The House                     more.....

The Entrance Hall

The visitor immediately senses the welcoming atmosphere of St. Mary's in this panelled room, with its beautiful 16th century parquetry overmantel. The cellars beneath are said to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes story, The Musgrave Ritual.

The Monks' Parlour

In the fifteenth century, when St. Mary's was a monastic inn for pilgrims, this room provided lodgings for monks who served as wardens of the Great Bridge of Bramber. One notable feature of this room is a massive 'dragon beam'.

The Drawing Room

Once part of the ancient monastic Common Room, this room is decorated with sumptuous Jacobean panelling. The magnificent marquetry overmantel depicts flintlock guns and military musical instruments in oak, box and burr walnut.

The South Hall

Constructed during the refurbishment of the house in the late 16th century, the hall is embellished with exquisite gilded wall-leather, decorated with flowers, fruit and birds.

The Staircase

The newel posts of the early 17th century staircase are surmounted by two carved wooden lions which serve as rests for candlesticks.