Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church in the village of Cuckfield
in the district of Mid Sussex
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. It was founded in the 11th century and was in the possession of Lewes Priory
in 1090, but the present structure dates from the mid-13th century and was in turn extended in the 14th century. Victorian restoration
included much interior work by Charles Eamer Kempe
and stained glass
by Kempe and the Clayton and Bell firm. Former chapels of ease
in outlying hamlets
have closed, and the church now serves a large rural area in the centre of Sussex. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
of Selsey
, which he founded, the 7th-century bishop Wilfrid
converted many of the pagan inhabitants of the Kingdom of the South Saxons
(present-day Sussex) to Christianity. Primitve wooden or wattle and daub
churches were built throughout the kingdom, especially in forest clearings. The village of Cuckfield is thought to have been founded at one such clearing in the dense forest of Andredesweald, which covered much of the north of Sussex; so a church may have existed in the village from about the 8th century, when Wilfrid's mission penetrated that part of the kingdom.
The first documented evidence for a settlement and church at Cuckfield, though, came just after the time of the Domesday survey
in 1086, when the church was in the possession of Lewes Priory
, England's first Cluniac house
. The reported date of this record varies, but William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
is consistently recording as holding the church. He died in 1088, so dates of 1090, 1091 or 1092 reported in some sources may not be correct. The influence of de Warenne and his wife Gundred on the Cuckfield area extended beyond passive ownership: having founded Lewes Priory, they built and lived in Lewes Castle
and established a hunting lodge on land at Cuckfield. They may also have built the church itself, rather than merely taking possession of it on behalf of their priory. (Cuckfield is about 14 miles (22.5 km) northwest of Lewes, and was in the Rape of Lewes—one of the six pre-Norman
subdivisions of Sussex.) The exact date of the church's founding is not known: although it was not recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, details of churches were only recorded haphazardly in that survey, and many pre-1086 churches in Sussex are missing from it.
In 1091, de Warenne's son William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey
reaffirmed the grant of the church, the buildings in the village and all its tithe
s to the priory. A copy of this charter is held in the British Museum
in London. Records of further confirmation of this arrangement survive from the 1120s (from Bishop of Chichester
Ralph de Luffa
) and the end of the 12th century (by Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey).
The Norman-era building which had existed in the late 11th century—probably a simple two-cell structure with nave
and chancel
— was rebuilt in about 1250, when the Bishop of Chichester Richard de la Wych
(later canonised as St Richard) made an agreement with Lewes Priory to endow a vicarage and improve the church. At that stage, the priory controlled 39 churches in Sussex. He appointed his chaplain
Walter de Warnecamp as Holy Trinity's first parish priest, and put him in charge of the enlargement. The south wall of the Norman chapel was demolished and a three-bay
aisle was built in its place, reached through three archways with round columns. The tower at the west end was also started, although it only reached its full height later. The chancel may have been reconfigured as well.
The church took its present structural form by about 1340 after a decade of rebuilding and enlargement. Another bay was added at the east end of the nave; arcaded chapels were added to the north and south of the chancel and aligned with the walls of the nave aisles; the height of the nave was increased by the addition of a clerestory
below the roofline; and the tower was extended to its present height with a belfry
. The south aisle of the nave was extended to four bays to match the newly enlarged nave, and another was added on the north side for balance. This was supported on hexagonal piers
. Several windows with flat headers and ogee
-arched lights also date from this era, and the slim, tall spire
is believed to be contemporary as well. It is slightly recessed within the castellated
parapet
of the tower, and is of the broach spire
type.
The external roofline was changed in the late 15th century: the walls of the aisles were built up, and the roof was brought down in a single sweep from the ridge to the eaves. This work, which had the effect of blocking the quatrefoil
windows in the clerestory, was done in conjunction with the installation of a wagon vault ceiling
with tie-beams
and spandrel
s. This substantial oak roof has carved bosses
and elaborate moulding
on its beams. Further enlargement came in the following century, reflecting Cuckfield's steadily increasing prosperity: a chapel was added at the northeast corner for the use of the locally important Sergison family.
The English Reformation
of the 16th century, through which Protestantism
became established and Catholic-style worship and practices were banished, affected Holy Trinity Church in the same ways as other churches: statues, icons and paintings were removed or destroyed, the internal layout was simplified, Holy Communion rituals were altered, English was used instead of Latin, and objects ranging from hymn-books to the altar
had to be stripped out and destroyed in public—often by being burnt. Inventories had to be provided to prove this had been done, and a surviving document produced by Cuckfield's churchwarden in 1620 shows that hardly any objects were then used during services. More disruption came during the English Civil War
starting in 1641: Rev. Dr James Marsh, appointed vicar of Cuckfield in 1638, had Royalist
sympathies and became one of the thousands of clergymen who were removed from their parishes and had their possessions sequestered
. He was sent to prison three times during the war. Although central Sussex escaped the worst of the fighting, Parliamentarians
are known to have damaged the church: soldiers broke the stoups
, and a large crack in the 13th-century font
was reputedly caused by a kick from one of their horses stabled inside the church.
The Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 ended this turbulent period, and more structural work was soon carried out on the church: the spire was shingled
and a clock was installed in the tower in 1667. Some minor work had also been carried out in the 1630s: altar rails were installed in 1637, the building was painted, a gallery was added inside and the vicar hung the church's first ring of bells
. The weight of the roof necessitated external buttress
ing of the south aisle at this time as well. The church's present eight bells were cast by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
in 1815.
In the 19th century, two new parishes were carved out of Cuckfield's extensive territory: in 1848, a year after Benjamin Ferrey
built St Mark's Church at Staplefield
(paid for by the vicar and parishioners of Holy Trinity Church), it was given its own parish to serve the village, and in 1865 Haywards Heath
was given its own ecclesiastical parish based at George Frederick Bodley
's St Wilfrid's Church
, completed that year. The rapidly growing town only came into existence after Cuckfield villagers and the church authorities refused to allow the London to Brighton railway line
to be built through the village: its planned alignment took it past the east side of the churchyard, but the London and Brighton Railway
company moved it 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the east across the unpopulated heathland after residents gave their approval.
The most wide-ranging structural changes in the building's history also took place in the mid-19th century. These were planned by Rev. Thomas Astley Maberly, incumbent for 36 years from 1841, and his curate
(and successor as vicar) James Cooper, who joined the parish in 1855. Cooper was a former member of the Ecclesiastical and Architectural Society. In 1839, a parishioner donated a barrel organ
to the church, but its range of music was deemed inadequate. The same parishioner presented a new organ
in 1842, which was well-received by all and immediately changed the character of worship at the church, which had previously relied on a choir for musical accompaniment. The old font had also been restored—apparently after being discovered in pieces in the belfry by the vicar—and repositioned in the church. In 1846, a baptistery
was formed in one end of the south aisle, some of the windows were reglazed (some with stained glass
), a tiled floor was laid and new oak pew
s were installed.
In 1855, Rev. Maberly commissioned George Frederick Bodley
to renovate
the church, and comprehensive reconfiguration and rebuilding carried out by him and his pupil Charles Eamer Kempe
have given the building a largely Victorian
appearance. Changes were made in all parts of the church: Bodley installed marble steps and railings in the chancel, raised the floor height in the chancel, installed a new reredos
of alabaster
(no longer in place), changed the 17th-century triple-deck timber pulpit
for a new, smaller version of stone and wood, put in new choir stalls, removed the galleries, opened out one of the arcades in the south aisle which had been partitioned previously, renewed all the floors, lowered the floor in the tower to bring it in line with the rest of the church, re-roofed the south aisle and installed three new windows and removed a chandelier
, which was donated to a church in Oxford
. More work took place in 1862–63: the vestry
was removed from the east end of the south aisle and a Lady chapel
took its place; in 1888 the former Sergison chapel was converted into a new vestry. The large east window, designed in 1330 in the Perpendicular style, was replaced by a shorter replica.
Charles Eamer Kempe's association with the church began in 1865, when Bodley commissioned him to paint the wagon vault ceiling, which was still in its unadorned 15th-century state. His work, mostly floral designs in pale colours, is considered to be excellent and well-suited to the shape of the roof. He also designed and installed several stained glass windows between 1875 and 1887, for example in the north aisle and west wall, and rebuilt the south porch in 1883 using most of the original stonework. Five years earlier, one had been added on the north side by Richard Herbert Carpenter
. In the 1870s, the belfry was repanelled and given a new ceiling, the 25,000 shingles on the spire were replaced, a new staircase was built into the belfry and a new clock was installed. The clock of 1667 was saved and installed on the inside wall of the tower.
A war memorial was built in the churchyard and dedicated in 1921. During this work, a 13th-century coin was found in the ground; it was minted at the time the church was being built, and may have been dropped then. A memorial tablet of white marble, listing the names of all Cuckfield residents killed in the First World War, was installed inside the church in 1922. In the same year, repairs were found to be needed to several parts of the building and its fixtures; the Diocese of Chichester
provided funds to supplement the offertory, and work started immediately. Repairs to the roof led to the uncovering of the blocked clerestory windows and two others in the chancel, although they were bricked up again in 1933. The tower was being undermined by ivy
growth, and its stonework was repaired in 1925.
Problems afflicted the spire and tower throughout the 20th century. A fire at Easter 1917 was quickly dealt with, but another caused by a lightning strike in July 1945 caused major damage, especially to the bells and the woodwork inside. Six of the eight bells were disabled for 14 months. In 1972, the shingles on the spire were found to need replacement again, and a death watch beetle
infestation was found. The weather vane
was also found to be dangerous and had to be removed temporarily. Repairs were carried out, but on 1 May 1980 another fire broke out; it was so severe that the spire toppled from the tower after just 15 minutes. A replica was made in two parts at Littlehampton
and reassembled on top of the tower in February 1981; the only change, insisted on by the church's insurers, was the insertion of larger louvres
to provide easier access from the top of the tower to the spire.
, combining elements of the Early English and Decorated styles which were popular at the time of the 13th-century rebuilding and the 14th-century enlargement respectively. The plan consists of a chancel
with chapels to the north and south, a four-bay
nave
with aisles to the north and south and porches on each side (approximately level with the second bay from the west end), a west tower with a staircase on the south side, and a vestry (the former Sergison chapel) attached to the north chapel. It is built entirely of Sussex sandstone
, some of which may have been quarried in Cuckfield itself. All roofs are covered with slabs of Horsham stone. The former Sergison chapel has external chamfer
ing and ashlar
dressings to its walls.
Most of the windows have stained glass
, by either Charles Eamer Kempe or the Clayton and Bell firm. The latter was active throughout Sussex in the late 19th century, and its work features in many churches. A Kempe window, featuring Michael the Archangel
, was installed in the west wall of the tower in 1875; he added a Jesse window in the north aisle in 1887 and another in 1889. At least four windows in the church have been attributed to him. Clayton and Bell's work, dated 1869 and 1879, is in the south aisle.
. There are many 17th- and 18th-century gravestones, 22 of which are individually listed by English Heritage
at Grade II. Elsewhere, a rare 19th-century wooden grave marker has been restored to its original condition. An extremely tall, old tree is a dominant feature. The churchyard is entered through two lychgates, both of which are also listed separately by English Heritage at Grade II. One was designed by Charles Eamer Kempe
in either 1887 or 1893; the structure is entirely of timber, supporting a "pagoda
-shaped" of Horsham stone tiles topped with an iron cross. There are two arches of unequal width, the wider of which is gated. The gate is dedicated to a parishioner, Caroline Emily Maberley. The other was added in 1911 and stands on a base of sandstone
. The roof is laid with Horsham stone tiles. The walls alongside the gate, of sandstone ashlar
, are included in the listing. The gate also bears a dedication to a parishioner, Laura Maria Beavan. The existence of a pair of lychgates at a churchyard is very rare.
Enlargement took place in 1855 to accommodate burials from the fast-growing railway town of Haywards Heath
, which at that time was still in Holy Trinity's parish. By this time, the churchyard had become a cemetery
and was no longer run by the church authorities. More land was acquired for expansion in the 20th century.
in the 1780s, was found to be in poor condition in 1926. Several surrounding farm buildings and a tithe barn
were demolished and the vicarage itself was sold in 1937. The vicar lived in a Victorian house near the church until 1945, when another house was bought nearby. This in turn fell into disrepair by 1961, but money was raised for repairs.
The old vicarage is now a Grade II listed building, which defines it as "nationally important and of special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 958 buildings with that status in Mid Sussex. Originally built in the early 17th century, it was comprehensively redesigned and rebuilt between October 1780 and September 1781. Alterations were made in the 19th century. The stucco
ed façade has five bays
, each with an evenly spaced sash window
topped by an architrave
with decorative moulding
. The door is set below a pediment
and fanlight
which is obscured by a hood-moulded
porch projecting forwards over the steps. The southeast-facing side has a tall 19th-century bow window
. Another wing was added to the north in the mid-19th century at the request of Rev. Maberley.
The church, standing on the south edge of Cuckfield off the High Street and with long views across the Weald
, is "the focal point of the village", despite the site being the lowest land in the area (305 feet (93 m) above sea level
).
The parish covers an extensive, mostly rural area in Mid Sussex. The only settlements are Cuckfield itself and the nearby hamlets
of Ansty, West Sussex
, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the southwest on the A272
, and Brook Street, about the same distance north on the road to Balcombe
. Both had former chapels of ease
of their own. The chapel at Brook Street was dedicated to All Saints and was served by Holy Trinity's curate
s and their assistants. It was opened in 1879 by the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Rev. Francis Mount. Services continued to be held there until November 1968, by which time the structure had become unsafe and congregations were declining. The building now houses a picture-framing shop. At Ansty, also in 1879, Rev. Mount opened a tin tabernacle
. This was enlarged with a proper chancel
in 1883, and on 10 December 1909 it reopened in a new, brick-built form as St John's Chapel after being rebuilt and rededicated as a memorial to a local resident. Thoughts of closing the church first arose in 1998, when finding enough clergy and laypeople to run it effectively started to become very difficult, and in January 1999 the proposal was put to worshippers at St John's and Holy Trinity Church and to all residents of Ansty. Combining its spiritual functions with those of a community centre were considered, but the outcome was the closure and sale of the chapel. The last service took place at Christmas 2000, and the building was converted into a house.
A wide range of services take place on Sundays; some are weekly, while some vary depending on the week. There is a Eucharistic service at 8.00am, alternating between Book of Common Prayer
(traditional) and Common Worship
(modern) language. A modern-language Eucharistic service aimed at families is held at 9.45am except on the first Sunday of the month, which has a non-Eucharistic equivalent at that time and a traditional-language Holy Communion at 11.00am. Evensong
is held at 6.00pm; a Eucharistic version is held in its place on the second Sunday of every month.
Cuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
in the district of Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
, 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...
. It was founded in the 11th century and was in the possession of 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...
in 1090, but the present structure dates from the mid-13th century and was in turn extended in the 14th century. Victorian 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...
included much interior work by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
and stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by Kempe and the Clayton and Bell firm. Former chapels of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
in outlying hamlets
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...
have closed, and the church now serves a large rural area in the centre of Sussex. 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 it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
From his base at the episcopal seeEpiscopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Selsey
Selsey
Selsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about seven miles south of Chichester, in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea...
, which he founded, the 7th-century bishop Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
converted many of the pagan inhabitants of the Kingdom of the South Saxons
Kingdom of Sussex
The Kingdom of Sussex or Kingdom of the South Saxons was a Saxon colony and later independent kingdom of the Saxons, on the south coast of England. Its boundaries coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the Regnenses and the later county of Sussex. A large part of its territory...
(present-day Sussex) to Christianity. Primitve wooden or wattle and daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
churches were built throughout the kingdom, especially in forest clearings. The village of Cuckfield is thought to have been founded at one such clearing in the dense forest of Andredesweald, which covered much of the north of Sussex; so a church may have existed in the village from about the 8th century, when Wilfrid's mission penetrated that part of the kingdom.
The first documented evidence for a settlement and church at Cuckfield, though, came just after the time of 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...
in 1086, when the church was in the possession of 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....
. The reported date of this record varies, but William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
is consistently recording as holding the church. He died in 1088, so dates of 1090, 1091 or 1092 reported in some sources may not be correct. The influence of de Warenne and his wife Gundred on the Cuckfield area extended beyond passive ownership: having founded Lewes Priory, they built and lived in Lewes Castle
Lewes Castle
Lewes Castle stands at the highest point of Lewes, East Sussex, England on an artificial mound constructed with chalk blocks. It was originally called Bray Castle.-History:...
and established a hunting lodge on land at Cuckfield. They may also have built the church itself, rather than merely taking possession of it on behalf of their priory. (Cuckfield is about 14 miles (22.5 km) northwest of Lewes, and was in the Rape of Lewes—one of the six pre-Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
subdivisions of Sussex.) The exact date of the church's founding is not known: although it was not recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, details of churches were only recorded haphazardly in that survey, and many pre-1086 churches in Sussex are missing from it.
In 1091, de Warenne's son William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey was the son of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey and his first wife Gundred. He is more often referred to as Earl Warenne or Earl of Warenne than as Earl of Surrey....
reaffirmed the grant of the church, the buildings in the village and all its 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 to the priory. A copy of this charter is held in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in London. Records of further confirmation of this arrangement survive from the 1120s (from 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...
Ralph de Luffa
Ralph de Luffa
Ralph de Luffa was an English bishop of Chichester, from 1091 to 1123. He built extensively on his cathedral as well as being praised by contemporary writers as an exemplary bishop. He took little part in the Investiture Crisis which took place in England during his episcopate...
) and the end of the 12th century (by Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey).
The Norman-era building which had existed in the late 11th century—probably a simple two-cell structure with 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 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...
— was rebuilt in about 1250, when the Bishop of Chichester Richard de la Wych
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
(later canonised as St Richard) made an agreement with Lewes Priory to endow a vicarage and improve the church. At that stage, the priory controlled 39 churches in Sussex. He appointed his chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
Walter de Warnecamp as Holy Trinity's first parish priest, and put him in charge of the enlargement. The south wall of the Norman chapel was demolished and a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
aisle was built in its place, reached through three archways with round columns. The tower at the west end was also started, although it only reached its full height later. The chancel may have been reconfigured as well.
The church took its present structural form by about 1340 after a decade of rebuilding and enlargement. Another bay was added at the east end of the nave; arcaded chapels were added to the north and south of the chancel and aligned with the walls of the nave aisles; the height of the nave was increased by the addition of a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
below the roofline; and the tower was extended to its present height with a belfry
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...
. The south aisle of the nave was extended to four bays to match the newly enlarged nave, and another was added on the north side for balance. This was supported on hexagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. Several windows with flat headers and ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-arched lights also date from this era, and the slim, tall spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
is believed to be contemporary as well. It is slightly recessed within the castellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
of the tower, and is of the 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....
type.
The external roofline was changed in the late 15th century: the walls of the aisles were built up, and the roof was brought down in a single sweep from the ridge to the eaves. This work, which had the effect of blocking the 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...
windows in the clerestory, was done in conjunction with the installation of a wagon vault ceiling
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
with tie-beams
Tie (engineering)
A tie, structural tie, connector, or structural connector is a structural component designed to resist tension. It is the opposite of a strut, which is designed to resist compression. Ties are generally made of galvanized steel...
and spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s. This substantial oak roof has carved bosses
Boss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
and elaborate moulding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
on its beams. Further enlargement came in the following century, reflecting Cuckfield's steadily increasing prosperity: a chapel was added at the northeast corner for the use of the locally important Sergison family.
The English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
of the 16th century, through which Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
became established and Catholic-style worship and practices were banished, affected Holy Trinity Church in the same ways as other churches: statues, icons and paintings were removed or destroyed, the internal layout was simplified, Holy Communion rituals were altered, English was used instead of Latin, and objects ranging from hymn-books to the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
had to be stripped out and destroyed in public—often by being burnt. Inventories had to be provided to prove this had been done, and a surviving document produced by Cuckfield's churchwarden in 1620 shows that hardly any objects were then used during services. More disruption came during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
starting in 1641: Rev. Dr James Marsh, appointed vicar of Cuckfield in 1638, had Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
sympathies and became one of the thousands of clergymen who were removed from their parishes and had their possessions sequestered
Sequestration (law)
Sequestration is the act of removing, separating, or seizing anything from the possession of its owner under process of law for the benefit of creditors or the state.-Etymology:...
. He was sent to prison three times during the war. Although central Sussex escaped the worst of the fighting, Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
are known to have damaged the church: soldiers broke the stoups
Holy water font
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is used in Catholic Church and Lutheran churches, as well as some Anglican churches to make the Sign of the Cross using the holy water upon entrance and exit...
, and a large crack in the 13th-century 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:...
was reputedly caused by a kick from one of their horses stabled inside the church.
The Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 ended this turbulent period, and more structural work was soon carried out on the church: the spire was 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...
and a clock was installed in the tower in 1667. Some minor work had also been carried out in the 1630s: altar rails were installed in 1637, the building was painted, a gallery was added inside and the vicar hung the church's first ring of bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
. The weight of the roof necessitated external buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ing of the south aisle at this time as well. The church's present eight bells were cast by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
in 1815.
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....
built St Mark's Church at Staplefield
Staplefield
Staplefield is a village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England located north west of Haywards Heath on the B2114 road. It is part of Ansty and Staplefield civil parish....
(paid for by the vicar and parishioners of Holy Trinity Church), it was given its own parish to serve the village, and in 1865 Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
was given its own ecclesiastical parish based at George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
's St Wilfrid's Church
St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It is Haywards Heath's parish church, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches...
, completed that year. The rapidly growing town only came into existence after Cuckfield villagers and the church authorities refused to allow the London to Brighton railway line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
to be built through the village: its planned alignment took it past the east side of the churchyard, but the London and Brighton Railway
London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
company moved it 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the east across the unpopulated heathland after residents gave their approval.
The most wide-ranging structural changes in the building's history also took place in the mid-19th century. These were planned by Rev. Thomas Astley Maberly, incumbent for 36 years from 1841, and his curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
(and successor as vicar) James Cooper, who joined the parish in 1855. Cooper was a former member of the Ecclesiastical and Architectural Society. In 1839, a parishioner donated a barrel organ
Barrel organ
A barrel organ is a mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and often highly decorated...
to the church, but its range of music was deemed inadequate. The same parishioner presented a new organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
in 1842, which was well-received by all and immediately changed the character of worship at the church, which had previously relied on a choir for musical accompaniment. The old font had also been restored—apparently after being discovered in pieces in the belfry by the vicar—and repositioned in the church. In 1846, a baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
was formed in one end of the south aisle, some of the windows were reglazed (some with stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
), a tiled floor was laid and new oak pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s were installed.
In 1855, Rev. Maberly commissioned George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
to renovate
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...
the church, and comprehensive reconfiguration and rebuilding carried out by him and his pupil Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
have given the building a largely 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...
appearance. Changes were made in all parts of the church: Bodley installed marble steps and railings in the chancel, raised the floor height in the chancel, installed a new reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
of alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
(no longer in place), changed the 17th-century triple-deck timber 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...
for a new, smaller version of stone and wood, put in new choir stalls, removed the galleries, opened out one of the arcades in the south aisle which had been partitioned previously, renewed all the floors, lowered the floor in the tower to bring it in line with the rest of the church, re-roofed the south aisle and installed three new windows and removed a chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
, which was donated to a church in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. More work took place in 1862–63: the 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....
was removed from the east end of the south aisle and a Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
took its place; in 1888 the former Sergison chapel was converted into a new vestry. The large east window, designed in 1330 in the Perpendicular style, was replaced by a shorter replica.
Charles Eamer Kempe's association with the church began in 1865, when Bodley commissioned him to paint the wagon vault ceiling, which was still in its unadorned 15th-century state. His work, mostly floral designs in pale colours, is considered to be excellent and well-suited to the shape of the roof. He also designed and installed several stained glass windows between 1875 and 1887, for example in the north aisle and west wall, and rebuilt the south porch in 1883 using most of the original stonework. Five years earlier, one had been added on the north side by Richard Herbert Carpenter
Richard Carpenter (architect)
Richard Herbert Carpenter was an eminent Victorian architect from England.Richard was born 1841 in St. Pancras, London, Middlesex, England and died in 1893...
. In the 1870s, the belfry was repanelled and given a new ceiling, the 25,000 shingles on the spire were replaced, a new staircase was built into the belfry and a new clock was installed. The clock of 1667 was saved and installed on the inside wall of the tower.
A war memorial was built in the churchyard and dedicated in 1921. During this work, a 13th-century coin was found in the ground; it was minted at the time the church was being built, and may have been dropped then. A memorial tablet of white marble, listing the names of all Cuckfield residents killed in the First World War, was installed inside the church in 1922. In the same year, repairs were found to be needed to several parts of the building and its fixtures; 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...
provided funds to supplement the offertory, and work started immediately. Repairs to the roof led to the uncovering of the blocked clerestory windows and two others in the chancel, although they were bricked up again in 1933. The tower was being undermined by ivy
Ivy
Ivy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
growth, and its stonework was repaired in 1925.
Problems afflicted the spire and tower throughout the 20th century. A fire at Easter 1917 was quickly dealt with, but another caused by a lightning strike in July 1945 caused major damage, especially to the bells and the woodwork inside. Six of the eight bells were disabled for 14 months. In 1972, the shingles on the spire were found to need replacement again, and a death watch beetle
Death watch beetle
The death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to long....
infestation was found. The weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
was also found to be dangerous and had to be removed temporarily. Repairs were carried out, but on 1 May 1980 another fire broke out; it was so severe that the spire toppled from the tower after just 15 minutes. A replica was made in two parts at Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
and reassembled on top of the tower in February 1981; the only change, insisted on by the church's insurers, was the insertion of larger louvres
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
to provide easier access from the top of the tower to the spire.
Architecture
Holy Trinity Church is Gothic in styleGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, combining elements of the Early English and Decorated styles which were popular at the time of the 13th-century rebuilding and the 14th-century enlargement respectively. The plan consists of a 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...
with chapels to the north and south, a four-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
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...
with aisles to the north and south and porches on each side (approximately level with the second bay from the west end), a west tower with a staircase on the south side, and a vestry (the former Sergison chapel) attached to the north chapel. It is built entirely of Sussex 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,...
, some of which may have been quarried in Cuckfield itself. All roofs are covered with slabs of Horsham stone. The former Sergison chapel has external chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ing and 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...
dressings to its walls.
Most of the windows have stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, by either Charles Eamer Kempe or the Clayton and Bell firm. The latter was active throughout Sussex in the late 19th century, and its work features in many churches. A Kempe window, featuring Michael the Archangel
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, was installed in the west wall of the tower in 1875; he added a Jesse window in the north aisle in 1887 and another in 1889. At least four windows in the church have been attributed to him. Clayton and Bell's work, dated 1869 and 1879, is in the south aisle.
Churchyard
The extensive churchyard has far-reaching southward views to the South DownsSouth 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...
. There are many 17th- and 18th-century gravestones, 22 of which are individually listed 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...
at Grade II. Elsewhere, a rare 19th-century wooden grave marker has been restored to its original condition. An extremely tall, old tree is a dominant feature. The churchyard is entered through two lychgates, both of which are also listed separately by English Heritage at Grade II. One was designed by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
in either 1887 or 1893; the structure is entirely of timber, supporting a "pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
-shaped" of Horsham stone tiles topped with an iron cross. There are two arches of unequal width, the wider of which is gated. The gate is dedicated to a parishioner, Caroline Emily Maberley. The other was added in 1911 and stands on a base of 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,...
. The roof is laid with Horsham stone tiles. The walls alongside the gate, of sandstone 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...
, are included in the listing. The gate also bears a dedication to a parishioner, Laura Maria Beavan. The existence of a pair of lychgates at a churchyard is very rare.
Enlargement took place in 1855 to accommodate burials from the fast-growing railway town of Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
, which at that time was still in Holy Trinity's parish. By this time, the churchyard had become a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and was no longer run by the church authorities. More land was acquired for expansion in the 20th century.
Vicarage
The old vicarage, which had been rebuilt in Georgian styleGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
in the 1780s, was found to be in poor condition in 1926. Several surrounding farm buildings and a tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
were demolished and the vicarage itself was sold in 1937. The vicar lived in a Victorian house near the church until 1945, when another house was bought nearby. This in turn fell into disrepair by 1961, but money was raised for repairs.
The old vicarage is now a Grade II listed building, which defines it as "nationally important and of special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 958 buildings with that status in Mid Sussex. Originally built in the early 17th century, it was comprehensively redesigned and rebuilt between October 1780 and September 1781. Alterations were made in the 19th century. The stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed façade has five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, each with an evenly spaced sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
topped by an architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
with decorative moulding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
. The door is set below a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
and fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
which is obscured by a hood-moulded
Hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater...
porch projecting forwards over the steps. The southeast-facing side has a tall 19th-century bow window
Bow window
A bow window is a curved bay window. Bow windows are designed to create space by projecting beyond the exterior wall of a building, and to provide a wider view of the garden or street outside and typically combine four or more casement windows, which join together to form an arch.Bow windows first...
. Another wing was added to the north in the mid-19th century at the request of Rev. Maberley.
The church today
Holy Trinity Church was listed at Grade I by English Heritage on 10 September 1951. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 16 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.The church, standing on the south edge of Cuckfield off the High Street and with long views across the Weald
Weald
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...
, is "the focal point of the village", despite the site being the lowest land in the area (305 feet (93 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
).
The parish covers an extensive, mostly rural area in Mid Sussex. The only settlements are Cuckfield itself and the nearby hamlets
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 Ansty, West Sussex
Ansty, West Sussex
Ansty is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A272 road 1.4 miles southwest of Cuckfield.Ansty has a pub , a cricket team , and the Dark Star micro brewery....
, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the southwest on the A272
A272 road
The A272 is a road in South-East England. It follows an approximate East-West route from near Heathfield, East Sussex to the city of Winchester, Hampshire. It has achieved somewhat unlikely fame in recent years by being the subject of a book by the Dutch author, Pieter Boogaart...
, and Brook Street, about the same distance north on the road to Balcombe
Balcombe, West Sussex
Balcombe is a village and civil parish 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. Nearby towns include Crawley to the northwest and Haywards Heath to the south southeast...
. Both had former chapels of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
of their own. The chapel at Brook Street was dedicated to All Saints and was served by Holy Trinity's curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
s and their assistants. It was opened in 1879 by the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Rev. Francis Mount. Services continued to be held there until November 1968, by which time the structure had become unsafe and congregations were declining. The building now houses a picture-framing shop. At Ansty, also in 1879, Rev. Mount opened a tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacles were a type of prefabricated building made from corrugated iron developed in the mid 19th century initially in Great Britain. Corrugated iron was first used for roofing in London in 1829 by Henry Robinson Palmer and the patent sold to Richard Walker who advertised "portable...
. This was enlarged with a proper 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...
in 1883, and on 10 December 1909 it reopened in a new, brick-built form as St John's Chapel after being rebuilt and rededicated as a memorial to a local resident. Thoughts of closing the church first arose in 1998, when finding enough clergy and laypeople to run it effectively started to become very difficult, and in January 1999 the proposal was put to worshippers at St John's and Holy Trinity Church and to all residents of Ansty. Combining its spiritual functions with those of a community centre were considered, but the outcome was the closure and sale of the chapel. The last service took place at Christmas 2000, and the building was converted into a house.
A wide range of services take place on Sundays; some are weekly, while some vary depending on the week. There is a Eucharistic service at 8.00am, alternating between Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
(traditional) and Common Worship
Common Worship
Common Worship is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent in 2000. It represents the most recent stage of development of the Liturgical Movement within the Church and is the successor to the...
(modern) language. A modern-language Eucharistic service aimed at families is held at 9.45am except on the first Sunday of the month, which has a non-Eucharistic equivalent at that time and a traditional-language Holy Communion at 11.00am. Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
is held at 6.00pm; a Eucharistic version is held in its place on the second Sunday of every month.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of places of worship in Mid Sussex