Although Coombes church looks very humble form the outside, inside the walls are covered in paintings that were rediscovered in 1949. There is a difference of opinion when they were done. One view holds that they were painted by monks from Lewes Priory in the 12th century. The other view argues that they are Saxon and predate the Norman conquest. In support of the older date the paintings are true frescoes, that is they were painted onto wet plaster. The plaster lies directly on the original masonry and since the walls are Saxon, it follows that the frescoes are also Saxon.