Coombes Church
Encyclopedia
Coombes Church is a Church of England parish church
in the rural hamlet
of Coombes
in the Adur District of West Sussex
, England
. It has served the rural parish, northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea
and next to the River Adur
, since the 11th century. Despite several rebuildings, some structural elements remain from that period. An important series of wall paintings
, dating from the 12th to the 18th centuries, were uncovered in 1949. English Heritage
has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
in 1086, when it supported two manors
and their associated settlements. Coombes was the larger at the time but neither it nor Applesham (the other hamlet) was significant. The settlements, high on the South Downs
above the River Adur's floodplain
, may have had their origins in a pair of Saxon-era estates. The Domeday Book recorded 31 people in Coombes and a further 16 in Applesham.
Coombes parish church, whose original dedication has now been lost (although it has been attributed to John the Baptist
), existed at the time of the Domesday Book. At that time it was a simple flint
building in three parts: chancel
, nave
and a tower at the west end. It was built so far into the rising land of the hillside that the base of the west window was just above the ground. The building was added to and altered several times over the next few centuries in a manner that Ian Nairn
described as a "century-by-century accretion of piety".
Most of the nave, its south doorway and the chancel arch are Saxon but the chancel was rebuilt in the early 13th century and a priest's doorway was added. In the 14th century the nave windows were altered, but one 12th-century window survives in good condition. In the 15th century two new windows were added to the chancel, flanking surviving a Norman
door. A porch was built on the south side of the nave in the 16th century, incorporating the original entrance doorway into the nave.
The church suffered a near-total collapse in the early 18th century: the tower at the west end fell down, bringing most of the nave and chancel down with it. The congregation was allowed to rebuild the nave itself (shortening it in the process) and the chancel was rebuilt soon afterwards. Around the same time a tile-hung bell-turret was added at the west end. The church, unlike many in Sussex, was not restored or reconfigured
during the Victorian era
.
. Most of the surviving designs date from the 12th century — the oldest were produced in about 1135 — but some are more recent. They were discovered in 1949 and preserved with minimal restoration, unlike many similar examples elsewhere. Designs include The Visitation, the Nativity of Jesus
, Christ in Majesty
and Christ delivering the Keys of Heaven
to Saint Peter
and the Book to Saint Paul
. On the soffit
beneath the chancel arch is a humorous sketch: a man with a gaping mouth grimaces as he strains to hold up the arch.
The early paintings are part of a series painted at churches by monks from Lewes Priory
, England's first Cluniac house
. Others survive at the churches in Clayton
, Hardham
and Plumpton
.
, relieved by some dressings of ashlar
, forms the walls. The roof is of Horsham Stone
slates, in common with many historic Sussex buildings.
Only one Norman window remains in its original condition, but several others are blocked up. The windows on the south side of the chancel are in the Perpendicular Gothic, while the 16th-century east window and 1724 west window are simpler.
The churchyard is one of very few to have a Tapsel gate
— a centrally pivoted gate unique to Sussex. An ancient crucifix
was found in the churchyard in 1877, when it was moved into the church. The age of the brick and stone font
is not known. It may be 19th century but other sources propose more ancient origins.
on 12 October 1954. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001 it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings and 119 listed buildings of all grades in Adur District.
The Holy Eucharist is celebrated on Sunday mornings in alternate weeks. Worship is in a traditional catholic style.
The ecclesiastical parish covers an almost entirely rural area of 1280 acres (518 ha). Its boundaries are defined by the River Adur
in the east and ancient field and estate boundaries to the south, west and north.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
in the rural 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 Coombes
Coombes
Coombes is a hamlet and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. The village is in the Adur Valley northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea....
in the Adur District 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...
, England
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...
. It has served the rural parish, northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
and next to the River Adur
River Adur
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...
, since the 11th century. Despite several rebuildings, some structural elements remain from that period. An important series of wall paintings
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
, dating from the 12th to the 18th centuries, were uncovered in 1949. 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
The parish of Coombes existed, with the name Cumbe, at the time of the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
in 1086, when it supported two manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
and their associated settlements. Coombes was the larger at the time but neither it nor Applesham (the other hamlet) was significant. The settlements, high on 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...
above the River Adur's floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
, may have had their origins in a pair of Saxon-era estates. The Domeday Book recorded 31 people in Coombes and a further 16 in Applesham.
Coombes parish church, whose original dedication has now been lost (although it has been attributed to John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
), existed at the time of the Domesday Book. At that time it was a simple flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
building in three parts: 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...
, 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 a tower at the west end. It was built so far into the rising land of the hillside that the base of the west window was just above the ground. The building was added to and altered several times over the next few centuries in a manner that Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
described as a "century-by-century accretion of piety".
Most of the nave, its south doorway and the chancel arch are Saxon but the chancel was rebuilt in the early 13th century and a priest's doorway was added. In the 14th century the nave windows were altered, but one 12th-century window survives in good condition. In the 15th century two new windows were added to the chancel, flanking surviving a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
door. A porch was built on the south side of the nave in the 16th century, incorporating the original entrance doorway into the nave.
The church suffered a near-total collapse in the early 18th century: the tower at the west end fell down, bringing most of the nave and chancel down with it. The congregation was allowed to rebuild the nave itself (shortening it in the process) and the chancel was rebuilt soon afterwards. Around the same time a tile-hung bell-turret was added at the west end. The church, unlike many in Sussex, was not restored or reconfigured
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...
during the Victorian era
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...
.
Wall paintings
The church is most noted for its extensive wall paintingsMural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
. Most of the surviving designs date from the 12th century — the oldest were produced in about 1135 — but some are more recent. They were discovered in 1949 and preserved with minimal restoration, unlike many similar examples elsewhere. Designs include The Visitation, the Nativity of Jesus
Nativity of Jesus in art
The Nativity of Jesus has been a major subject of Christian art since the 4th century. The artistic depictions of the Nativity or birth of Jesus, celebrated at Christmas, are based on the narratives in the Bible, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and further elaborated by written, oral and...
, Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty, or Christ in Glory, in Latin Majestas Domini, is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership changes over time and according to...
and Christ delivering the Keys of Heaven
Keys of Heaven
In ecclesiastical heraldry, the Papal coat of arms contain the keys of the office of St. Peter. The Keys of Heaven were, according to Christian tradition, received by Saint Peter from Jesus, marking Peter's ability to take binding actions. Thus, the Keys are seen as a symbol of Papal authority...
to Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and the Book to Saint Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. On the soffit
Soffit
Soffit , in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element...
beneath the chancel arch is a humorous sketch: a man with a gaping mouth grimaces as he strains to hold up the arch.
The early paintings are part of a series painted at churches by monks from Lewes Priory
Lewes Priory
The Priory of St Pancras was the first Cluniac house in England and had one of the largest monastic churches in the country. It was set within an extensive walled and gated precinct laid out in a commanding location fronting the tidal shore-line at the head of the Ouse valley to the south of Lewes...
, England's first Cluniac house
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
. Others survive at the churches in Clayton
Clayton, West Sussex
Clayton is a small village at the foot of the South Downs in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the north and Lewes, the county town of East...
, Hardham
Hardham
Hardham is a small village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A29 road 1.2 miles southwest of Pulborough....
and Plumpton
Plumpton, East Sussex
Plumpton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles north-west of Lewes. The parish includes the small village of Plumpton and the larger village of Plumpton Green to the north where most of the community and services are based...
.
Architecture and fittings
Coombes parish church is a simple building of two parts: the chancel at the east end and the nave to the west, linked by chancel arch 30 inches (76.2 cm) thick. A porch, incorporating the entrance door, faces south. The former west tower has been replaced by a small bell-turret at the west end of the roof. Flint rubble masonryRubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
, relieved by some dressings of ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
, forms the walls. The roof is of Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone is a type of calcerous, flaggy sandstone containing millions of minute sand grains. It is also high in mica and quartz. The rock extends in an arc-like formation for several kilometres around the West Sussex town of Horsham from which it bears its name and lies just below the Wealden...
slates, in common with many historic Sussex buildings.
Only one Norman window remains in its original condition, but several others are blocked up. The windows on the south side of the chancel are in the Perpendicular Gothic, while the 16th-century east window and 1724 west window are simpler.
The churchyard is one of very few to have a Tapsel gate
Tapsel gate
A Tapsel gate is a type of wooden gate, unique to the English county of Sussex, which has a central pivot upon which it can rotate through 90° in either direction before coming to a stop at two fixed points. It was named after a Sussex family of bell-founders, one of whom invented it in the late...
— a centrally pivoted gate unique to Sussex. An ancient crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
was found in the churchyard in 1877, when it was moved into the church. The age of the brick and stone 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:...
is not known. It may be 19th century but other sources propose more ancient origins.
The church today
Coombes Church was listed Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 12 October 1954. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001 it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings and 119 listed buildings of all grades in Adur District.
The Holy Eucharist is celebrated on Sunday mornings in alternate weeks. Worship is in a traditional catholic style.
The ecclesiastical parish covers an almost entirely rural area of 1280 acres (518 ha). Its boundaries are defined by the River Adur
River Adur
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river was formerly navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large port, but over time the river valley became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters nearer...
in the east and ancient field and estate boundaries to the south, west and north.