Church-in-the-woods is located in Hollington, a suburb of Hastings, in southern England. It is officially called St Leonard's Church, but originally it was St Rumbold's Church.
Hollington is now a large suburb of Hastings, consisting mainly of post-war housing, but the church has stood here in the woods since it was built in the 13th century. It replaced an 11th-century chapel. When St Leonard's Church in the suburb of Hastings ceased to exist at the beginning of the 15th century, it was replaced by a chapel from the 11th century. Leonard's Church on the outskirts of Hastings ceased to exist in the early 15th century, the name was mistakenly applied to this church. The name "Сhurch in the wood" became known from the mid-nineteenth century. At this time it was still a parish church, but was in a terrible state. At one time it was thought that it would be easier to demolish than to repair it, but the parishioners insisted on preserving the ancient church. The renovation lasted about 20 and the church has taken on a very Victorian appearance. Very little of the original Norman of the original Norman building. An ancient cemetery exists adjacent to the church. The first documented burials date back to 1606, and the oldest surviving monument is from 1678.
Now Hastings is expanding, the former suburbs are becoming part of the city, there is an active housing development, but the forest is being housing development, but the woods around the church remain intact. Many legends are associated with this church. For example, it's said to be a conflict between the devil and the builders - every night all their day's work is destroyed and and the building materials disappeared. A disembodied voice told the builders that this place belonged to the devil and the church should be built elsewhere. In the place indicated by the voice, the church was built without problems, and a dense forest immediately grew around it, hiding it either from the devil or from the parishioners (legends say different things here).
