An ancient Sussex church which was mentioned in the Domesday Book needs to raise £20,000 for the restoration of its historic painted ceiling.

The chancel ceiling above the alter of St Wulfran's Church in Ovingdean was designed by Charles Kempe in 1867 following a major reconstruction of the church in the 1860s.

However, the ceiling, which is now almost 140 years old and has never been restored, is looking dirty and faded and has been damaged by a leak.

The church, the oldest building in the area, wants to restore the artwork of leaves, flowers and doves to its former glory.

The restoration will need to be carried out by skilled craftsmen. On November 15, the church will be launching the Kempe Chancel Ceiling Appeal to raise funds.

David Ross, chairman of the appeal, said: "At the moment, the ceiling is dingy and discoloured and hardly noticeable.

"We hope it will mean a lot more to people when it is cleaned and touched up."

Kempe is famous for designing stained glass windows, ceilings and other church furniture.

At the height of his success he was commissioned to produce a window of St George for Buckingham Palace.

Kempe was the son of Nathaniel Kemp, who built Ovingdean Hall, now Ovingdean Hall School, in 1792, where the artist was born.

Kempe had hoped to become a clergyman but was unable to do so because of a speech impediment.

He died in 1907 and is buried in the family vault in St Wulfran's churchyard.

The appeal launch will be a wine and cheese evening in the church where guests will have the chance to see the ceiling, which will be lit by floodlights.

There will be a talk by lecturer Teresa Brach and guests will have the chance to buy a flower or bird on the ceiling to raise funds.

Other fund-raising schemes, including the sale of village Christmas cards, will get under way after the launch.

Mr Ross said: "It is a beautiful church and it has a lot of special things in it. This ceiling is one of its attractive features.

"The church has a very special place in the village. There is a very lively community spirit in Ovingdean although the population is only 1,500."

The launch will be free. For more details, call Canon Andrew Mayes on 01273 303633 or Mr Ross on 01273 301075.