St Andrew's Church, West Tarring
Encyclopedia
St Andrew's Church is the Anglican parish church
of West Tarring
, an ancient village which is now part of the town and borough
of Worthing
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. Founded in the 11th century in a formerly rural parish which had earlier been granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury
, the church remained a peculier of Canterbury
for many centuries thereafter. It served nearby parishes when their churches fell into disrepair, hosted John Selden
's baptism, and was used as a base for smuggling
. The present structure is mostly 13th-century, and its tall spire is a landmark in the area. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
strip of land about 1200 acres (485.6 ha) in area. It ran for about 3 miles (4.8 km) from its northern extremity at Bost Hill, on the track leading to Findon
(now the A24 road), to the English Channel
coast in the south, and was much narrower apart from a thin strip of land extending westwards. Many coastal parishes in Sussex were this shape: many different soils and varieties of land would be included within the boundaries, from chalky downland to marshy grassland near the coast. Two settlements developed, of which West Tarring was the larger and more central. (The name Tarring was, and still is, also used, but the "West" prefix was often used to prevent confusion with Tarring Neville
near Lewes
.) Salvington
, the other settlement in the parish, was high on the slopes of the South Downs.
The first documented description of West Tarring was in about 939, when King Athelstan
granted the manor
of Tarring to Christ Church
in Canterbury
(now Canterbury Cathedral). At the time of the Domesday survey
in 1086, it was still held by the archbishop
and had 41 inhabitants. At that time, a church is known to have existed; it is likely to have been a wooden building.
The present flint
and stone structure began to take shape in the mid-13th century. At that time, the rector
, Simon of Tarring, provided sanctuary for Richard of Wych (later St Richard of Chichester)
, the new Bishop of Chichester
. He had been barred from his own palace there by King Henry III
, who had been angered by the election of Richard as bishop in place of Robert Passelewe. While he was based at the church, Richard travelled throughout Sussex, taking services and reputedly performing miracles; he was canonised
in 1262.
The dedication to Saint Andrew
was first mentioned in 1372. In the 15th century, the chancel
and tower were rebuilt, apparently under the influence of Canterbury. The rood screen
also dates from that time. The church only had modest wealth—its internal fittings were valued at £
6.13s
.4d
. (£ as of ) in 1561—and unusual fundraising activities were popular. Church ales
—drinking sessions held in the church, at which the churchwarden
s sold beer to raise funds for its upkeep—were popular throughout the 16th century, and often proved to be uproarious occasions at which large quantities of luxurious food were eaten and various entertainers performed.
An organ
was installed in the late 16th century, and bells were in place in the tower by 1518: there were five in 1533. These had been made at the Tapsel (or Topsell) family's bell foundry near the church; the Tapsels produced many bells in West Tarring, for churches across Sussex, for about 200 years, and also invented the Tapsel gate
used in some Sussex churchyards.
The nearby parishes of Durrington
and Heene
had been linked to West Tarring since the Middle Ages
. Their tithe
s were combined, and they were administered for ecclesiastical purposes by the incumbents of St Andrew's: for example, burials and baptisms were carried out at West Tarring. By the 17th century, in common with many churches in the area, Durrington and Heene's churches declined and became ruined. By 1680, both were in such poor condition that their parishioners were allowed to travel to worship at St Andrew's instead, and services were no longer held in the two buildings.
Major changes took place in the mid-19th century. In 1845, the church ceased to be a peculier of Canterbury and instead came under the control of the Bishop of Chichester
, in common with other Anglican churches in the area. Eight years later, the vicar instigated a restoration
of the church; he raised most of the £2,200 (£ as of ) himself. Changes included the removal of a wooden gallery, the melting down of four of the bells and their recasting into six new ones, the addition of a vestry, the stripping of previous interior alterations and a complete overhaul of the interior (although certain fittings were retained and reinstalled), and the replacement of the organ. The work took seven months and was completed in time for Holy Week 1854. In 1885, some mosaic
work designed by the Gothic Revival architect
William Butterfield
was installed by Italian craftsmen in the aisles and around the tower arch. The church roof partly collapsed around the same time and had to be repaired. In the 20th century, a lychgate
was built at the churchyard entrance, the reredos
was replaced, the organ was replaced again, the roof of the chancel was renewed and some stained glass
was added.
The font
also had to be replaced with a Victorian-era
design: the main section of its medieval predecessor was removed and taken to Australia by the Henty family
when they emigrated. The Hentys were successful farmers, especially of merino sheep, and lived in one of West Tarring's largest houses. Thomas Henty, the patriarch, sent three of his sons and 150 sheep to Western Australia
in 1829. Eventually, the whole family moved to Australia: the pioneers settled in Tasmania
, while Edward Henty
, another son, became the first settler in Victoria and was instrumental in developing the sheep-rearing industry there. They gave the font they had taken with them to a cathedral in Melbourne, which some sources state is St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
while the Sussex Parish Churches website states this was at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
, the architect of which, William Butterfield
had previously worked at St Andrew's Church.
Smuggling
was popular in the Worthing area between the early 18th and early 19th centuries—sometimes out of necessity, such as during a period of economic hardship in the 1820s which caused the developing town to stagnate. One of the leading smugglers at that time, William Cowerson, was employed at St Andrew's Church to do restoration work; he regularly used the table tombs
in the churchyard to store smuggled alcohol and other contraband.
The nave
survives in its entirety from the 13th century. It has five bays
with aisles, a clerestory
, a vestry on the south side and porches on the north and south sides. The aisles and clerestory have lancet window
s, and the whole composition is in the Early English style. The chancel and tower were rebuilt in the 15th century in the Perpendicular style, and the tall octagonal shingled
spire was added in the 16th century. The chancel has Perpendicular-style windows with two lights; some of the tower windows more closely resemble the earlier Decorated Gothic style. The east window of the chancel is more ornate than usual: paired shorter lights flank a much taller central light which is surrounded at the top by sexfoils (six-lobed circular openings). The tower and chancel have buttress
es with quoins and dressings of ashlar
. The tower also has an interior stair-turret in one corner. Its west door, in the Perpendicular style with a hood mould
, is not original: it was inserted in the late 15th century. The windows above it have elaborate tracery
. Paul Chapman of Hove
-based stained glass
designers Cox & Barnard
made windows for the west ends of the north and south aisles. They were installed in 1958 and depict Saint Thomas of Canterbury
and Saint Richard of Chichester
respectively.
Inside, there are five pointed arches on each side of the nave, with round columns topped by capitals
. The mosaic decoration, depicting the Twelve Apostles
, runs between and above them, and extends to the tower arch with its octagonal columns. The chancel arch was restored
in the mid-19th century, but the 15th-century chancel screen was retained during the renovations of 1853. Also in the chancel are six misericord
s, two with carved heads.
There are several memorials in the church. The Henty family is commemorated by a tablet and a 19th-century window near the altar; there is also a window for Robert Southey
, the poet, who was the father-in-law of the vicar (Reverend J. Warter) who had restored the church in the mid-19th century. The most famous man associated with St Andrew's Church, John Selden
, was baptised here in 1584 and has a memorial and a plaque.
on 11 October 1949. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important" and "of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of eight Grade II* listed buildings, and 208 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Worthing.
In its present form, the ecclesiastical parish is smaller than the ancient parish, but the northward extension to Salvington is retained. The other boundaries are the railway line
to the south, The Boulevard in the west and a line west of Loxwood Avenue to the east.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of West Tarring
Tarring, West Sussex
West Tarring is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies on the A2031 road northwest of the town centre. It is officially called West Tarring or, less commonly, Tarring Peverell, to differentiate it from Tarring Neville near Lewes, but is usually called just...
, an ancient village which is now part of the town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, 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...
. Founded in the 11th century in a formerly rural parish which had earlier been granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, the church remained a peculier of Canterbury
Peculier
Peculier may refer to:* A Royal Peculiar , an area including one or more places of worship under the jurisdiction of the British monarchy* Old Peculier, a beer brewed by Theakston Brewery, named in honour of the Peculier of Masham...
for many centuries thereafter. It served nearby parishes when their churches fell into disrepair, hosted John Selden
John Selden
John Selden was an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law...
's baptism, and was used as a base for smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
. The present structure is mostly 13th-century, and its tall spire is a landmark in the area. 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 II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
The parish of West Tarring has now been absorbed into the Borough of Worthing, but has ancient origins as a downlandSouth 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...
strip of land about 1200 acres (485.6 ha) in area. It ran for about 3 miles (4.8 km) from its northern extremity at Bost Hill, on the track leading to Findon
Findon
Findon is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, four miles north of Worthing. The parish has an area of 16.41 km² and a population of 1848 persons ....
(now the A24 road), to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast in the south, and was much narrower apart from a thin strip of land extending westwards. Many coastal parishes in Sussex were this shape: many different soils and varieties of land would be included within the boundaries, from chalky downland to marshy grassland near the coast. Two settlements developed, of which West Tarring was the larger and more central. (The name Tarring was, and still is, also used, but the "West" prefix was often used to prevent confusion with Tarring Neville
Tarring Neville
Tarring Neville is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles south of Lewes, on the A26 road to Newhaven. The south west border of the parish runs along the River Ouse, the parish extending into the South Downs.-Landmarks:The parish...
near Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
.) Salvington
Salvington
Salvington is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies south of the A27 road two miles north-west of the town centre....
, the other settlement in the parish, was high on the slopes of the South Downs.
The first documented description of West Tarring was in about 939, when King Athelstan
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
granted the manor
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...
of Tarring to Christ Church
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(now Canterbury Cathedral). At 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, it was still held by the archbishop
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and had 41 inhabitants. At that time, a church is known to have existed; it is likely to have been a wooden building.
The present 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...
and stone structure began to take shape in the mid-13th century. At that time, the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, Simon of Tarring, provided sanctuary for Richard of Wych (later St Richard of Chichester)
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
, the new 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...
. He had been barred from his own palace there by King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, who had been angered by the election of Richard as bishop in place of Robert Passelewe. While he was based at the church, Richard travelled throughout Sussex, taking services and reputedly performing miracles; he was canonised
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
in 1262.
The dedication to Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
was first mentioned in 1372. In the 15th century, 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 tower were rebuilt, apparently under the influence of Canterbury. The rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
also dates from that time. The church only had modest wealth—its internal fittings were valued at £
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
6.13s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
.4d
Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
. (£ as of ) in 1561—and unusual fundraising activities were popular. Church ales
Parish Ale
The Parish ale was a festival in an English parish at which ale made and donated for the event was the chief drink. The word "ale" was generally used as part of a compound term. Thus there was the leet-ale ; the lamb-ale ; the Whitsun-ale , the clerk-ale, the church-ale etc...
—drinking sessions held in the church, at which the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s sold beer to raise funds for its upkeep—were popular throughout the 16th century, and often proved to be uproarious occasions at which large quantities of luxurious food were eaten and various entertainers performed.
An 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...
was installed in the late 16th century, and bells were in place in the tower by 1518: there were five in 1533. These had been made at the Tapsel (or Topsell) family's bell foundry near the church; the Tapsels produced many bells in West Tarring, for churches across Sussex, for about 200 years, and also invented the 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...
used in some Sussex churchyards.
The nearby parishes of Durrington
Durrington, West Sussex
Durrington is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is situated near the A27 road, northwest of the town centre.Durrington means 'Dēora's farmstead', Dēora presumably being the name of a Saxon settler...
and Heene
Heene
Heene is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies on the A259 road 0.6 miles west of the town centre.Heene comes from the word Hīun or Hīwun meaning family or household....
had been linked to West Tarring since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Their 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 combined, and they were administered for ecclesiastical purposes by the incumbents of St Andrew's: for example, burials and baptisms were carried out at West Tarring. By the 17th century, in common with many churches in the area, Durrington and Heene's churches declined and became ruined. By 1680, both were in such poor condition that their parishioners were allowed to travel to worship at St Andrew's instead, and services were no longer held in the two buildings.
Major changes took place in the mid-19th century. In 1845, the church ceased to be a peculier of Canterbury and instead came under the control of the 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...
, in common with other Anglican churches in the area. Eight years later, the vicar instigated a 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...
of the church; he raised most of the £2,200 (£ as of ) himself. Changes included the removal of a wooden gallery, the melting down of four of the bells and their recasting into six new ones, the addition of a vestry, the stripping of previous interior alterations and a complete overhaul of the interior (although certain fittings were retained and reinstalled), and the replacement of the organ. The work took seven months and was completed in time for Holy Week 1854. In 1885, some mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
work designed by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
was installed by Italian craftsmen in the aisles and around the tower arch. The church roof partly collapsed around the same time and had to be repaired. In the 20th century, a lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
was built at the churchyard entrance, the 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....
was replaced, the organ was replaced again, the roof of the chancel was renewed and some 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...
was added.
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:...
also had to be replaced with a 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...
design: the main section of its medieval predecessor was removed and taken to Australia by the Henty family
Henty Brothers
Henty Brothers may refer to one of:* James Henty founded James Henty and Company, merchants* William Henty solicitor, member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council for Tamar, and colonial secretary in the Weston cabinet....
when they emigrated. The Hentys were successful farmers, especially of merino sheep, and lived in one of West Tarring's largest houses. Thomas Henty, the patriarch, sent three of his sons and 150 sheep to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1829. Eventually, the whole family moved to Australia: the pioneers settled in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, while Edward Henty
Edward Henty
See also Western District Edward Henty ,was a pioneer and first permanent settler in the Port Phillip district , Australia....
, another son, became the first settler in Victoria and was instrumental in developing the sheep-rearing industry there. They gave the font they had taken with them to a cathedral in Melbourne, which some sources state is St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Denis J. Hart. The building is known internationally as a leading example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.In 1974 Pope Paul VI...
while the Sussex Parish Churches website states this was at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
, the architect of which, William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
had previously worked at St Andrew's Church.
Smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
was popular in the Worthing area between the early 18th and early 19th centuries—sometimes out of necessity, such as during a period of economic hardship in the 1820s which caused the developing town to stagnate. One of the leading smugglers at that time, William Cowerson, was employed at St Andrew's Church to do restoration work; he regularly used the table tombs
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
in the churchyard to store smuggled alcohol and other contraband.
Architecture
St Andrew's Church is an Early English Gothic building with some Perpendicular Gothic elements. It is a knapped flint structure with stone dressings, and is relatively large in comparison with others in the area—probably because of the influence of Canterbury.The 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...
survives in its entirety from the 13th century. It 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:...
with aisles, 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...
, a vestry on the south side and porches on the north and south sides. The aisles and clerestory have 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, and the whole composition is in the Early English style. The chancel and tower were rebuilt in the 15th century in the Perpendicular style, and the tall octagonal 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...
spire was added in the 16th century. The chancel has Perpendicular-style windows with two lights; some of the tower windows more closely resemble the earlier Decorated Gothic style. The east window of the chancel is more ornate than usual: paired shorter lights flank a much taller central light which is surrounded at the top by sexfoils (six-lobed circular openings). The tower and chancel have buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es with quoins and 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...
. The tower also has an interior stair-turret in one corner. Its west door, in the Perpendicular style with a hood mould
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...
, is not original: it was inserted in the late 15th century. The windows above it have elaborate 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:...
. Paul Chapman of Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
-based 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...
designers Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard
Cox & Barnard Ltd is a stained glass designer and manufacturer based in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. The company was founded in Hove in 1919 and specialises in stained glass for churches and decorative glass products. Many commissions have come from Anglican and Roman...
made windows for the west ends of the north and south aisles. They were installed in 1958 and depict Saint Thomas of Canterbury
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
and Saint Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
respectively.
Inside, there are five pointed arches on each side of the nave, with round columns topped by capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. The mosaic decoration, depicting the Twelve Apostles
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
, runs between and above them, and extends to the tower arch with its octagonal columns. The chancel arch was restored
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, but the 15th-century chancel screen was retained during the renovations of 1853. Also in the chancel are six misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
s, two with carved heads.
There are several memorials in the church. The Henty family is commemorated by a tablet and a 19th-century window near the altar; there is also a window for Robert Southey
Robert Southey
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...
, the poet, who was the father-in-law of the vicar (Reverend J. Warter) who had restored the church in the mid-19th century. The most famous man associated with St Andrew's Church, John Selden
John Selden
John Selden was an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law...
, was baptised here in 1584 and has a memorial and a plaque.
The church today
St Andrew's Church was listed at Grade II* 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 11 October 1949. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important" and "of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of eight Grade II* listed buildings, and 208 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Worthing.
In its present form, the ecclesiastical parish is smaller than the ancient parish, but the northward extension to Salvington is retained. The other boundaries are the railway line
West Coastway Line
The West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, between Brighton and Southampton, plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
to the south, The Boulevard in the west and a line west of Loxwood Avenue to the east.