File:St Bartholomews Church - geograph.org.uk - 1397913.jpg

English: St Bartholomews Church. Consecrated in 1880 and closed for worship around 1990 becoming a residential and retreat centre for young people in the local diocese known as St Bartz. In the intervening period since Nigel's image, 58602, was taken it seems the former graveyard has been seriously neglected. Spithurst lies in the northern part of Barcombe parish and plans were afoot in the 1830s to build a new church to cater for the growing number of residents employed on local estates. The land here was given over to the building of the church in 1838 but was to remain empty for over 40 years as the then absentee rector fell out with the local landowner and proceeded to build a church to the south in Mount Pleasant which began in 1868 and was partially completed before worked stopped in the early 1870s as the rector sought to claim money for church building through the courts in order to complete the project. The court itself referred the dispute back to the local parishioners and rector to sort out whilst emptying the pockets of both and stalemate continued until the death of the latter in 1877 resulting in the demolition of the partially completed church in Mount Pleasant.