of second-hand books and many people enjoy browsing the shelves. We hope you’re able to stop-by when you next visit Pett Level.
St Nicholas is a ‘Chapel of Ease’ and therefore we are unable to hold weddings. However, we would love to welcome you and your loved ones for a service of blessing and thanksgiving. We also offer Baptism (Christening) and we’d be delighted to hear from you if you and your family are thinking about this.
At the foot of one of the steepest hills in Sussex and on the westernmost edge of the border marshes is the church of St Nicholas, Pett Level. Originally it was a Life Saving Rocket Apparatus station. The sum of £100 was raised to purchase the building from the Admiralty and many local people contributed to the furnishings.
On April 26, 1935 the Bishop of Lewes, the Rt. Rev. H.M. Hordern, dedicated the church to St Nicholas, the Patron Saint of sailors and children. Later on October 26, the Bishop of Chichester affixed his seal to the “Authorisation to hold Public Worship in the new Chapel of Ease to St Mary & St Peter, Pett.”
The church closed in 1940 after the evacuation of civilians from the area and remained closed until the end of the Second World War. St Nicholas reopened in August 1945. In 1959 a vestry and porch were added to complete this miniature place of worship.
For a more detailed history of the church of St Mary & St Peter in Pett and St Nicholas in Pett Level, readers are referred to Pett in Sussex: The Story of a Village, its Church and People, by John N C Taylor.
We are deeply thankful for all the community support that enables St Nicholas to stay open every day of the year – welcoming visitors, locals and all those in need of a moment of sanctuary in the busyness of life.
It is not often churches face this challenge, but we are currently working out how to make room to accommodate our growing monthly congregation. We are always working to balance the sacredness of our worship space with the day-to-day use of the church building. Over the coming months we are looking to experiment with some minor rearranging and decluttering in order to free up space for worship.
Our parish has chosen to prioritise inclusivity and welcome as part of how we share the love of God with our communities.
In Spring 2026 the Parish of Pett was added to the national ecumenical database of churches working towards greater diversity and inclusion in the Christian church. As part of our affiliation this is the Inclusive Church statement we have signed up to:
“We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate.
We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.
We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”
We do not claim to be perfect but we are striving to be more inclusive week by week, and it will be a key part of our planning going forward. Please know that if you decide to worship with us at Pett, you will be welcome and we will work with you to make sure you can access our services, fully participate in worship, and rest in the knowledge that you are celebrated for simply being yourself!
If you would like to know more about Inclusive Church or have questions have what this means for us in the Parish of Pett please contact the Rector.
