St Mary's Church, West Chiltington
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church is the Grade I listed Anglican
parish church
of West Chiltington
, a village in the Horsham district
of West Sussex
, England. The 12th-century building, described as a "showpiece" and "the most attractive part" of the Weald
en village, retains many features of historical and architectural interest. These include an exceptionally long hagioscope
or squint from the south aisle into the chancel
, a porch which may be Sussex's oldest, and a well preserved and extensive scheme of wall paintings
. In the Sussex volume of The Buildings of England
, Ian Nairn
says that the appearance of the church gives "a very happy, unexpected effect, like a French village church".
of 1086 records a church in the village then called Cilletone. It is uncertain whether any part of this earlier building was incorporated into the present church, which is believed to date from the first half of the 12th century; but Ian Nairn suggested that the walls of the nave
and chancel are "probably 11th-century", and the Saxon-era
building almost certainly occupied the same site. The three-bay
south aisle was added around 1200, and the chancel arch is of a similar age. A chantry chapel was added in the early 13th century, and another chapel on the south side of the chancel was built a century later. A spire was built in 1602.
The church was restored
between 1880 and 1882 by the Steyning
architect Charles Dalby. The dedication to St Mary was unknown until a will of 1541 was discovered, in which John Sayrle said his body was to be "buried in the churchyard of Our Lady of Chiltington". Other documents relating to the church include one which states that more than 3,700 people have been buried in the churchyard.
claimed that "if it was in Italy, people would make pilgrimages to it". Built between 1100 and 1150, its style is typical of the time—representing the "Transitional Norman" period when Norman architecture
was giving way to Early English Gothic.
The church consists of nave, chancel and a south aisle separated from the nave by a three bay arcade. The chancel arch is in the form of two arches, one inside the other, designed to accommodate the 5 feet (1.5 m) thick east wall, which supports the belfry. The pointed arches of the south arcade are supported by round piers with varying capitals. In the angle of the chancel and south aisle there is an early thirteenth century chapel. Two round-headed Norman windows remain; the west window of the south aisle and the centre window in the north window of the chancel. The chancel east window has the only stained glass in the church.The "fantastically long" hagioscope
, about 9 feet (2.7 m) in length and resembling a tunnel, runs from the south aisle into the chancel through one of the pillars of the arcade and the chancel arch. These architectural features allowed worshippers in the aisle to see the bread
and wine
being consecrated during the Celebration of the Eucharist
.The church is roofed with Horsham slabs
, a common material in churches in the area. The oak shingled
spire of 1602 rests partly on the masonry of the old belfry, or bell turret, and partly on the east wall of the nave.
.
The nave has a series of Passion
scenes along the south wall and Nativity
scenes on the north. The scenes on the south wall are: the Entry into Jerusalem
, the Last Supper
, Christ washing the disciples' feet, the Betrayal of Christ, the Flagellation of Christ
, Christ carrying his cross, the Crucifixion
and the angel at the tomb.
The scenes on the north wall are: the Annunciation
, the Visitation, the Nativity
itself, and an angel and shepherd
. The subjects of the last two scenes are uncertain.
There are 14th-century decorative designs on the easternmost pillar of the south arcade and in the soffit
s of its arches.
of the north nave window is a 14th-century depiction of Christ standing on a wheel and surrounded by the tools of different trades. He has his arms raised, apparently to better display his wounds. The tools include tailor's shears, a butcher's cleaver, a carpenter's square and a weaver's shuttle. Above Christ's right shoulder there are two dice. Similar paintings are found in many other medieval English parish churches. The subject has been much discussed in the past but has been conclusively identified as a warning against breaking the Sabbath. The message is that by working on Sunday one inflicts new wounds on Christ.
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
The extensive parish covers the rural area around West Chiltington village and the larger suburban village of West Chiltington Common
. The neighbouring hamlets
of Gay Street
, Broadford Bridge
and Coneyhurst
are also included.
There are three services on Sundays—at 8.00am, 10.00am and 6.00pm. Twice a month the evening service is a traditional Evensong
. A service using the Book of Common Prayer
is also held on Wednesday mornings. The church is open daily for visitors.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
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 Chiltington
West Chiltington
West Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Storrington to Broadford Bridge road, 2.6 miles north of Storrington.The parish covers an area of 1733 hectares...
, a village in the Horsham district
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. The 12th-century building, described as a "showpiece" and "the most attractive part" of 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...
en village, retains many features of historical and architectural interest. These include an exceptionally long hagioscope
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
or squint from the south aisle into 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...
, a porch which may be Sussex's oldest, and a well preserved and extensive scheme of wall paintings
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
. In the Sussex volume of The Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
, Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
says that the appearance of the church gives "a very happy, unexpected effect, like a French village church".
History
The Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 records a church in the village then called Cilletone. It is uncertain whether any part of this earlier building was incorporated into the present church, which is believed to date from the first half of the 12th century; but Ian Nairn suggested that the walls of 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...
and chancel are "probably 11th-century", and the Saxon-era
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
building almost certainly occupied the same site. The 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:...
south aisle was added around 1200, and the chancel arch is of a similar age. A chantry chapel was added in the early 13th century, and another chapel on the south side of the chancel was built a century later. A spire was built in 1602.
The church 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...
between 1880 and 1882 by the Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
architect Charles Dalby. The dedication to St Mary was unknown until a will of 1541 was discovered, in which John Sayrle said his body was to be "buried in the churchyard of Our Lady of Chiltington". Other documents relating to the church include one which states that more than 3,700 people have been buried in the churchyard.
Architecture
St Mary's Church is considered an architectural highlight in a village variously described as "pleasant", "dull", "attractive" and "a showpiece". The first Lord Ponsonby of ShulbredeArthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede
Arthur Augustus William Harry Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede was a British politician, writer, and social activist. He was the third son of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, and the great-grandson of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough...
claimed that "if it was in Italy, people would make pilgrimages to it". Built between 1100 and 1150, its style is typical of the time—representing the "Transitional Norman" period when Norman architecture
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
was giving way to Early English Gothic.
The church consists of nave, chancel and a south aisle separated from the nave by a three bay arcade. The chancel arch is in the form of two arches, one inside the other, designed to accommodate the 5 feet (1.5 m) thick east wall, which supports the belfry. The pointed arches of the south arcade are supported by round piers with varying capitals. In the angle of the chancel and south aisle there is an early thirteenth century chapel. Two round-headed Norman windows remain; the west window of the south aisle and the centre window in the north window of the chancel. The chancel east window has the only stained glass in the church.The "fantastically long" hagioscope
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
, about 9 feet (2.7 m) in length and resembling a tunnel, runs from the south aisle into the chancel through one of the pillars of the arcade and the chancel arch. These architectural features allowed worshippers in the aisle to see the bread
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
and wine
Sacramental wine
Sacramental wine, Communion wine or altar wine is wine obtained from grapes and intended for use in celebration of the Eucharist...
being consecrated during the Celebration of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
.The church is roofed with Horsham slabs
Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone is a type of calcerous, flaggy sandstone containing millions of minute sand grains. It is also high in mica and quartz. The rock extends in an arc-like formation for several kilometres around the West Sussex town of Horsham from which it bears its name and lies just below the Wealden...
, a common material in churches in the area. The oak 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 of 1602 rests partly on the masonry of the old belfry, or bell turret, and partly on the east wall of the nave.
Bells
A survey of Sussex church bells published in 1864 recorded four in place at St Mary's Church. Each had a diameter of 34+1/2 in and weighed . The first bell bore the inscription and an armorial shield. The second had the words above the initials and date 1602. The third bore the names of two 17th-century churchwardens, John Brooker and Edward Jupp, in their old spellings: The fourth was inscribed 1626. Another countywide survey undertaken in the 1960s stated that the second bell (of 1602) had been recast by the Mears & Stainbank firm, who had also supplied a new bell inscribed and dated 1950. This is confirmed by a brass plate dated the same year, which shows that the restoration and installation of the new bell commemorated the late John Junius Morgan, formerly of NyetimberPagham
Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 5,500.-Geography:The village comprises three main areas:*Pagham Beach, coastal area, developed in the early 20th Century,...
.
Introduction
The wall paintings in St Mary's were uncovered in 1882. They were treated by Professor Tristram in 1931 and later preserved by Mrs Eve Baker. Dating from the 12th to 14th centuries they consist of two 13th-century series with biblical themes together with earlier and later images. Nairn comments that "the ensemble can still give a ghostly echo of the original effect".Description
The oldest significant painting is a medallion at the east end of the south aisle. Uncovered in 1967 this has a central design of a cross in the form of an endless knot of rope. The south aisle also has 12th-century pictures of angels and Apostles.The nave has a series of Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
scenes along the south wall and Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
scenes on the north. The scenes on the south wall are: the Entry into Jerusalem
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of his Passion....
, the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
, Christ washing the disciples' feet, the Betrayal of Christ, the Flagellation of Christ
Flagellation of Christ
The Flagellation of Christ, sometimes known as Christ at the Column or the Scourging at the Pillar, is a scene from the Passion of Christ very frequently shown in Christian art, in cycles of the Passion or the larger subject of the Life of Christ. It is the fourth station of the modern alternate...
, Christ carrying his cross, the Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
and the angel at the tomb.
The scenes on the north wall are: the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, the Visitation, the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
itself, and an angel and shepherd
Annunciation to the shepherds
The Annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus...
. The subjects of the last two scenes are uncertain.
There are 14th-century decorative designs on the easternmost pillar of the south arcade and in the soffit
Soffit
Soffit , in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element...
s of its arches.
Christ standing on a wheel
In the splayTalus (fortification)
The talus is an architectural feature of some late medieval castles, especially prevalent in crusader constructions. It consists of a sloping face at the base of a fortified wall. The slope acts as an effective defensive measure in two ways. First, conventional siege equipment is less effective...
of the north nave window is a 14th-century depiction of Christ standing on a wheel and surrounded by the tools of different trades. He has his arms raised, apparently to better display his wounds. The tools include tailor's shears, a butcher's cleaver, a carpenter's square and a weaver's shuttle. Above Christ's right shoulder there are two dice. Similar paintings are found in many other medieval English parish churches. The subject has been much discussed in the past but has been conclusively identified as a warning against breaking the Sabbath. The message is that by working on Sunday one inflicts new wounds on Christ.
The church today
The church was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
The extensive parish covers the rural area around West Chiltington village and the larger suburban village of West Chiltington Common
West Chiltington Common
West Chiltington Common is a large settlement in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Storrington to West Chiltington road, 2 miles north of Storrington....
. The neighbouring 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 Gay Street
Gay Street
Gay Street is a hamlet in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the North Heath to West Chiltington road 1.9 miles northeast of Pulborough....
, Broadford Bridge
Broadford Bridge
Broadford Bridge is a hamlet in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2133 road 2.7 miles south of Billingshurst. The hamlet is also home to Broadford Bridge Football Club....
and Coneyhurst
Coneyhurst
Coneyhurst is a hamlet in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A272 road 1.6 miles southeast of Billingshurst. It is named after the old words for "Rabbit - wood"....
are also included.
There are three services on Sundays—at 8.00am, 10.00am and 6.00pm. Twice a month the evening service is a traditional Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
. A service using the 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...
is also held on Wednesday mornings. The church is open daily for visitors.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of places of worship in Horsham (district)
- St John the Baptist's Church, ClaytonSt John the Baptist's Church, ClaytonSt John the Baptist's Church is the Church of England parish church of the village of Clayton in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The small and simple Saxon building is distinguished by its "remarkable" and extensive set of...
- St Botolph's Church, HardhamSt Botolph's Church, HardhamSt Botolph's Church, the Anglican parish church of Hardham in the district of Horsham, is a Grade 1 listed building. It contains the earliest nearly complete series of wall paintings in England. Among forty individual subjects are the earliest known representation of St. George in England...
External links
- paintedchurch.org – page on the figure of Christ standing on the wheel at West Chiltington.