Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a former Anglican
church in the hamlet
of Warminghurst
in the district of Horsham
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. The present building, which is no longer used for worship, has 13th-century origins, but a church may have existed on the site in the 11th century or earlier. Often administered in connection with other churches in the rural area of West Sussex in which it was built–churches at nearby Steyning, Ashington and Thakeham were all involved with it at various times–its congregations declined and closure came first in the 1920s and then for good in 1979, when it was declared redundant
. Unlike many ancient churches in Sussex, it was not subject to restoration
in the mid-19th century: its interior has been called "the finest example in Sussex of how many must have looked before the Victorian
restorers". After a period in which the Early English Gothic stone-built church fell into dereliction, prompting one Sussex historian to lament its "unloved" appearance, it was taken into the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. English Heritage
has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
, close to where the South Downs
rise. It is long from north and south, narrow and largely rural; its village, never very large, has disappeared since the medieval era
. Development was always scattered rather than nucleated because the land around the church and manor house
sloped steeply away on all sides.
One of the earliest descriptions of Warminghurst was as an appurtenance
of Steyning
, a more significant nearby town, and although the Domesday survey
of 1086 mentioned two churches in the latter, one may have been at Warminghurst. A church is known to have stood in the parish by the late 12th century, when the name of the village was Werningcherch.
The present church, a simple sandstone
building, was built at the end of a lane a short distance from the church in neighbouring Thakeham
in about 1220. Early in its history it was, like its mother church at Steyning, owned by the Benedictine
abbey at Fécamp
in Normandy
, to which tithe
s were payable. A connection with Steyning was maintained until the early 17th century, when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre became independent. Structurally, the church changed little from its early 13th-century appearance: a long single room with no division (in the form of a chancel arch) between the chancel
and nave
and an unbroken roofline over them, lit by lancet window
s on each side and an oculus
above the entrance. Above the west end, the wood and shingled
bell-turret
is the oldest part of the building: its timbers have been dated to 1158. The bell it houses, cast in about 1200, is one of the oldest survivors in Sussex.
The three-light east window, containing plain glass and with quatrefoil
s at the top, dates from the 14th century (possibly as early as 1300) and is in the Decorated Gothic style. In the absence of any structural division between the chancel and the nave, a large wooden screen was erected instead in about 1700. This three-arched structure bears an "extravagant" Royal Arms
of Queen Anne in its tympanum
. Other 17th-century changes included the insertion of wooden altar rails
and an altar table, the repair of the lancet windows with brick, and the construction of a south-side entrance porch. A vestry
on the north side, while not contemporary, is of a similar era. Some small-scale work was carried out before 1724 by James Butler, the year in which Bishop of Chichester
Thomas Bowers visited the church and remarked "church in extraordinarily good repair by the expence of James Butler Esq." Attributed to Butler was the blocking and rebuilding of certain windows and doors (and possibly the repairs in brick described by most sources as dating from the 17th century), the tall three-deck pulpit
, and the font
with its "bulgy stem" and very rare "font crane" (an iron bracket used to pull up the font cover). In about 1770, a set of box-pews was installed, with high backs and lockable ends; unusually, these survive in excellent condition. Such seats were "complete anathema to 19th-century restorers"; the church remained untouched at that time, making its set of pews the most notable in Sussex according to one source.
The ecclesiastical status of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre varied over the centuries following its split from Steyning. Late 16th-century curates and rector
s were also linked to the churches at Thakeham
and Itchingfield
; after a long period in the late 17th century when the church had a resident vicar, curates once more served the church, usually from Thakeham but later from Ashington
; and from 1845 the vicar of Ashington celebrated services himself. The parish was linked with that of Thakeham throughout the 18th century, until 1804; soon afterwards, until the church's first closure, it was linked to Ashington. A period of closure from about 1920 until 1933 led to damage by vandals, and repairs were carried out prior to the church's reopening. More damage, this time associated with the Second World War and declining congregations, led to the only full-scale restoration in the church's history: John Leopold Denman
of the firm Denman & Sons carried out a "very sensitive" series of works ("beautifully done" according to Nikolaus Pevsner
) in 1959–60, in which all parts of the building were inspected and structural defects corrected, the east window was improved and the ceiling was stripped down to reveal its original timbers.
The church was officially reunited with Thakeham again in 1940; it had been served from there since its 1933 reopening. The declining number of worshippers made it unviable, though, and on 1 April 1979 the Diocese of Chichester
declared the Church of the Holy Sepulchre redundant
. After that date, it was no longer used for religious services, and by 1984 a Sussex writer observed that "it looks as if nobody loves it any more" and feared potential demolition. However, on 21 April 1980, under the provisions of Section 50 of the Pastoral Measure 1983, the Diocese of Chichester had placed the church into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
). This registered charity
looks after architecturally significant Anglican churches which are no longer used for regular worship. The building has been restored and is now open for visitors every day. It is considered particularly worth visiting for its "tranquillity ... and the breathtaking views to the south" towards Chanctonbury Ring
. The Church Conservation Trust looks after four other redundant churches in West Sussex, at Chichester
, Church Norton
, North Stoke
and Tortington
.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was listed at Grade I by English Heritage
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
(formerly a private chapel) on the north side, an entrance in the liturgical west end
and a bell-turret topped with a broach spire
on the roof at the liturgical east end. The porch and vestry are of brick, but the rest of the building is stone with some protective render in places. There is no chancel arch. A round window of the 13th century sits high in the gable
d west wall—a structure which has some local marble laid in courses
. Other windows are single-light lancets
, mostly given brick surrounds in the 17th or 18th century. The east window is wider, with three lights and quatrefoil
s—a good example of a simple 14th-century window in the Decorated Gothic style. Inside, the roof is also simple: single-framed with a few exposed beams. It probably dates from when the church was built.
The church has a "typically 18th-century" interior despite its mostly 13th-century exterior. The pale woodwork (mostly pine), large areas of plain glass and whitewashed walls give a bright appearance. The best feature, with no rival in Sussex for completeness and structural condition, is the late 18th-century pine box pew
s with Gothic Revival-style
tracery
at the ends. Also described by one historian as the best in the county is the rare three-deck pulpit
, also of the 18th century. The pine screen between the nave and chancel has a "splendid" and "wonderfully naïve" painted plasterwork Royal Arms in its tympanum
, repainted in 1845. Such examples, painted straight on plaster and mounted on woodwork, are unusual in Sussex.
The north chapel was built in 1619 by Henry Shelley as a vault and private chapel for the Shelley family. One family member, Edward Shelley (died 1554), is commemorated by a small brass memorial in a Perpendicular Gothic-style wall recess, depicting his wife and ten children kneeling in front of him. Other memorials include two large "Baroque-style
" 18th-century tablets decorated with the heads of putti, and three hanging monuments in marble—a style which became popular in Sussex in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Warminghurst
Warminghurst
Warminghurst is a tiny village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Ashington to Heath Common road 2.4 miles northeast of Storrington....
in the district of Horsham
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
, one of seven local government districts in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. The present building, which is no longer used for worship, has 13th-century origins, but a church may have existed on the site in the 11th century or earlier. Often administered in connection with other churches in the rural area of West Sussex in which it was built–churches at nearby Steyning, Ashington and Thakeham were all involved with it at various times–its congregations declined and closure came first in the 1920s and then for good in 1979, when it was declared redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
. Unlike many ancient churches in Sussex, it was not subject to restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the mid-19th century: its interior has been called "the finest example in Sussex of how many must have looked before the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
restorers". After a period in which the Early English Gothic stone-built church fell into dereliction, prompting one Sussex historian to lament its "unloved" appearance, it was taken into the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Warminghurst (from Old English meaning "the high wood of Wyrma's people") is an ancient parish at the south of the WealdWeald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
, close to where the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
rise. It is long from north and south, narrow and largely rural; its village, never very large, has disappeared since the medieval era
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
. Development was always scattered rather than nucleated because the land around the church and manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
sloped steeply away on all sides.
One of the earliest descriptions of Warminghurst was as an appurtenance
Appurtenance
Appurtenances is a term for what belongs to and goes with something else, with the appurtenance being less significant than what it belongs to. The word ultimately derives from Latin appertinere, "to appertain"....
of Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
, a more significant nearby town, and although the Domesday survey
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 mentioned two churches in the latter, one may have been at Warminghurst. A church is known to have stood in the parish by the late 12th century, when the name of the village was Werningcherch.
The present church, a simple sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
building, was built at the end of a lane a short distance from the church in neighbouring Thakeham
Thakeham
Thakeham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located to the north east of Storrington.The name Thakeham means "thatched homestead" and the original village had just one main street which is home to the village's only pub, The White Lion, and church. The...
in about 1220. Early in its history it was, like its mother church at Steyning, owned by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey at Fécamp
Fécamp Abbey
Fécamp Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Normandy, northern France.The abbey was the first producer of Bénédictine, a herbal liqueur, based on brandy.-First foundation:...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, to which tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s were payable. A connection with Steyning was maintained until the early 17th century, when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre became independent. Structurally, the church changed little from its early 13th-century appearance: a long single room with no division (in the form of a chancel arch) between the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and an unbroken roofline over them, lit by lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s on each side and an oculus
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
above the entrance. Above the west end, the wood and shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
bell-turret
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
is the oldest part of the building: its timbers have been dated to 1158. The bell it houses, cast in about 1200, is one of the oldest survivors in Sussex.
The three-light east window, containing plain glass and with quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s at the top, dates from the 14th century (possibly as early as 1300) and is in the Decorated Gothic style. In the absence of any structural division between the chancel and the nave, a large wooden screen was erected instead in about 1700. This three-arched structure bears an "extravagant" Royal Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Queen Anne in its tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. Other 17th-century changes included the insertion of wooden altar rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
and an altar table, the repair of the lancet windows with brick, and the construction of a south-side entrance porch. A vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
on the north side, while not contemporary, is of a similar era. Some small-scale work was carried out before 1724 by James Butler, the year in which Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
Thomas Bowers visited the church and remarked "church in extraordinarily good repair by the expence of James Butler Esq." Attributed to Butler was the blocking and rebuilding of certain windows and doors (and possibly the repairs in brick described by most sources as dating from the 17th century), the tall three-deck pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, and the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
with its "bulgy stem" and very rare "font crane" (an iron bracket used to pull up the font cover). In about 1770, a set of box-pews was installed, with high backs and lockable ends; unusually, these survive in excellent condition. Such seats were "complete anathema to 19th-century restorers"; the church remained untouched at that time, making its set of pews the most notable in Sussex according to one source.
The ecclesiastical status of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre varied over the centuries following its split from Steyning. Late 16th-century curates and rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
s were also linked to the churches at Thakeham
Thakeham
Thakeham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England located to the north east of Storrington.The name Thakeham means "thatched homestead" and the original village had just one main street which is home to the village's only pub, The White Lion, and church. The...
and Itchingfield
Itchingfield
Itchingfield is a small village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Barns Green to Broadbridge Heath road southwest of Horsham.The main settlement in the parish is Barns Green.-References:...
; after a long period in the late 17th century when the church had a resident vicar, curates once more served the church, usually from Thakeham but later from Ashington
Ashington, West Sussex
Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A24 road 3 miles northeast of Storrington.The parish has a land area of 805 hectares...
; and from 1845 the vicar of Ashington celebrated services himself. The parish was linked with that of Thakeham throughout the 18th century, until 1804; soon afterwards, until the church's first closure, it was linked to Ashington. A period of closure from about 1920 until 1933 led to damage by vandals, and repairs were carried out prior to the church's reopening. More damage, this time associated with the Second World War and declining congregations, led to the only full-scale restoration in the church's history: John Leopold Denman
John Leopold Denman
John Leopold Denman was an architect from the English seaside resort of Brighton, now part of the city of Brighton and Hove. He had a prolific career in the area during the 20th century, both on his own and as part of the Denman & Son firm in partnership with his son John Bluet Denman. ...
of the firm Denman & Sons carried out a "very sensitive" series of works ("beautifully done" according to Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
) in 1959–60, in which all parts of the building were inspected and structural defects corrected, the east window was improved and the ceiling was stripped down to reveal its original timbers.
The church was officially reunited with Thakeham again in 1940; it had been served from there since its 1933 reopening. The declining number of worshippers made it unviable, though, and on 1 April 1979 the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared the Church of the Holy Sepulchre redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
. After that date, it was no longer used for religious services, and by 1984 a Sussex writer observed that "it looks as if nobody loves it any more" and feared potential demolition. However, on 21 April 1980, under the provisions of Section 50 of the Pastoral Measure 1983, the Diocese of Chichester had placed the church into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
). This registered charity
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
looks after architecturally significant Anglican churches which are no longer used for regular worship. The building has been restored and is now open for visitors every day. It is considered particularly worth visiting for its "tranquillity ... and the breathtaking views to the south" towards Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring is a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, on the border of the civil parishes of Washington and Wiston in the English county of West Sussex. A ridgeway, now part of the South Downs Way, runs along the hill...
. The Church Conservation Trust looks after four other redundant churches in West Sussex, at Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church is a former Anglican church in the cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes as a proprietary chapel, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching house" reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the Church...
, Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, also known as St Wilfrid's Church and originally as St Peter's Church, is a former Anglican church at Church Norton, a rural location near the village of Selsey in West Sussex, England...
, North Stoke
St Mary the Virgin's Church, North Stoke
North Stoke Church, rededicated in 2007 to St Mary the Virgin after its medieval dedication was unexpectedly rediscovered, is a former Church of England parish church in the riverside hamlet of North Stoke in the Horsham District of West Sussex...
and Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church is the former Anglican parish church of the hamlet of Tortington in the district of Arun, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Founded in the 12th century to serve a priory and villagers in the riverside location, it has...
.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was listed at Grade I by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
Architecture and fittings
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has a simple layout, only slightly altered from its 13th-century origins. It consists of a long, low single cell containing nave and chancel, a porch on the south side (now blocked, and containing the original entrance door), a vestryVestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
(formerly a private chapel) on the north side, an entrance in the liturgical west end
Cathedral diagram
In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing. Light double lines in perimeter walls indicate glazed windows. Dashed lines show the ribs of the vaulting overhead...
and a bell-turret topped with a broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
on the roof at the liturgical east end. The porch and vestry are of brick, but the rest of the building is stone with some protective render in places. There is no chancel arch. A round window of the 13th century sits high in the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d west wall—a structure which has some local marble laid in courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
. Other windows are single-light lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
, mostly given brick surrounds in the 17th or 18th century. The east window is wider, with three lights and quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s—a good example of a simple 14th-century window in the Decorated Gothic style. Inside, the roof is also simple: single-framed with a few exposed beams. It probably dates from when the church was built.
The church has a "typically 18th-century" interior despite its mostly 13th-century exterior. The pale woodwork (mostly pine), large areas of plain glass and whitewashed walls give a bright appearance. The best feature, with no rival in Sussex for completeness and structural condition, is the late 18th-century pine box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s with Gothic Revival-style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
at the ends. Also described by one historian as the best in the county is the rare three-deck pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, also of the 18th century. The pine screen between the nave and chancel has a "splendid" and "wonderfully naïve" painted plasterwork Royal Arms in its tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
, repainted in 1845. Such examples, painted straight on plaster and mounted on woodwork, are unusual in Sussex.
The north chapel was built in 1619 by Henry Shelley as a vault and private chapel for the Shelley family. One family member, Edward Shelley (died 1554), is commemorated by a small brass memorial in a Perpendicular Gothic-style wall recess, depicting his wife and ten children kneeling in front of him. Other memorials include two large "Baroque-style
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
" 18th-century tablets decorated with the heads of putti, and three hanging monuments in marble—a style which became popular in Sussex in the 17th and 18th centuries.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Southeast England
- List of places of worship in Horsham (district)