The River Adur runs through the Parish. It is tidal up to the footbridge near the Parish church of St Giles, which is situated in the south of the Parish. There is an extensive flood plain resulting in a wetland habitat. Numerous small streams feed the river, the largest being the Cowfold Stream. The river in Shermanbury floods during heavy rain, especially in the winter, and the A281 at Mockbridge is occasionally impassable to traffic. It is understood that local flooding is exacerbated as surface water run-off shares the foul water sewerage system which causes an overflow near Mockbridge at times of heavy rainfall.

There are several small areas of ancient woodland in the Parish, and it has a significant network of footpaths which were originally used by farm workers to travel to work and access the fields. There are also three bridleways in the Parish, one of which, known locally as “The Grove” runs alongside the River Adur. This network provides a direct link between the two settlements and is considered essential to the cohesion of the Parish. 2.5. The Parish benefits from 23 Grade II listed buildings including the Royal Oak Public House in Wineham English Heritage Listed Building. Listed Buildings comprise over 10% of houses in the Parish. In addition, the Parish Church of St. Giles is Grade II* Listed Building and its history dates over 1000 years and possibly as far back as Saxon times.