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There has been a church at Sompting since before the Norman conquest of the 11th century. The oldest part of the building is the Saxon Tower, which has stonework that has been dated as pre-1000AD.

Now standing around 25 metres high with walls 76cm thick, the tower is thought to have been built in stages. The first stage, which was probably once the west end of the Nave, is believed to have been constructed before 1000AD. The second stage dates from approximately 1050AD, with its Romanesque architectural features providing additional evidence for the dating.

The spire is the earliest example of a ‘Rhenish helm’ in England. The framework is square, with a four-sided pyramid rising to a central mast. The helm was re-shingled in 1984, which offered the opportunity for a detailed study. Samples of the timber frame were sent for radio carbon dating and tree-ring dating, identifying the wood as 14th-century oak. It is likely that this wood was a replacement of earlier work, because the original tower construction shows a shape that is consistent with the Rhenish helm. (Information from http://www.somptingparish.org.uk/index.htm)