Around British Churches

Blackburn Cathedral

2012-01-30T22:31:00.004Z

Blackburn has been a Christian site since the 5th century, yet it is home to one of England’s newest and smallest Cathedrals. This remarkable building is a mixture of Victorian and late 20th century architecture, and possesses an impressive array of modern religious art.

History

A church was recorded in Blackburn, possibly on the same site as the Cathedral, as early as 596AD. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin was erected in Norman times and enlarged throughout the mediaeval period, but the expansion of Blackburn in the 19th century resulted in a completely new church being erected on the site in 1820-26, designed by John Palmer.

In 1926 the Diocese of Blackburn was formed and the church became elevated to Cathedral status. Plans were put in place to enlarge it so that it could perform its new duties, and work began in 1938, but was not completed until the 1970s. The distinctive lantern tower, in the shape of a crown, was designed by Laurence King after the death of the original architect W A Forsyth.

The Church

The tower and nave survive from Palmer’s original church, and are in the Decorated Gothic style. For its date, these are remarkably faithful to the mediaeval form. The transepts, chapels and chancel are in a more spare 20th Century Gothic, but the lantern, with its slender aluminium spire, is unashamedly modernist.

Inside the church, the immediate impression is one of space and light: all the glass in the nave is clear, and the interior is whitewashed throughout. The rib vaults of Palmer’s elegant nave and aisles are picked out in gold and red, to stunning effect.

Furnishings are mostly modern: the high altar is situated beneath the lantern, surmounted by a corona (hanging crown) and on the west wall is the huge sculpture of Christ the Worker; both are by John Hayward, who also designed the striking stained glass of the lantern and south transept window. The only old furnishings are a set of 15th century misericords in the north transept, thought to have come from Whalley Abbey. The west window in the south transept also has some fragments of mediaeval glass. The church has a number of other modern religious sculptures and paintings.

Beneath the church is a crypt with a very popular café. The church is open to visitors every day, and has a cycle of daily services (see website).

Cathedral Close, Blackburn BB1 5AA

Cathedral Church of St Peter, Bradford

2012-01-29T18:42:00.004Z

Formerly the parish church, St Peter's became the Cathedral of the new dioceses of Bradford in 1919. The building has an intimate interior with a 15th core, striking 20th century extensions, and some interesting fittings and furnishings.

History

There has probably been a church on the site since 8th century: the remains of two Anglo-Saxon crosses have been found on the site, one of which is incorporated into the present fabric. Described as 'waste' in Domesday, there may nevertheless have been a manor chapel on the site, and a church was recorded here in 1281.

Rebuilding commenced in in the 14th century: the present nave arcades were completed by 1458, and a clerestory was added later in the same century. The church also had chantry chapels, and the tower was completed in 1508. The church was bombarded by Royalist forces in the Civil War, when wool-sacks were hung to protect it. The roof was rebuilt in the 18th century, and the exterior considerably tidied up in the 1830s.

The church was elevated to Cathedral status in 1919, and extensions to the Chancel and West end were added in the 1950s to designs by Sir Edward Maufe. The Cathedral was rededicated in its present form in 1963.

The church

From the outside, the modern extensions are in a reasonably sympathetic but very spare neo-Gothic style, and contrast strongly with the Victorian and mediaeval elements. The site is slightly unfortunate in that the east end now abuts a busy main road; the church is best appreciated from the green on the north side, from which viewpoint it reflects its origins as a substantial parish church.

The interior is dominated by the handsome nave, of eight bays of regular Gothic arches, supported on delicate quatrefoil piers. The walls of the nave and aisles are heavily scraped, and give it a rather rustic feel - in sharp contrast to the tall and clean chancel, which is plastered and whitewashed. There are chapels in the transepts, as well as three new chapels attached to the Chancel, dedicated to St Aidan, the Holy Spirit and St Mary.

The church has a very rich and extensive collection of 18th and 19th century memorials, and glass by Kempe and William Morris. In the north ambulatory are the remains of an Anglian preaching cross. The Bishop's Chair (the Cathedra) has a tall canopy and an interesting bench end, with an image of the old tower, above a rock containing a dragon. The most striking modern furnishing is the Celtic Cross behind the altar of St Aidan's chapel, by Chris Shawcross, depicting people on their pilgrimage, towards an image of Mary and the infant Jesus.

The Cathedral is open every day (limited access on Sundays, only to services) and has a regular cycle of daily services and special events (details on the website).

Stott Hill, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 4EH

St Michael, Camden

2012-01-02T21:50:00.008Z

St Michael's is the parish church of Camden, and is located (though easily missed) next to Sainsbury's. It has a lively congregation and an active social outreach into the local community.

History

The nave was built in 1880-1 and the sanctuary in 1893-4 to plans by the prolific church architect George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907) and Thomas Garner, with whom he had a 28-year professional partnership. A planned tower was never built. St Michael's subsumed the parish of All Saints in the 1950s, and since 2003 has been part of a team ministry with St Pancras Old Church, St Mary's Somers Town and St Paul's Camden Square.

The church

The church is orientated north-south, with the liturgical west end facing the road. The church is built of yellow stock brick with stone dressings in the Decorated Gothic style. Both the west window and the clerestory windows over the aisles have delicate geometric tracery and have recently been restored.

Inside, the stone-lined interior consists of a nave of 5 bays, which draws the eye to the large sanctuary: Bodley did not include a chancel arch in the scheme, so the nave and sanctuary form a single, unified space. The height of the nave is emphasised by the fact that the floor is lower than the street outside. There is a small stone-vaulted chapel to the north of the sanctuary.

The interior has interesting decorative stencilling, but is generally in need of some restoration. Fittings and furnishings include the original altar of 1880, and a selection of statues, some in the pre-Raphaelite style (though that of St George dates from 1939); an attractive coloured pulpit; a marble altar and Easter Sepulchre in the north chapel; and a brass to Edward Bainbridge Reynolds, incumbent, who died in 1907.

The church has a flourishing congregation, with worship in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and the adjacent centre provides a range of outreach services for the local community.

Camden Road, Camden, London NW1 9LQ

St Alphege, Greenwich

2011-12-30T18:34:00.004Z

The historic parish church of Greenwich sits imposingly in its town centre. Although unfortunately hemmed in on the east by the main road, both the green at the west end and the interior are oases of calm.

History

The church is built on the alleged site of St Alphege’s martyrdom at the hands of Viking pirates in 1012. Alphege, then Archbishop of Canterbury, had been taken hostage but refused to be ransomed, and so was (by tradition) killed by being pelted with animal bones, before one Viking struck him with an axe to the head to spare his suffering. He was canonized in 1078.

Details of the first church erected on the site after the martyrdom are scanty, but it was an important shrine. A new church was built to replace it in the 13th century, and was witness to many Royal visitors up to the 17th century due to its proximity to the royal palace at Greenwich. Thomas Tallis, the composer, was one of the notable people buried there.

The church roof collapsed in a storm in 1710, and the present church was built to replace it, as the first of the 50 churches sanctioned under the New Churches in London and Westminster Act of 1711. Designed in the Baroque style by Nicholas Hawksmoor, it was completed in 1714 and consecrated in 1718. The intended tower was never built: instead, in 1730, the remains of the old tower were encased to match the rest of the church to designs by John James. Much of the interior woodwork was by Grinling Gibbons.

The church was gutted by incendiary bombs in 1941. Restoration began in 1946 and was completed in 1953. The interior is largely new, but incorporates remnants from the original fabric and is largely faithful to the Hawksmoor's design.

The church

The exterior – particularly the splendid east front (oddly, the original entrance) with its bold Doric portico - is a beautifully balanced example of Baroque architecture, although the proportions of James's tower are unfortunately not a match for the rest.

The interior has galleries on three sides, with delicately carved wooden columns, and the ceiling consists of a huge plaster disc suspended on corbels on the exterior walls. At the west end, the organ is mounted a fine portico of a gallery. Fittings of note include two original benefactor boards on the east wall, impressive ironwork in the east galleries, memorials to James Wolfe and Thomas Tallis, and stained glass depicting other (mostly royal) associations with the church.

The church today is the centre of a bustling parish life, and is the venue for regular concerts.

Greenwich Church Street, London SE10 9LZ

Blessed Virgin Mary, Penmark

2011-12-28T18:28:00.004Z

Pretty without being chocolate-boxy, Penmark is a small village near Cardiff, with a good local pub and an interesting mediaeval church. Its peace is only disturbed by the aircraft taking off from nearby Cardiff-Wales airport, but its character could not be more different.

History

The village was the site of a 12th century Norman castle, overlooking a natural ravine carved by the Waycock River. Originally built in wood by Gilbert de Umfraville, it was rebuilt in stone in the 13th century. A good review of the castle (now in ruins) can be found at www.castlewales.com.

The church was probably built around the same time, and its generous proportions may reflect the patronage of the local lord: the oldest part is the chancel arch, dating from around 1200. The tower arch dates from 1400 and most of the windows (some restored) date from the 15th century. All the main elements of the fabric (including the South Porch) are mediaeval. Charles Wesley preached here on 26th July 1777,after breakfasting in near Fonmon Castle. In 1811 the church is recorded as being dedicated to St Mark. Repairs to the roof and walls were undertaken and new seating was installed in 1893-5. The Preaching Cross in the churchyard was restored in 1888, on the original mediaeval steps. The nearby Yew Trees are said to be 300-400 years old.

The church

The church has a south porch, nave, chancel and tower. The most notable interior feature is the peculiar chancel arch, comprising a simple and very crude pointed arch with similarly crude zig-zag carving, dating to around 1200. More impressive is a tall and beautifully proportioned late Gothic tower arch dating from around 1400. The nave has a well preserved staircase for a long-vanished Rood Screen. Most of the windows are perpendicular in style, dating from the later 15th century, some restored.

The church has some interesting fittings and furnishings: pride of place goes to the Jacobean pulpit, from which Charles Wesley preached in 1777. The nave side altar opposite dates from 1709, and above are memorials to Jones family of Fonmon Castle. In the chancel are late 17th century alabaster memorials to the Lewis Family of Penmark Place, with coats of arms and skulls. The nave has a plain turned Norman tub font, presumably dating from the founding of the church.

The church is an integral part of village life - details of special services can be found in the newsletter at www.penmark.org. Regular services are part of the joint benefice of Benefice of Penmark with Llancarfan with Llantrithyd.

Penmark, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 3BP

St Peter & St Paul, Greenwich Naval College

2011-12-19T13:05:00.006Z

The College’s Chapel of St Peter and St Paul was built as an integral part of the sublime Baroque edifice that is the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. Its dome mirrors that of the Painted Hall opposite, and it has a truly magnificent interior.

History

The Chapel was completed in 1751, and was the last element of the college to be finished. As designed, it had a rather plain interior with a flat, coffered ceiling, an apse at the east end and plain galleries. Destroyed in a fire in 1779, it was rebuilt but the architect James Stuart designed a new interior in the “Greek Revival” style, for which he was famous. It was reopened in 1789. It is unusual for the fact that the interior is almost entirely unaltered since its rebuilding.

The Chapel

The exterior is part of Wren’s fine Baroque scheme, with the imposing dome rising from a large broken pediment, itself surmounting the long arcade of paired columns which front the old college buildings.

The interior is essentially an oblong box, with narrow galleries supported on brackets which spring from the outer walls. But most striking is Stuart’s Greek revival decorative scheme, executed in plaster in white, pale blue and gold. A mix of classic Greek and Naval motifs decorate the walls, with extensive use of trompe d’oeil painting to add architectural details and statuary. But the most amazing element is the ceiling, which has a perfect neo-classical design of squares and octagons, with wonderfully ornate central ornaments. Its gentle curve gives the chapel excellent acoustics.

Fittings of note include the altarpiece painting by American painter Benjamin West, unusually depicting the wreck of St Paul on Malta; the neo-classical west gallery, which features the extensive use of artificial Coade stone in its decoration; and the memorial in the vestibule to Sir John Franklin and the crews of the ships Erebus and Terror who lost their lives in search of the North West Passage in Canadian waters.

The chapel is open to the public every day and remains an active place of prayer and worship, with a friendly and growing congregation.

Greenwich, London SE10 9LW

St Mary's, Berkeley

2011-10-30T22:00:00.003Z

Berkeley’s church is historic rather than pretty, but amply rewards a visit. It sits close to the famous castle, scene of the famously gruesome murder of Edward II in 1327. Most of the present church was constructed at that time, so he would probably have known it, and it would have borne witness to events...

History

There are records of a Saxon Abbey from the 8th to the 10th centuries, and it continued to be an important site in the early Norman period – Henry II visited in 1121. The remains of the Saxon church may lie where the bell tower is now.

There was a certainly a church on the present site in the Norman period, as the current building contains Norman features: most of the present fabric was, however, erected in 1225-50, including the present nave and west end of the chancel. The chancel was extended around 1300. The aisles were rebuilt in the 14th century, as were the lower stages of the porch and vestry, and the nave roof corbels date from this period too. The 15th century added the Priest’s room above the porch, the fine stone screen, the present nave roof and the Berkeley Memorial chapel.

The church played a role as part of the Castle’s defences in the English Civil war, and the tower was rebuilt on its 15th century base in 1753. The detached position to the north of the church is thought to have prevented it from being used to attack the castle.

An unusual Victorian restoration included repainting the original medieval decoration, found during repairs. This includes a very fragmentary Doom over the chancel arch. They were restored again in 1938.

The church

The church itself is a rather robust building; from the outside, only the detached tower, the porch (with a very fine ogee arch) and west front are what one could call attractive. However, before entering, wander around the graveyard: it has an unusually rich collection of tombs and memorials, in a dizzying variety of styles.

Inside, the only obviously Romanesque feature is the south door: pride of place architecturally goes to the fine west window of five stepped lancets. The nave arcades have clustered piers and capitals of stiff-leaf carving of the Early English Gothic style. An attractive Decorated Gothic Easter Sepulchre and the Perpendicular Berkeley Chapel are both found in the Chancel.

The remains of the stairway to the rood loft can clearly be seen, and a strange staircase high up on the west end has three heads as corbels. It is thought this may have been part of a pulpit. Indeed, corbels abound all around the church, a gallery of late mediaeval physiognomy.

The church is packed with furnishings of interest: the floor is covered in 17th and 18th century stones, but it is the Berkeley tombs which steal the show. In the nave lies the magnificent and beautifully preserved tomb to the 8th Lord Berkeley (1292-1361) and his wife Katherine (d. 1385). He fought at Crecy in 1346, and it was during his ownership that Edward II was murdered in the castle. Their effigies are exquisitely executed in alabaster, he in full armour.

The 11th Lord (d. 1463) is buried in under the arch from the Chancel into the Berkeley Chapel, alongside his younger son, who died on campaign in France. Both are in full armour. Through the window can be seen tombs to later Berkeleys (though the chapel is not open to visitors).

Another memorial worth a look is that to Edward Jenner, the pioneer vaccination (1749-1823), whose house nearby is now a museum. His family are recorded in a floor memorial next to the altar.

The fine stone screen is a rare 14th century survival, and now brilliantly coloured as it would have been originally. The reredos behind the High Altar is by Comper and installed in 1918. Back by the south door, is a large square Norman font, with 4 smaller columns around a central round pier and scalloped lower edge.

The church is the focus of a busy parish life. A visit here can easily be combined with one to the adjacent castle and the Jenner museum.

Romsey Abbey, Romsey

2011-10-02T18:20:00.003+01:00

Romsey Abbey is one of England’s outstanding Norman churches, with some fascinating survivals from the Saxon and mediaeval periods. It is dedicated to St Mary and St Ethelflæda, one of its early abbesses.

History

The first community on the site was founded in 907AD, by King Edward, son of Alfred the Great, under his daughter Elflaeda. The abbey was refounded as a Benedictine house by King Edgar in 960AD, with St Ethelflæda as the second abbess.

The first stone church was built around 1000AD, but after the Norman conquest the abbey as rebuilt on a much larger scale, starting around 1120. By 1140 the Choir, Transepts, a Lady Chapel at the East end and first three bays of the Nave had been completed. A fourth bay was added in 1150-80. The nave took its present form in 1230-40, when the last three arches and the present west end were added in the Early English style. The upper tiers of the clerestory must also have been completed at this time, as they are also in the Gothic style.

Although the abbey declined during the time of the Black Death, by the Dissolution a second aisle had been added to the north to accommodate the townspeople, who used the north aisle and transept as their parish church. After the Dissolution, the townspeople purchased the church for £100 for use as their parish church, removing the second north aisle. The late 13^th century Lady Chapel was also demolished in 1539, and over subsequent years the cloisters and other abbey buildings were demolished.

Although the Abbey was restored in the 19^th century, the Victorians sensibly left most of the fabric well alone, and the church today is one of the best preserved large Norman churches in England.

The church

From the outside, the church retains its largely Norman (and rather severe) appearance. The decoration is relatively restrained, with rounded arches and some interesting decorated corbels, and a very squat central crossing tower. The best features are on the west wall of the south transept; first, is the famous Romsey Saxon Rood, showing Christ in majesty with the hand of God pointing down from above. Adjacent is a fine Romanesque doorway, which once opened from the nave into the cloister.

None of this prepares you for the magnificent interior, which is flooded with light from the clear west windows. The proportions are those of a cathedral, with the eye drawn to the tall, rounded crossing arches. At the west end, the three west bays of the nave and the clerestory have pointed arches in the Early English Gothic style, and the east windows are late 13^th century Decorated Gothic work. But essentially, this is a Norman building. Nave, transepts and chancel all have tall rounded arcades surmounted by triforium and clerestory, and the aisles and chancel are vaulted. Most of the capitals are scalloped, but many have the kind of intricate designs of foliage and figures typical of Norman work: one depicts two kings fighting, one pulling the other’s beard; another has two scenes, one of two crowned men either side of an angel and a second of two seated men either side of a grotesque monster: banners proclaim the names Robertus and Robert.

The interior is also full of interesting fittings and furnishings. The south transept has an impressive 13^th century effigy of a woman under a 14^th Century Decorated Gothic canopy of ogee arches; a tall and colourful mid-17^th Century memorial to the St Barbe family, and the simple floor tablet of Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979).

The south chancel aisle leads to an ambulatory with chapels; the first has a reredos formed of a Perpendicular screen framing a precious (and now partly gilded) Saxon carving of the crucifixion, dated to c. 960AD. This shows Christ with two angels and two soldiers, one offering Christ the sponge soaked in vinegar, the other piercing Christ with a spear. Next to this is St Ethelflaeda’s Chapel, with an ancient tomb of an abbess, and a painted kneeling figure of a monk on wood, from around the early 16^th century. St Mary’s Chapel has a wall painting of the 12^th century, with medallions featuring the life of a Saint.

Returning past the chancel in the north aisle is an opening in the floor, revealing part of the foundations of the apse from the 10^th century Saxon church. The south transept has yet another treasure, this time a rare painted reredos, featuring Christ and saints, dated to c. 1525, with two rather flamboyant censing angels.

At the west end of the nave is a beautiful lead memorial to Alice Taylor, who died of scarlet fever in 1843, clutching a rose her father had picked for her. Nearby is another tomb chest of an abbess, and a case of curiosities, including a well preserved scalp of hair with a plait, all that remained of the corpse of a Saxon woman whose lead coffin was opened in 1849.

The church has a busy life of daily worship and regular concerts, and there is a bookstall selling gifts, crafts, music and souvenirs.

Romsey Abbey, Church Lane, Romsey, SO51 8EP

St Margaret, Eartham

2011-09-25T21:13:00.002+01:00

St Margaret’s is a delightful village church (although so small, it might almost be called a chapel) in a pretty village situated on a wide sweep of the Downs near Arundel. The church stands on a bank by a sharp bend in the lane, near the rather grand entrance of Eartham House next door (now a school).

Though not mentioned in the Domesday book, the church has Norman origins, as the nave and chancel were probably built around 1100. The chancel was rebuilt in 13th century, when the small south aisle was also added. A rather thorough restoration in 1869 renewed the exterior, replaced most of the windows, replaced a boarded bell turret with the present shingled one, and added the south porch.

The obvious Victorian exterior restoration doesn’t initially bode well, but inside there is much of interest. The west door (inside the porch), with its round arch and plain tympanum, is Norman; so is the lovely round-headed chancel arch, though its impact is now reduced by the (Victorian) openings either side.

Closer up, though, the chancel arch is even better: the volute capitals have delightful carvings. On the south there is a bearded man, and on the north a rather fierce looking rabbit (or hare), with tall, pointy ears. The small aisle is separated from the nave by just two bays of pointed arches, of early 13th century date, as is the tiny east lancet window.

There are some fittings of interest: the chancel has a pretty floor of Victorian encaustic tiles, and a rough 17th wall monument to two young daughters of the the then vicar. The attractive organ is actually modern (1945). Other monuments include one to Thomas (d. 1800), the son of the poet William Hayley; and (behind the organ) to William Huskisson (d. 1830), former MP for Liverpool and owner of Eartham House. He was famous as the first reported railway casualty, having been run over by the Rocket on the opening day of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830.

The church has a monthly morning service, and a monthly Evensong in summer.

off Britten's Lane, Eartham, near Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0LP

St Mary, Barcombe

2011-09-18T19:06:00.004+01:00

Barcombe is a small, scattered village, which in Victorian times had three mills on the river Ouse. It has an attractive church in a pretty churchyard, a short detour from the Ouse Valley Way long-distance path.

History

The Domesday book mentions three and a half mills, but no church in Barcombe. However, one must have been begun shortly after, as the nave dates from around 1100. To this were added, in the 13th century, the tower, chancel and a small south chapel. A small south aisle was added around 1400, and also from this time date the tower arch and west and north doorways.

The church was heavily restored in 1879, when the aisle and transept were replaced by the present, large south aisle and a vestry was added further to the east. Most of the windows were also replaced. More recently, a lovely parish room was added further to the south.

The church

From the exterior, the most notable feature is the tall broach spire, the base of which is actually lower than the nave roof. Inside, the wide arches of the arcade mean that the nave and south aisle work together to feel like a single, unified space. The two arches of the aisle are distinctively different from the smaller, third arch, which opened originally into the south transept.

The only windows of any age are one of the north wall lancets (13th century), and the two- and three-light windows, both of which are from the 15th century. One of these has interesting glass, dated 1657, from Goltho Church in Lincolnshire. There is some glass by Kempe in the south aisle. The font is from the 14th century, and has interesting incised decoration consisting of trefoil lancets and quatrefoils.

The church remains the centre of a vibrant worshipping community, with regular services, and a variety of groups for children.

Church Road, Barcombe, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5TS

St Peter, Hamsey

2011-09-14T22:54:00.002+01:00

Hamsey is a wonderful place: an inland island (the name is Anglo-Saxon for ‘settlement on the island’) formed by a loop of the River Ouse, north of Lewes, its isolated and unrestored church is hugely atmospheric.

History

The exact origins of Hamsey are obscured by time, but it was important enough in Saxon times for King Athelstan to hold his court there in 925AD, and there is mention of a church in the Domesday Book in 1086. However, the village declined in the late mediaeval period when the population moved west to the nearby village of Offham. Remains of a Manor House were visible near the church until 1777.

The nave and chancel of the present church date from the 12th century, although a number of windows were enlarged as lancets around 1300, when the east window of the chancel was inserted and a north chapel (demolished in the 17th century) was also built. A robust Perpendicular tower was added late in the 14th century, and a porch in the early 15th century.

Hamsey remained the parish church until the middle of the 19th century, by which time the local Vicar was complaining that it was poorly located for the parishioners, who lived mostly in Offham. A new church was built there in 1860, and Hamsey thereafter went into decline, though for a time it was used as a mortuary chapel for the graveyard.

However, plans to demolish it were never carried out, and some people still chose to have their memorials erected in the church. Repairs were undertaken in the 1920s.

The Church

The church is principally interesting for the isolated and atmospheric hilltop location, and its unrestored condition. This is how many churches must have felt around 1800, before Victorian restoration and the advent of electricity.

The chancel arch is a simple Norman feature, without ornament; there are small Norman windows in both nave and chancel. The early 14th century three-light east window is particularly attractive. There is a distinctive, low squint between the south side of the nave and chancel, and the 15th century south door was clearly inserted below a much taller 12th century one.

Furnishings of interest include a Perpendicular font; remnants of mediaeval glass in a south window; a fine tomb, to Edward Markwick (d. 1538) in the form of a recessed tomb-chest with cusped quatrefoil decoration, next to the High Altar; and a well preserved decorated piscina.

The walls are crowded with monuments, many dating from after the building of the new church in 1860; those on the chancel’s south wall commemorate the Shiffner family, who lived at nearby Coombe Place. Above the chancel arch are the Royal Arms of George III, and several funeral hatchments adorn the nave walls. The furniture includes some rustic, old pews, which add to the atmosphere.

It now forms part of the parish of Offham; monthly services are held in summer (there is no electricity), as well as occasional concerts, and a popular candlelit Carol service is held in winter.

Ivors Lane, Hamsey, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5TD

St George's Bloomsbury, London

2011-09-12T19:33:00.003+01:00

St George’s is regarded by many as one of London’s most elegant churches, and certainly has the most idiosyncratic spire.

History

The church was one of 12 established by the Act of 1711 which set out to build 50 new churches. The architect was Nicholas Hawksmoor, the leading exponent of the English Baroque, and the new church (and his last) was opened in 1730. Soon after, it was re-orientated north-south to accommodate more seating, and additional galleries were added.

For much of its life, it ministered to what was a relatively poor parish with many slum areas, but as the population of the area declined towards the end of the 20th century, it fell into neglect. A major restoration scheme part funded by the World Monuments Fund was completed in 2009, which restored the orientation and interior closer to its original condition.

The church

The church itself is based on a Greek Cross plan, fronted by an impressive Corinithian portico with a light and spacious interior. The steeple is extraordinary: the base has miniature porticoes on each side, and the steep sided roof is topped by a statue of George I in Roman dress, while at the base four lions - one on each corner - represent the ending of the Jacobite rebellion.

The interior has a square nave, with proscenium arches on each side except the east, which has an apsed sanctuary. There are north and south galleries according to Hawksmoor's original plan. The sanctuary contains the original, large classical reredps and altar of inlaid mahogany; other major item of interest is the vast 17th century Dutch chandelier, loaned from the Victoria and Albert museum, which hangs in the centre of the nave.

Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HR

St Giles-in-the-Fields, London

2011-09-12T18:35:00.004+01:00

St Giles is the parish church for a significant part of the area near Tottenham Court Road tube, but the church itself is tucked away, under the shadow of Centrepoint. There has been a church on the site for over 900 years and it has an interesting and complex history.

History

The church was originally founded in 1101 by Queen Matilda, wife of Henry I, as a monastic foundation to serve a leper hospital. At that time, St Giles was a small village outside London. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, the hospital's chapel became the parish church. This building was replaced in 1630 by a new church, paid for by donations by Alicia, Duchess Dudley. The area soon became densely populated, and the great plague of London started in the parish in 1665. The graveyard is one of several in London particularly noted for being used for plague victims.

By the early 18th century, structural problems with the 'new' church necessitated its replacement, and the present church was erected 1730-4, designed in the Palladian style by Henry Flitcroft. Until 1783, the church was the last on the route to the Tyburn gallows, and by tradition the churchwardens paid for the condemned prisoners to have a last drink at the adjacent Angel pub. The church also has connections to Maryland in the USA, being the resting place of its founder, the 1st Lord Baltimore.

Since then, the parish has had a varied history, much of the time being known as a byword for slums, although now it includes some of the most expensive property in the UK, and the resident population is outnumbered by the number of people who work and visit the parish. The church was renovated in 1896, and again in 1952.

The church

The broad design of an elegant 'Classical Box' is similar to many London churches built around this time: the dominant external feature is the west tower, which has an octagonal lantern topped with a spire. The large upper windows are all round-headed. The rectangular plan incorporates a large nave of five bays, with galleries above the aisles, looking onto a shallow but impressively tall sanctuary. The tunnel-vault roof is supported on elegant Ionic columns, and the whitewashed plaster is picked out in a decorative scheme of gold and pale blue.

There are some interesting furnishings, many of which pre-date the present building. These include the pulpit (in the north aisle) from the West Street chapel, from which John and Charles Wesley preached regularly during the years 1743-1791. The organ, from the previous church, dates from 1671 and was rebuilt in the present case in 1734. The pulpit, of inlaid mahogany, dates from 1676. Of the many monuments, that of George Chapman (translator of Homer), dated 1634, was probably designed by Inigo Jones. The nave has some splendid 18th century style chandeliers and there is a wooden model of the church in the north aisle.

The church today ministers to a very varied parish, with services daily except Saturday, and is a venue for regular concerts and music recitals.

St Giles High Street, London, WC2H 8LG

Metropolitan Cathedral of St David, Cardiff

2011-09-12T12:54:00.003+01:00

St David's the newer and smaller of Cardiff's two cathedrals but, unlike the ancient foundation of Llandaff, several miles to the north-west, St David's is at the heart of the modern city.

History

The growth of Cardiff during the industrial revolution saw a growing mission by the Roman Catholic Church to the population of this burgeoning city. From 1839 a support fund for a new church was developed, augmented by fund-raising in Ireland, and the first church was consecrated on a site in David Street in 1842. It was named after the Principality's patron saint at the request of Lady Catherine Eyre of Bath, a major benefactress.

By the end of the century, however, it was becoming too small for the growing congregation, and the present building was erected in Charles Street. It was opened in 1887 to designs by the architectural firm Pugin & Pugin. It contained elaborate furnishings in the Neo-Gothic style, with the High Altar and Reredos alone costing the then substantial sum of £1,000. In 1915, Cardiff was designated an Archdiocese and in 1920 St David's was designated the cathedral.

However, the cathedral was destroyed during an enemy air-raid on 3rd March 1941. Rebuilding began in 1953, and St David's reopened in 1959, albeit with furnishings in a more modern style.

The Church

The church is designed in a restrained, Decorated Gothic style. The exterior is executed in rock-faced Pennant stone with red sandstone ashlar dressings. The interior consists of a single large nave, with a large chancel arch leading into a small sanctuary, and a large stone west gallery supported on two substantial piers. The walls have arches to each bay, some housing confessional boxes, others small chapels. The most interesting decoration is the stained glass, some of which was saved from the original building.

Charles Street, Cardiff, Wales CF10 2SF

St Grwst, Llanrwst

2011-09-11T18:15:00.006+01:00

Llanwrst is a small but historic town in the Conwy Valley, perhaps known best for its attractive 17^th century bridge. It has an interesting church, which includes the Gwydir Chapel, containing a remarkable set of funeral monuments to the Wynne family, former owners of nearby Gwydir Castle.

History

The first church was built nearby by the 6^th century Celtic Saint Grwst, but the present site was donated in the 12^th century by local lord Rhun ap Nefydd Hardd, to atone for his father’s sin of murdering Prince Idwal, son of Owain, King of Gwynedd. The church , begun around 1170, suffered during the turbulent history of the area; it was partly destroyed in the early 1400s during Owain Glyndwr’s uprising, and burned to the ground in 1468 during the Wars of the Roses by the men of the Yorkist Earl of Pembroke. The present church is the replacement built in 1470. It was restored in 1884, when the present tower was added.

The adjacent Gwydir Chapel was built by Sir Robert Wynne in 1633-4, Treasurer to Queen Henrietta Maria and owner of Gwydir Castle, who also helped finance the town’s bridge. It served as both family chapel and mausoleum until the building of Gwydir Uchaf chapel, nearer the castle in 1673. Ironically, Sir Robert himself is buried in Wimbledon.

The Church

The church consists of a nave and large north aisle, separated by an arcade, all executed in the perpendicular Gothic style. There is no chancel arch, but in the North Aisle is the stone staircase leading up to the Rood Loft. The main attraction is the Rood Screen, a magnificent survival. Although its niches of the musicians’ gallery lack the statues of the saints they were intended to house, the carving of the screen below is superlative. It includes images of both Tudor Roses and Pomegranates, symbol of Catherine of Aragon.

The screen’s panels each contain swirling filigree carving of a different designs: one depicts vines and bunches of grapes, another pigs eating acorns. The depiction of the symbols of Christ’s Passion, including a ladder, spear, nails and crown of thorns, and of a cock crowing (from the betrayal of St Peter), are particularly rare.

The Chapel

Executed in the Gothic style, this single room is a veritable treasure trove. The walls are lined with the stalls behind which the family would have sat, elaborately carved in the Jacobean style, the ends of the stalls adorned with peculiarly primitive heads. All around are the memorials of the Wynnes, with marble tablets and a set of rare engraved memorial brasses depicting the deceased in portrait form. On the south wall is the incredibly elaborate monument to Sir Robert’s father, Sir John (d. 1627).

On the floor are two earlier memorials: an empty and lidless stone coffin, decorated with quatrefoils, and said to the be the tomb of Llewellyn the Great (d. 1240), who was buried at nearby Maenen Abbey. Next to this is a very impressive 15^th century stone effigy of a knight, said to be that of Hywel Coetmor (above), who fought for the Black Prince at Poitiers and later took part in the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr. The effigy is incredibly detailed and retains its sword.

St Grwst, Church Street, Llanrwst LL26 0LE

Streat Parish Church

2011-09-09T17:03:00.004+01:00

Streat has a small but delightful parish church next to the impressive and historic house of Streat Place.

There has probably been a church on this site since Saxon times, but the core of the present nave (north and west walls) is Norman, probably from the late 12th century. The chancel was added in the 13th century, but extended around 1840-50. The east and south windows also date from this time. A more thorough restoration in 1854 added the south aisle (including the nave arcade) and replaced most of the windows. The porch and vestry were added in 1882. The age of the pretty bell turret is not known, although the church had a bell dated 1520, replaced by three new bells in 1900 when it was found to be cracked.

The interior of the church now has a very Victorian feel, but is delightful nevertheless. Most of the stained glass was added in the 19th century, but the north wall has an interesting depiction of St Francis dating from the 1960s.

There are a number of attractive memorials on the walls, but the most interesting fittings are the two early 18th century iron floor memorial slabs. The larger one, to the Gott family, is reputed to be the largest in England, weighing a ton. There is a also a hatchment with the coats of arms of Charles II, dated 1660, above the chancel arch.

The church is part of a joint parish with Ditchling and Westmeston. All three churches have regular services and are well worth a visit.

Streat Lane, Streat, Hassocks, East Sussex BN6 8RU

St Mary and All Saints, Conwy

2011-09-08T16:05:00.003+01:00

The North Wales town of Conwy is famous for its castle and mediaeval walls, which are among the most complete in the UK. But this World Heritage Site also has a large town church well worth a look, parts of which pre-date Edward I’s castle and walled town.

History

The church began life as a Cistercian Abbey, founded in 1172 and endowed by the Welsh Prince Llewellyn Fawr (Llewellyn the Great) in 1198. It was plundered by English forces of Henry III in 1245, but after the English conquest of this part of Wales in the 1280s, Edward I moved the abbey to Maenan a few miles away. St Mary’s therefore became the parish church of the new walled town built next to the castle as part of Edward’s conquest strategy. Parts of the walls survive from the 12th century abbey church in the present building.

The tower and chancel were rebuilt around 1300, with the south transept and south aisle following in the early to mid 14th century. The tower was completed in the late 15th century, and the rood screen and font installed around 1500. Some of the windows also date from the 15th-17th centuries. Extensive but relatively sensitive restoration in the late 19th century saw the nave roof and chancel floors both raised, the clerestory windows reset and the south transept window reconstructed.

The church

The church has a west tower, with an aisled nave and south transept. The north aisle is now a memorial chapel. From the outside, the three lancets in the tower and the west doorway, of c. 1235, are of particular interest. The interior is spacious, as befits the town’s importance, with a tall arcade of c. 1300, with carved heads at the join of each arch.

The most impressive feature is the rood screen, one of the best preserved in north Wales, and the adjoining choir stalls, both of around 1500. The stalls are vigorously carved, with figures and decoration resembling pinions and elaborate poppy-heads. The chancel also has some mediaeval floor tiles, now set in a wall next to the impressive arched tomb of Robert Wynne (d. 1598, builder of Plas Mawr house).

Other tombs and memorials include those to John Wynne (d. 1637) and Mary (d. 1585), mother of John Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury in Charles I’s reign (Williams was baptised in the early Tudor Perpendicular font at the west end). A fascinating tomb is that of Nicholas Hookes (d. 1637), who was the 41st child of his father William Hookes, and himself went on to have 27 children. Other items worth looking out for include a window by Burne-Jones in the south aisle, a reproduction of Andrea del Sarto’s ‘Christ’, and a bust of the sculptor John Gibson, who was baptised here in 1790.

The church holds regular services in English and Welsh.

St Mary & All Saints, Church Street, Conwy, Wales LL32 8LD

St Dyfnog, Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch

2011-09-07T18:49:00.002+01:00

With a name all but impossible for the average English speaker to pronounce, this village church is one of the Vale of Clwyd’s greatest treasures: it has what is widely regarded as the best surviving mediaeval stained glass in Wales, a stunning carved roof, and other items of historical interest.

A short walk away is the holy spring which gives its name to the village (Llanrhaeadr means ‘church enclosure by the waterfall’) and which was regarded in mediaeval times as having healing properties endowed by its founding Saint.

History

The church was founded by St Dyfnog in the Sixth century, deliberately located close to the healing well. Not much is known about Dyfnog himself except, in common with many other Celtic saints, he is said to have bathed in its freezing waters in just a hair shirt with a chain for a belt, by way of penance and prayer. One of the mediaeval Welsh poets mentioned the well ‘which gives grace to all nations and cures all ills’. The water was said to cure scabs and ‘the itch’, smallpox and even those who were deaf and dumb. In the 18th century it was described as being enclosed in an elaborate building, though only the pool itself now remains.

There is nothing left of the first church, which was probably made of wood, but a church was mentioned in records of 1254 and 1291. The oldest part of the building we see now is the robust tower, which dates from the 13th century, with the double-naved church – common in this part of Wales – erected in the 14th century. Both the surviving mediaeval windows were taken down and hidden from the iconoclasts and reinstalled after the Civil War. The porch is harder to date, but the carved sides may be formed from the original rood screen, from around 1530. The church was restored in 1879-80 and again in 1986-9.

The church

The interior is spacious, with the two naves separated by a handsome arcade or broad arches in blood-red sandstone. The walls have unfortunately been scraped of their plaster, though this does give it a rustic feel.

The famous east window is in the north nave: this is complete, and can be dated to 1533. It was the gift of the priest, Robert Jones, and depicts a simplified tree of Jesse, which illustrates the family tree of Christ from Jesse, through Kings David and Solomon, to Christ, shown with the Virgin. The figures are bold and expressive, and the local County guide-book points out that they rather resemble the form of playing cards, which achieved their traditional form around this period. In one or two places, the reinsertion has gone a little awry, but for the most part the scheme is as it would been originally. The colours – red, green, blue, gold and white predominate – are astonishingly vivid.

At the other end of the nave, the west window has glass dated to 1508, but this is more fragmentary, and the original images are mostly jumbled. The glass was discovered in a cottage in the 19th century.

The church’s other great treasure is its roof, contemporaneous with the windows, and carved and decorated with angels on the hammer-beams and corbels: the south nave over the sanctuary is particularly finely decorated, forming a ‘canopy of honour’.

Other items of interest include a golden pelican from 1762, feeding its young from its own blood; a huge ancient hewn chest beneath the Jesse window; and tucked away in the south east corner is the splendid classical monument to Maurice Jones, the local squire, who died in his early 30s in 1702. He reclines, resplendent in a huge periwig beneath a curtained archway, flanked with cherubs weeping into handkerchiefs.

The church is open every day, with an active congregation and choir, with the main Sunday service at 11.15.

St Dyfnog’s well is a short walk north of the churchyard; the various springs flow into a large stone-lined pool, sadly in need of restoration.

Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch, Denbigh, Wales LL16 4NL

The Collegiate and Parochial Church of St Peter, Ruthin

2011-09-03T14:51:00.003+01:00

The pretty and historic town of Ruthin has a fine church, part of which dates from the 14th century. It has many interesting memorials dating from the 16th century onwards, and a particularly fine decorated roof from the early 16th century.

History

The church was built by John de Grey (of Ruthin Castle) in 1310, and founded as a collegiate church with a small community of 7 priests overseen by a Warden (a title still held by the Vicar). After the dissolution, the College was refounded as a grammar school, with the addition of almshouses.

The earliest part of the church is the north aisle (the tower room - now a vestry - was the original choir). The original chancel (demolished in 1663) originally stood east of this, and the cloisters to the north now form part of the old college buildings. The south nave was constructed in the late 14th century, which included the insertion of the fine arcade, with its carved corbels.

The magnificent roofs over the two naves was inserted around 1500-1540, and extensive restorations were carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries, the spire being erected in the 1850s.

The church

On entering, the scale of the double-naved church is immediately apparent. The arcade has interesting carved corbels, one of which may depict a bearded Negro. Apart from the arcade, 14th century details are hidden behind the organ, and outside on the north wall, where the remains of the cloister and priests' dwellings are now part of the Masonic Hall and music rooms.

Back inside, look up, and let you eyes adjust to the gloom; the Tudor roofs over the naves are simply magnificent, containing over 408 carved panels and dozens of painted bosses.

The church also includes some fine memorials: there are rare early Welsh brasses to Edward Goodman (d. 1560), and unusually a separate one for his wife and family on which he appears again. One of their sons, Gabriel Goodman, became Dean of Westminster and chaplain to William Cecil, Elizabeth I's Chief Minister, and founded the grammar school and almshouses. His splendid memorial, complete with life-sized painted bust, overlooks the High Altar. There are a number of other elegant 17th, 18th and 19th century memorials.

The current congregation has an active church life and strong tradition of church music.

School Road, Ruthin, Wales LL15 1BL

Old and new St Peter, Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd

2011-09-02T23:27:00.007+01:00

St Peter’s is a tale of two churches: one up the hill, towards the old Llanbedr Hall; and a Victorian replacement in the centre of the village.

History

The original church on the site of the original village, dates back to at least 1254, when it was mentioned in the Norwich Taxation. A simple, unaisled building, it became a ruin when the new church was erected in 1862-3 in the centre of the new village. The new church was designed by the Shrewsbury architectural firm of Poundley and Walker and was paid for by the Lord of the Manor.

More recently, access to the old church was the subject of a local dispute, resolved only in 2009 when a planning inspector designated the part of the driveway to Llanbedr Hall (from the main road as far as the church) a public right of way.

The old church

This is now a roofless ruin, but it was a simple, single-celled building with a bell-cote, which is well preserved. Aside from some Gothic doorways, little else is discernible, as the red sandstone has weathered badly. There are, however, a number of memorial tablets in the church, and the graveyard has many tombs and superb views over the Vale of Clwyd.

The new church

This is closer to the centre of the present village and has a large porch, single unaisled nave and chancel. The exterior is boldly decorated with bands of coloured stone and coloured roof tiles, some strong carving and it has a particularly vigorous spiked turret.

Inside, the nave is plainer, but has some interesting and attractive Victorian stained glass, and the chancel has good encaustic tiles. There are some wall tablets brought from the old church, as well as an interesting fragment of a 14th carved tomb from the old church, showing a man with curled hair. Recently restored to their rightful place behind the altar are tablets of illuminated-style script with the Creed, Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments in Welsh.

The church is open during daylight hours for prayer and visits, and has regular services in both traditional and modern styles.

Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, Ruthin, Wales LL15 1UP

St Tyrnog, Llandyrnog

2011-09-02T22:27:00.004+01:00

The parish church at Llandyrnog is typical of those in the Vale of Clwyd with a double nave, and has some magnificent mediaeval stained glass.

The church is an ancient foundation, first established by St Tyrnog in the 6th century. He was one of what must have been a formidable family of saints in the area: his brother Deifor established a church at Bodfari and his sister Marchell (Marcella) founded a hermitage and gave rise to the church in Denbigh that bears her name.

The present building dates largely from the 15th century, but was substantially restored in 1876-8 by William Eden Nesfield. It has the typical double-nave plan of the Vale of Clwyd, but the charming timbered porch and pale pink render are Nesfield's. The interior is well maintained and has a number of furnishings of note. The most outstanding of these is the East Window, which dates from about 1490. Re-assembled from fragments which had been hidden (presumably from iconoclasts), it depicts the Crucifixion and the seven sacraments of the church, with saints in the smaller lights above.

Although much of it is missing, the poignant, central figure of the crucified Christ, with streams of blood leading to the scenes of the sacraments, is beautifully preserved. The panels depicting ordination and marriage are also well preserved, whereas those of the last rites (extreme unction) and penance are more fragmentary. The panels depicting the mass, baptism and confirmation have unfortunately been lost.

Other items of interest include an Annunciation window by Kempe; the Coat of Arms of George II, a poor box dated 1687; some lovely Victorian encaustic tiling by Minton; and a stone carving of the head of a monk, rescued from the churchyard, and possibly depicting St Tyrnog himself.

If you wish to visit, a key is available from the nearby Post Office, for private prayer or simply a look around this lovely village church. Service details are on the parish website.

Opposite Church Square, Llandyrnog, Denbigh, Wales LL16 4HG

St Margaret, Bodelwyddan

2011-08-29T19:07:00.003+01:00

St Margaret’s is one of Wales’s outstanding Victorian churches, known locally as ‘The Marble Church’ because of the profusion of marble used in its interior decoration.

History

The church was built to designs by John Gibson, pupil of Sir Charles Barry, and paid for by Lady Margaret Willoughby de Broke in memory of her husband, Henry Lord Willoughby de Broke. Lady Margaret was the daughter of Sir John Williams, Baronet of Bodelwyddan, and returned to Bodelwyddan after the death of her husband, determined to create a separate parish for Bodelwyddan from neighbouring St Asaph. The cost was the then phenomenal sum of £60,000. The foundation stone was laid on the 24th July 1856; and the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of St. Asaph on the 23rd August 1860.

The church

Executed in a florid Decorated Gothic style, the church is dominated by the spire, which rises over 200ft. The exterior is dazzling white, thanks to the use of the local limestone, and is a familiar landmark alongside the A55, which unfortunately runs all too close by.

Inside, the plan is an aisled nave with a large chancel, the arcade columns composed of the deep red marble which give the church its name. More marble decorates the chancel, which is lined with stalls, as in a cathedral, with heavily decorated canopies with ogee arches. Capital, corbels and arches throughout are elaborately carved, as are the tall oak roofs. The guide book states that fourteen varieties of marble are used in the church.

The furnishings are similarly lavish; the rather intimidating eagle lectern is supported on a thick and heavily carved column, intended to represent a crag; similarly, the pulpit is heavily carved, with images of Christ and the four Gospel Saints. The font in Carrara marble depicts two young sisters holding a shell, and is rather sentimental to modern eyes. The stained glass is by O’Connor and T F Curtis, with a single window attributed to Burne-Jones.

off Rhuddlan Road, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, LL18 5UR

St Michael, Caerwys

2011-08-29T13:57:00.004+01:00

The ancient village of Caerwys has an attractive church, hidden from the main road, in a large and expansive churchyard. It has some interesting and historic furnishings.

History

Caerwys was laid out as a planned town by Edward I as part of his policy of embedding his conquest of Wales, receiving a charter in 1290. However, it is evident that there was a church here before then: in 1244 it was nominated as a meeting place between Henry III and Prince David of Gwynedd.

The oldest part of the church is the tower, dating from the late 13th century. Dating the rest of the church is difficult, but the south nave has 14th century elements and the north nave features from the 15th, although it may date from an earlier period. The porch is a 19th century addition. Many of the features were restored in the 19th century.

The church

The church is dominated by its robust west tower, but also has the curious feature of a double nave, a speciality of the Vale of Clwyd area. Inside, the windows date from the 14th to 15th centuries, with some Victorian renewal. There is a two-bay arcade in the chancel leading through into the north nave, now effectively used as an aisle and separate chapel.

The oldest furnishing is a wall tomb in the south chancel wall, with a 14th century cusped arch containing an effigy of earlier date. This is reputed to be of Elizabeth Ferrers (1250-c. 1300), wife of Dafydd, the last independent Prince of Wales. A window above has a small quantity of mostly jumbled late mediaeval glass, although the top light has two angels or saints carrying heads of wheat, surrounded by various floral emblems, including a Tudor rose.

The chancel is screened off with some attractive woodwork panels, dating from the 17th century, and more, and possibly earlier woodwork forms a dado in the north nave. This includes two splendid facing dragons. Panelling from the box pews also lines the walls, one recording that it was the pew of Sir Thomas Mostyn, Baronet.

The font is dated 1661 and is framed by some broken sepulchral panels of 14th century date, and some later tomb slabs. The door into the tower from the north nave is the original ancient main door.

Pen y Cefn Road, Caerwys, Flintshire, Wales CH7 5BH

St Mary the Virgin, Bletchingley

2011-08-18T17:49:00.003+01:00

Bletchingly is a small village on the A25 with an impressively large church, with an unusually rich collection of furnishings.

History

Bletchingley was one of the original ‘Rotten Boroughs’, and a prominent manor that belonged at various times to the de Clares and later the family of Lord Howard of Effingham, commander of the fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada, who was married in Bletchingley in 1539.

The present church is the result of almost six centuries of continuous building; the east wall of the chancel and the robust west tower with its small round-headed windows are Norman, erected around 1090 and heightened around 1160, with a tower arch added around 1175; the south aisle was added in the 13th century, along with the Lady Chapel (now St Catherine’s chapel); a north transept, known as the Ham Chapel, was added in the 14th century; the 15th added the huge porch, rood stair, and new windows in St Catherine’s Chapel. Somewhat later, the Victorians added a north aisle and rebuilt the East wall of the chancel, and added the present reredos, by G E Street.

The church

From the village, the robust tower, along with the south porch and battlemented south aisle lend the church the appearance of a stately home. Inside, the interior is spacious and the variety of internal detail is immediately apparent: tombs, mediaeval corbels, a rood stair, and a wide variety of furnishings compete with each other for attention.

Of these, pride of place goes to the huge Clayton memorial, which completely dominates St Catherine’s Chapel. Sir Robert Clayton (1629-1707) and his wife. Clayton was a banker, MP and one-time Lord Mayor of London, and the confident and sumptuous baroque memorial has life-size statues of him and his wife in their finery (Clayton himself with gilded badges and chains of office) under a huge pediment supported on Corinthian columns. More poignantly, it also includes a figure of their only child, who died in infancy.

A table tomb between the chapel and chancel is that of Sir Thomas Carwarden (d. 1559), Master of revels to Henry VIII, Edward IV and Queen Mary. A number of unnamed brasses are contained in the Ham Chapel, although the most interesting and impressive is that of Thomas Warde (d. 1541) and his wife, in the floor of the tower. The style suggests the figures may have been pirated from an earlier brass. On the floor of the north side of the altar is brass which may represent Hugh Hextall (d. 1476), the Rector who oversaw the 15th century works.

Other items of interest include the pulpit from 1630, the font from 1450, and the south aisle corbels, two of which depicts green men. The window at the west end of the south aisle is by Kemp, with the other two by Comper in matching style.

St Mary the Virgin, Church Lane, Bletchingley, Redhill, Surrey RH1 4LP

St Peter & St Paul, Nutfield

2011-08-17T23:40:00.007+01:00

Just a short distance east of Redhill on the A25 is the small village of Nutfield. The village along the A25 is, unsurprisingly, rather busy with traffic, but just a short distance away is as pretty a church as you'll find anywhere, with a delightful churchyard.

Although there was a church here in Saxon times, the present church dates largely from rebuilding in the 13th and 14th centuries: the North aisle was inserted around 1230, and the chancel rebuilt at the same time, and extended early in the 14th century. The south transept and splendid tower are later 15th century work. The south aisle was erected in 1882, to match the north aisle. The interior is whitewashed, but the Victorians scrubbed the chancel back to the stonework: here the 13th century lancets and simple decorated windows with trefoiled heads have survived best.

The furnishings are of interest: the font, although bearing a date of 1665, but the bowl is actually a classic 15th century perpendicular Gothic design, and was rescued and brought back into the church around this time after being thrown out earlier by the Puritans. The chancel screen is particularly fine, with a series of perpendicular arches decorated with trefoils and quaterfoils, and is largely 15th century; also from this century is the piscina in the chancel. Fragments of 15th century glass remain in the north aisle window, including a fine St George killing the dragon. The pulpit incorporates some fine Tudor linen-fold panels.

The south aisle has a number of relocated tomb niches, and in the chancel is the tomb of Sire Thomas de Fulham, the rector who undertook the 14th century expansion. Adjacent is a charming and well preserved 15th century brass to William Grafton and his wife, Joan, in clerical dress, dated 1465. On the north wall of the chancel is a chalk panelled tablet to Charles Gillman, son of Anthony Gillman of Reigate, (d. 13th April 1631), with a shield bearing a leg, booted and spurred.

Finally, the Pre-raphaelite glass in the East Window is worth a special mention: showing the angelic host at worship in Heaven, it was designed by Edward Burne Jones. The dark pink wings of the angels caused a huge furore amongst some of the Victorian congregation, who left in disgust and founded a new church nearby.

St Peter & St Paul, Church Hill, Nutfield, Redhill, Surrey RH1 4JA

St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching

2011-08-08T18:24:00.002+01:00

Fletching is a pretty village, a few miles north of the A272 between Hayward's Heath and Uckfield. The impressive church dominates the centre of the village and has many historically and interesting fittings.

History

Although not mentioned in the Domesday book, the details of the tower indicate a date on the cusp of the Saxon-Norman overlap, probably late in the 11th century. The church was enlarged in in the Early English style 1230, but substantially rebuilt in 1340, when it acquired its present dimensions, leaving the tower as the only significant Norman remnant. It was restored by John Oldrid Scott in 1880, who remodelled the chancel into its present form.

It was witness to an important event in English history, when in 1264 Simon de Montfort prayed and attended mass here the night before the Battle of Lewes, where he defeated the forces of Henry III.

The church

The church sits in an expansive churchyard on a mound in the middle of the village, surrounded by mature trees. The most notable feature is the tower with its shingled spire. The bell openings in the tower are early Norman, as is the slim buttress on the north east side. The spire and deep corner buttresses date from around 1340. Entry into the church is via the south porch, built in the 15th century, and through the original 15th century door, which has Perpendicular Gothic decoration.

Inside, the church is dark thanks to the extensive scheme of Victorian stained glass. The plan is cruciform, with an aisled nave and a long chancel, making the church over 140ft long. The nave arcades, transepts and chancel date from the early 13th century. The arcade arches rise as they get nearer to the crossing, and there is a squint from the north transept into the chancel. On the south arcade can be seen remains of early Norman windows; the clerestory windows date from the 1340 rebuilding. The tower door is of Saxon dimensions, but renewed by the Victorians. The East window, although restored in the 19th century, is said to be based on the original late 13th century design.

The fittings are unusually rich, particularly the monuments in the south transept. Pride of place goes to the tomb chest, inlaid with a magnificent and well preserved brass, presumed to be of Sir Walter Dalyngrygge and his wife, c. 1380. He is shown in full armour, his wife in a long mantle, beneath elaborate Gothic canopies. The tomb originally had a vaulted canopy, but this was lost after 1820.

Close by is a humble but unique brass, consisting of a name plate above a pair of gloves, to Peter Denot, a glover. It has been dated to the 1450s. He took part in Jack Cade's Rebellion of 1450 but was pardoned

The largest tomb is that of Richard Leche (d. 1596), High Sheriff of Sussex and Surrey, and his wife Charitye. This is a splendid affair in alabaster, with the effigies of excellent quality (and in a remarkable state of preservation). The charity he established for the poor of the parish is still in operation today. His wife married again, but the second marriage was said to be unhappy, and she chose - unusually - to be included in her first husband's memorial, while she was still alive.

Other items of interest include the Jacobean pulpit; four funeral hatchments to different members of the Sheffield family; funeral armour (helmet, gauntlets, swords and spurs) of members of the Nevill family, the Earls of Abergavenny, dating from around 1720. The East and south transept windows have Victorian glass by Kempe.

An unusual feature is the mausoleum added on to the north side of the north transept for the Earls of Sheffield (who lived at nearby Sheffield Park) in the late 18th century. The mausoleum was also the burial place of Edward Gibbon, author of _The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire_ and a close friend of the first Earl.

St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Church Street, Fletching, near Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 3SS

St Stephen's, Bristol

2011-08-06T17:08:00.004+01:00

This is a large and well preserved 15th century town church, filled with monuments, with an impressive tower, quiet churchyard and a small modern cafe.

History

Although there has been a church on the site since the 11th century, the present structure dates from a comprehensive rebuilding in the late 15th century. The tower and East window were the gift of John Shipward, Mayor of Bristol (d. 1473). The clerestory was repaired after a storm in 1703, and the aisle and east window repaired in 1873. It now has an active ministry to the City Centre, with innovative, modern forms of worship.

The church

The most impressive external feature is the tower. This is 152ft high, of an elaborate Perpendicular Somerset design, but with a lavish Gloucester style crown with complex open tracery, decorated with pinnacles and gargoyles. The main church has aisles to the nave of seven bays, but no crossing, with large Perpendicular windows in both aisles and clerestory.

The church has many impressive monuments: on the north wall is a tomb chest with effigies and statuettes in ogee niches, to Edmund Blanket (d. 1371), a clothier and wool merchant. Also on the north wall is one to Martin Pring (d. 1627), who explored the coast of what is now Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. This is an elaborate and colourful affair, decorated with allegorical figures, urns, a mermaid and merman, an hour-glass, scythes and anchors.

There is a large collection of monuments and memorials by the door to the cafe at the east end of the south aisle. Two are of particular note: the huge and colourful tomb of Sir George Snygge (d. 1617), complete with life-sized semi-reclining effigy beneath a large strap-work cartouche with columns either side. On the south wall is the rather humbler but attractive memorial to Robert Kitchin (d. 1594) and his wife; in the form of an engraved brass plaque, it shows them facing each other in prayer, attended by their three sons and three daughters, with a delightful poem below:

Robert Kitchin, Alderman, and his wife,
Lieth neere this place, closed in earth and clay,
Their charities alike in death and life,
Who to the poor gave all their goodes away,
Leaving in trust such men to act the same,
Who might with truth perfor(m) their good intent,
So that the poore indeed and (m)eke in name,
To lasting ages in this Citie meant,
And other places of this Kingdom faire,
As Kendall towne and Stuckland Field both have,
With Bathe the native place of her first ayre,
The bountie of their guyftes they to them gave.

St Stephen's, 21 St Stephen's Street, Bristol BS1 1EQ

St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol

2011-08-06T16:24:00.003+01:00

Now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, St Thomas the Martyr has a particularly attractive 18th century interior and fittings regarded by some as worthy of a London Wren church.

History

Founded at the end of the 12th century, the church served the population of a new district of Bristol, south of the main bridge. Originally dedicated to St Thomas a Becket, the dedication was changed after the Reformation on orders of Henry VIII (who forbade the veneration of the saint who defied his king).

The church was rebuilt at the same time as St Mary Redcliffe in the 14th and 15th centuries, and was reputedly one of the grandest of Bristol's churches, filled with altars and chantry chapels. However, by the 1780s, the fabric was in such dangerous condition it was decided to build a new church. The architect chosen was James Allen, and the building was built 1789-1796. Allen had intended to alter the west tower to match, but a lack of funds meant that the handsome Perpendicular Gothic tower from the 15th century survives.

The church

Allen's design has a plain classical exterior: only the east end is rendered in stone, as the sides were originally hemmed in by buildings. This has a pretty Venetian motif, with a small circular window of 1879, under a pedimented arch decorated with garlands, and a handsome classical door. At the west end, the handsome 15th century tower dominates the rather soulless modern square.

Inside, the nave has five bays resting on square pillars, with a tunnel vault and clerestory. The aisles have tall arched windows. Allen retained many of the furnishings from the previous church. The reredos of 1716 has fine Corinthian columns and pilasters, decorated with carvings of wheat, vines and flowers of the highest quality. The original panels containing the Lord's Commandment were replaced in 1907 by paintings by Fritz von Kampf of Clifton, depicting biblical scenes. The Communion rails are 18th century, and the carved oak pulpit dates from 1740.

The organ case is by John Harris and dates from 1730, and again has excellent carvings of foliage and cherubs' heads. At the west end, again surviving from the earlier church, is the original organ gallery, with Roman Doric columns. Beneath this are two sculptures of saints taken from the former Long Row almshouses. On the north wall are the Royal Coat of Arms of Charles I, (1637) and on one of the nave columns an elaborate early 17th century sword rest. The late 18th century mahogany font was converted into a lectern in 1878, replaced by a rather cumbersome stone design.

St Thomas the Martyr, St Thomas Street, Bristol BS1 6QR

St John the Baptist, Bristol

2011-08-06T15:43:00.003+01:00

Framing the end of Bristol's Broad Street, St John's is a rare surviving mediaeval church gate, complete with an extensive crypt and interesting furnishings. It is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT). Such church gates were used by travellers to pray for safe passage before travelling, and afterwards for thanksgiving for returning safely home.

History

St John's is the only survivor of the five gate churches that once lined Bristol's inner Saxon town walls. Built originally in the 12th century, there was once another church, dedicated to St Lawrence, on the other side of the tower (which it shared). St Lawrence was deconsecrated and sold in 1580, and demolished by 1824.

The crypt dates from two building phases in the 14th century, and had a separate dedication to the Holy Cross. The second phase, as well as the nave, which also dates from this period, was paid for by William Frampton, (d. 1388). The two-bay chancel was built c. 1480. The church was used for worship until 1984 and was passed to the care of the CCT in 1985.

The church also had an outlet of the St John's Conduit, built in 1267 to supply water to a Carmelite Priory on the site of the present Colston Hall. This originally came to a conduit house inside the gate, but was moved to its present position on the Quay Street side in 1827 and restored in 1866.

The church and crypt

The exterior is dominated by the tower and the gate. The central gateway and tower dates to the 14th century and on the Broad Street side incorporates statues of Brennus and Bellinus, legendary founders of Bristol. The two outer walkways and the present church entrance on Nelson Street are Victorian alterations. The gateway is vaulted and the groove of the portcullis are clearly visible in the main arch. To the East, the tall Perpendicular Gothic windows of the nave characterise the nave and chancel.

The crypt entrance is in Quay Street. The crypt is low, with vaulted ceilings, and the division between the earlier eastern part and the later western part. In the eastern part is a rather defaced but still impressive merchant's tomb with alabaster effigies of him and his wife, with ten kneeling children in panels below. Next, under an ogee arched and crocketed canopy, is the tomb with an incised cross of Thomas White (d. 1542), Mayor of Bristol in 1530, and his wife. A tomb chest in the western part has incised figures of a man and his two wives, next to a damaged piscina.

The church is now entered by a door in Nelson Street, through the Victorian narthex. The nave is a great surprise after the crypt: the six regular tall bays and windows fill the church with light, giving it an unexpectedly spacious feel. The last bay is higher and has two clerestory windows, presumably to light an elaborate rood screen. A tall, sweeping chancel arch leads to the two-bay chancel, which has a peculiar battlemented Tudor screen on the east wall, behind where the reredos once stood. This wall was formed in 1570 to form a vestry behind.

The furnishings are particularly rich. At the West End is a gallery dating from the late 17th century, with square fluted pillars, and paintings of saints in the Dutch style. The screen incorporates two fine 16th century carved doors. Next to this is the elaborate font, dating from 1624, with no fewer than 24 panelled faces, decorated with 16 cherubs and 8 rosettes, standing on four clawed lions' feet. The nave pews date from 1621, but were remodelled by the Victorians. The tall nave windows are clear except for fragments of mediaeval stained glass.

In the chancel are two impressive monuments: that of the donor Walter Frampton (d. 1388) has an excellent life-like effigy with angels and a long-tailed dog. On the opposite wall are well preserved brasses to Thomas Rowley (d. 1478) and his wife. Other items include the fine Communion table (1635), Communion rails (late 17th century), lectern (c. 1690) and an 18th century sword rest.

Before you leave, look down - the chancel has a particularly fine decorated floor of colourful Minton tiles.

St John the Baptist, Broad Street, Bristol, BS1 2EZ

St Mary the Virgin, Isle Abbotts

2011-08-06T13:21:00.002+01:00

If ever there was a gem of a parish church, St Mary the Virgin in Isle Abbotts has a strong claim. Set in a small and relatively inaccessible village on the edge of the Somerset Levels, St Mary’s demonstrates the ability of an isolated rural community to furnish us with truly glorious architecture. Its tower is regarded as one of the finest in Somerset, but the interior is also full of fascinating details.

History

The existence of an earlier church is testified by the well-preserved and unusually decorated Norman font. The present church dates from around 1300, when the nave, chancel and the main structure of the south porch were built. The tower was built between 1510 and 1520, and the splendid north aisle and porch fan vault were also added in the 16th century, although the details of the squint imply an earlier north aisle on the same position. Both the aisle and the vaulting are associated with Lady Margaret Beaufort (1441-1509), mother of Henry VII.

Subsequent periods left the fabric relatively untouched, and Victorian repairs have been thankfully sensitive; although it has lost its original rood screen, the tower niches have retained their statuary. The roofs and bench ends have also survived from the mediaeval period.

The church

The tower faces Church Street and makes an immediate impact: although only 81ft high, the proportions and balance of its decoration are near-perfect. The tower is built of blue lias limestone, balanced by golden Ham stone for the decorative detail. The west side has a large, transomed four light window, with a transomed two-light window above, and twin transomed bell-openings above that, all flanked with pinnacles and niches. More pinnacles adorn the set-back buttresses, and the crown of traceried battlements.

The other sides are simpler, but still with niches and pinnacles, and above ground level the niches retain their original statues – a great rarity in a parish church. These include depictions of Christ steeping from his sarcophagus, St George mounted on his horse, St Clement of Rome and other saints. The crown is adorned with ‘hunky punks’ – Somerset gargoyles, crouching on their haunches. My favourite is that on the north west corner, a man playing a rare double-barrelled bagpipe. Also worth a look is the exterior of the north aisle, again with a traceried pinnacle parapet, with more hunky punks and traditional gargoyles.

Entry is via a lovely porch: the stoup has 14th century detailing, so the splendid fan vault was added later. On my visit, the central pendant provided a home to a nest of martins. Inside, the clear glass makes the most of the architecture, and particularly the beautiful north aisle, with its elegant late Perpendicular arcade, executed in honey-coloured stone, with its panelled Tudor roof.

A large, pillared squint from the north aisle gives a view into the chancel, through the surviving rood staircase – another great rarity. The font has a mixture of Norman motifs of birds and dragons with later motifs of heraldic shields with fleur-de-lis decoration (upside down, so it may have been reversed at some point).

The chancel retains its 14th century windows, with the East window of five stepped lights, the north and south of three stepped lancets with quatrefoils above. These contain fragments of mediaeval stained glass. Below, the large and elaborately panelled piscina is surely worthy of a cathedral, as are the elegantly flowing sedilia of three seats. To the left of the altar are the remains of a large, crude and ancient sarcophagus, found in the churchyard. In contrast, the mediaeval rood screen is rather simple, and may have been moved here from elsewhere in the church.

Finally, the nave has its original mediaeval bench ends, with simple but elegant tracery panel decoration, a Jacobean pulpit, and the original 14th century roof. The west (tower) arch is a suitably grand finish, rising two storeys in height, with a screen made from a Jacobean communion rail. The church is still used every week for services, albeit on a rather irregular pattern.

St Mary the Virgin, Church Street, Isle Abbotts, near Ilminster TA3 6RH

St Mary the Virgin, Bishops Lydeard

2011-08-05T23:12:00.003+01:00

Bishops Lydeard (pronounced 'Liddy-ud') is a small village north west of Taunton, today as well as known for anything as the start of the West Somerset Railway. But it has a church, prominently sited in the middle of the village, well worth visiting. I'm biased in this case, as I have family connections with it going back to the 18th century, but I hope the photographs speak from themselves.

History

There has been a church here since Saxon times, although the earliest part of the present structure, the north arcade, dates from the end of the 13th century. But it was subject to a major rebuilding in the 1450s, when the present tower was erected - one of the famous Perpendicular Gothic Somerset towers. Much of the interior (and the Chancel in particular) was rebuilt by the Victorians, but the rood screen and pew bench ends date from the 16th century and themselves form a rare example of an extensive woodwork scheme from this period. The tower has very recently been restored to its full glory.

The church

From the outside, the tower dominates the expansive churchyard. Of four stages, it is a beautiful composition executed in the local blood-red sandstone, with detailing of golden yellow Ham stone. The windows, bell openings, pinnacles and buttresses are carefully balanced, and filled with delicate Somerset tracery, leading to a crown of pierced battlements. On the south side of the nave aisles is a surviving rood turret.

Inside, the windows and chancel arches were heavily restored by the Victorians, but the furnishings are outstanding. First is the early 16th century Rood Screen, which runs across the nave and both aisles. It is richly carved, with the Apostles Creed (in Latin) running along its length carved in Gothic script. It was recoloured by Comper, who also restored the Rood itself above, the gilded reredos, with its ornate gilded canopy.

Next, and equally impressive, are the bench ends, carved by itinerant Flemish carvers around 1540. The backgrounds are simply coloured to highlight the compositions; these include a charming windmill, with a miller, his horse and three birds; a pelican piercing her beast to feed three hungry chicks (an early Christian motif); a fine sailing ship; frolicking rabbits watched by a donkey; a handsome stag in the forest; a heart pierced with two arrows; a passion; and some fine Green Men (depictions of forest deities with foliage coming from their mouths).

The pulpit is Jacobean and the font Perpendicular, with a panelled stem and complex panelled tracery. Except for a few fragments, the heavy stained glass is entirely Victorian.

St Mary the Virgin, Church Street, Bishops Lydeard, near Taunton, TA4 3AT

St John, Frome

2011-08-04T23:46:00.002+01:00

Frome’s large parish church – fitting for a town that was as large than Bath until 1650 - lies a short distance up a hill from the town centre. From the outside, much of what the visitor sees is Victorian, but inside are substantial elements from a complex mediaeval building.

History

The church was founded around 685AD by St Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmesbury, and this Saxon building survived until the Norman period. It was replaced late in the late 12th century, and fragments of the new Romanesque church can be found in the present fabric.

Around 1300, the nave was replaced, and the lower stages of the tower were built. The nave was extended late in the 14th century (or early 15th), and the northern transept rebuilt and the tower completed. In addition, chantry chapels added to the east of the tower (around 1412) and to the west of the north transept (1517).

The clerestory was also raised in the 15th century but, like much of the fabric, rebuilt in the 19th century, as it was said to be in very poor condition. These works included rebuilding the chancel (1847-9), the north porch (1862), the north and south aisles (1862-5), and the west front (1865).

The church

The two approaches to the church could not be more different: from the end of King Street and Cheap Street, a series of steep steps rises alongside a stone wall with sculpted stations of the cross, forming a processional way (or Via Crucis) to the North door; to the west a spacious forecourt is closed off from Bath Street by a five arched screen, designed in 1814 by Jeffry Wyatt.

Once inside, one is struck by the scale of the building, and particularly by the long nave. Here, the division between the earlier and later 14th century parts is clear in the design of the arcades. Both the clerestory and the rather intrusive sculpted roundels are Victorian.

The north chantry chapel is entered through a fine panelled arch. This is now a baptistery and, besides the font, contains many wall monuments. An attractive round-arched doorway with continuous mouldings (ie no capitals) from the Norman church opens into the north transept. Another Norman fragment is the round-headed piscina on the north wall of the chancel. Architecturally, the ornate Victorian chancel is less interesting than the south chantry chapel and the room beneath the tower, both of which have elaborate rere arches.

The church has many interesting furnishings. In the baptistery chapel are a 13th font in the shape of a quatrefoil, with four shafts; fragments of 15th century stained glass and an unusual wall monument to Richard Stevens (d. 1796), depicting an urn with two orphan boys on one side and an elderly man the other, with an asylum in the distance.

The north transept has more 18th and 19th century monuments, but more unusual is the large table tomb with a cadaver underneath, to a member of the Leversedge family. The elaborate rood screen is by Kempe, and the reredos in the chancel (of Carrara marble) by the prolific sculptor, James Forsyth (1826-1910), beneath an East Window by Clayton & Bell.

Finally, in the tower room opposite are two fragments of Saxon sculpture, depicting a monster and interlaced carving. The accompanying description postulates that they may have been from a cross, one of several erected where St Aldhelm’s funeral procession stopped as it moved to Malmesbury for burial. It admits there is no evidence for such a claim but says, ‘we at St John’s like to think it is a reasonable assumption’.

St John's Parish Church, Bath Street, Frome BA11 1PL

St Julian's, Kingston Buci

2011-07-25T00:36:00.005+01:00

St Julian’s is something of a surprise: set in the sea of suburban sprawl that stretches between Brighton and Shoreham, here is a reminder that some of the settlements, at least, have roots going back much further.

History

There was almost certainly a church here in Saxon times, but the present building dates back to the late 11th century, with the tower, chancel, north aisle and south porch being added (or renewed) in the 13th century, and the windows renewed in the 14th and 15th centuries. The proportions of the nave – narrow and tall - indicate that the Saxon plan may have been retained.

An interesting historic feature is the window in the north chancel wall, originally presumed to provide access to an anchorite’s cell, although some archaeologists have suggested that this window was a squint for a vestry or chapel.

Anchorites were religious people who withdrew from the world for prayer and contemplation, but could also pray for and offer advice to passing travellers. They were sealed into a small cell, with a small window to enable them to see (and participate in) the Mass, through which they were also fed and watered. Anchorites were meant to live and die in their cells, although many were let out and some could move more freely through larger openings (though not here judging by the size of the window).

The north aisle fell into disrepair in the 18th century and was rebuilt in the 19th century, but the church still retains fittings from the 15th-18th centuries.

The church

The building is unusual in being effectively divided by the squat but massive tower in its centre. The outside walls are of flint and rubble, all set in a small wooded churchyard.

Entering through the south porch, the interior is dominated by the handsome 13th century twin arched bay which separates the nave from the north aisle. The north aisle has a lancet, which contains fragments of 15th century glass, including a Tudor Rose and the shield of the Lewknor family. Above the west end is a gallery inserted in 1924, but the Perpendicular windows are of 15th century date. A new sanctuary has been placed against the south wall, incorporating the original 19th century altar rails.

A handsome 13th arch leads to the tower vault, in which are the 18th century pulpit (incorporating 16th century 'linenfold' panels) and 18th century box pews. Above the low round-headed doorway is a blocked opening that gave access to the now disappeared rood loft.

The original chancel, now used as a Lady Chapel, has fine (if restored) Decorated Gothic screen, dating to the 15th century. The East window is modern, but the side windows are 14th century Decorated Gothic designs. The principal items of interest here are the window to the anchorite’s cell on the north wall, and the large Lewknor tomb from around 1540, which takes the form of an Easter Sepulchre (ie a recessed tomb chest). The remains of statues can be seen, though much defaced during the Civil War, with the Resurrection in the centre flanked by the Virgin Mary with the body of Christ (West) and the Trinity (East). An unusual feature is that one of the rosettes on the roof of the tomb is actually a reverse image of the devil, poking his tongue out - helpfully painted in red!

St Julian's Church, St Julian's Lane, Kingston Buci, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 6EB

St Paul's, Birmingham

2011-07-24T22:51:00.002+01:00

For those who think central Birmingham is an unredeemed sprawl of 70s concrete, the short walk to St Paul’s church will come as something of a revelation. Head towards the Jewellery Quarter from the Town Hall, and you will discover streets of gorgeous red brick Victorian buildings, which slowly give way to modest but handsome Georgian counterparts. In the midst of it all is St Paul’s Square, centred around the lovely and historic church of St Paul’s.

History

St Paul’s is a fascinating church. It was one of two provided for by an Act of Parliament of 1772, to cater for Birmingham’s burgeoning population. It was designed by a local Wolverhampton surveyor, Roger Eykyn, with Samuel Wyatt, a distinguished local architect, acting as an advisor. The design is based loosely on that of St Martins-in-the-Fields in London. The church was consecrated in 1779, although it was 1823 before the handsome steeple was completed, to designs by Francis Goodwin.

The timing and location of the church in one of the heartlands of the industrial revolution meant that early worshippers included the likes of James Watt (1736-1819), inventor of the steam engine, and Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), metal and coin manufacturer, and Watt’s business partner.

In the mid 19th century the church was the centre of efforts to educate the local workers, and by the 1860s they had 120 reading and writing classes a week catering for 2000 adults and 2000 children. During the 20th century, the area became less residential as jewellery manufacturing developed, and the church became a centre for industrial mission, a role it still performs today, alongside a lively Sunday congregation and a strong musical tradition with regular concerts and recitals. It has also been associated with Polish Lutherans for over 60 years.

The Church

The church is essentially a classical box, of ashlar with rusticated detailing, and two tiers of windows, with tall rounded arches over smaller, squat segmental arches below. The west end has no portico, but a modest pediment, surmounted by Goodwin’s elegant Grecian steeple, provides a fitting focus.

Inside the immediate impression is of a time warp: the church retains its galleries and a complete set of high box pews and other 18th century fittings. The galleries are supported on tall Ionic columns, which also frame the astonishing Venetian style East Window. This was painted in 1785-91 by Francis Eginton, and is based on a painting by Benjamin West, a court painter to George III. Showing scenes from the life of St Paul, it is a dark and dramatic piece, and completely dominates the modest sanctuary.

Also worth a look is the east window in the south aisle, designed as a memorial to William Hollins, sculptor and architect, and executed by his son Peter in 1843. There are labels showing the location of the box pews of Watts and Boulton, and look out for the monument to the Forrest family, on the west wall, a sad testament to the high rate of mortality in the early 19th century.

St Paul's, St Paul's Square, Birmingham B3 1QZ

St Mary le Strand, London

2011-07-05T23:11:00.004+01:00

'Often said to be the loveliest Baroque church in England', is how the church guide proudly describes this beautiful building, one of London's most distinctive landmarks.

History

The original parish church was built to the south of the present building, but was demolished in 1549 when the Duke of Somerset built the first Somerset House. At that time, the Strand was the main road between London and the then separate settlement of Westminster, and its name reflects the fact it followed the original shoreline of the Thames.

The present church was designed by James Gibbs (1682-1754) and built between 1714 and 1723. Gibbs was trained as an architect in Rome, and many of the architectural elements are based on churches there. Unusually, it survived the Second World War almost intact and, although the exterior is in good condition - the spire was completely rebuilt in 1984 - the interior is in need of further restoration. It is also something of a traffic island, although the interior is remarkably quiet.

The church

The exterior is one of the grandest in London, despite its relatively small size: it has two storeys of superimposed orders, the lower storey Ionic, the upper Corinthian, with nave windows only in the upper storey. Carvings of fruit, garlands and cherubs adorn every side, but the dominant feature is the famous west tower, of three stages, each set back, above a grand pediment over a curved portico.

The interior is easily a match for the outside: Corinthian pilasters and columns abound, rising to a richly decorated coffered ceiling. The sanctuary is an equally lavishly decorated apse, framed by a dramatic double-height arch. Furnishings include paintings in the sanctuary by the American artist Mather Brown, completed in 1785, and a magnificent pulpit, said to be the work of Grinling Gibbons.

St Mary-le-Strand, London WC2R 1ES

All Saints, Margaret Street, London

2011-06-04T22:51:00.004+01:00

All Saints, located a stone’s throw from busy Oxford Street, is renowned among aficionados of church architecture: built in 1849-51, this shrine to Anglo-Catholicism was a landmark in the development of Victorian Gothic architecture.

The church was commissioned by the Cambridge Camden Society (which later became the Ecclesiological Society) and paid for largely by Alexander Beresford-Hope, son-in-law of the Marquis of Salisbury and later an MP. The architect chosen was William Butterfield (1814-1900). His design, which made clever use of the cramped site, also demonstrated that architecture and lavish decoration could work together to enhance the worship within.

The style is 13th century Gothic, the modest floor plan enhanced through the use of height and the celebrated decoration: in addition to the usual decorative carving, every surface is adorned with mosaics, tiling and murals – including the floor and roof. All this is set off with lavish gilding on the details. The furnishings – too numerous to mention individually – continue the theme of richness and quality.

The chancel is described in the church guide as ‘one of the most sumptuous and dramatic in London’, and is dominated by the brilliantly coloured reredos, completed by William Dyce in 1853-9, but reproduced on wooden panels by Sir Ninian Comper in 1909 when the original had been damaged by pollution. Comper also designed the ornate reredos for the Lady Chapel, of Caen stone and alabaster, in 1911.

The exterior is rather modest in comparison, though also decorated through the use of polychromatic brickwork and stone detailing, and is dominated by its spire, which rises 227ft.

The church is today equally famed for its high Anglo-Catholic style of worship, with generous use of incense and glorious music.

Margaret Street, London, W1W 8JG

St Peter, Chailey

2011-05-03T22:42:00.003+01:00

Although Chailey is recorded in the Domesday Book, the first reference to the church is in a 13th century will of one Richard de Plaiz in 1269. The chancel, with its lancet windows dates from the 13th century, as does the tower, and there is 14th century work in the south aisle. It was substantially enlarged with the addition of a new north aisle in 1846, and a further north aisle was added in 1878.

The dominant feature from outside is the robust tower, capped by a substantial pyramidal cap. The chancel shows evidence of Victorian restoration, but the three northern lancets and east window are from the original 13th century design. The south aisle is believed to date from around 1350, and contained a gallery used by the servants of the Hooke and Ades estates, removed in 1878.

Two of the most interesting features can be seen in the chancel, where the shafts of the rere-arches of two of the north wall lancets have interesting capitals: the westernmost one shows a ‘Green Man’, spewing foliage from his mouth, while the easternmost has two entwined serpents biting each other. Four of the tower’s bells date from 1737, with additional bells cast in 1818 and 1882.

Chailey Green, Chailey, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 4DA

St Mary, Newick

2011-05-03T22:36:00.002+01:00

St Mary’s is one of those churches which rewards careful study, of what is an unusually complex building history. Tucked off a lane to the east of the present (and very modern) expanse of the village, it has a lovely churchyard overlooking fields, sheltered by two particularly fine cedars.

The oldest part of the present building is the south nave wall, either side of the porch, which contains an original round-headed window. The church guide dates this to around 1080. The porch and tower are also mediaeval, the porch from around 1400 (still with some original roof timbers) and the tower a robust 15th century Perpendicular design with angled buttresses. In 1836 a north aisle was added.

However, in 1886-7, under the careful and sympathetic guidance of John Oldrid Scott (1841-1931), the chancel was taken down and rebuilt further east, and both the nave and north aisle were extended to match, doubling its size and altering its proportions from those of a humble village church to the impressive building we see today. Thus the chancel, although largely Victorian, retains late 13th century details in the bar tracery of three of its windows (a fourth was reset in the choir vestry).

Many of the most distinctive features belong to Scott’s work: at the east end of the north aisle, an unusual setting of twin gothic arches leads to the choir vestry. More impressive still is the chancel itself. This has a complete Victorian decorative scheme of high quality, with elaborate and rare encaustic wall tiling, above which are walls patterned with stencil designs, all covered with a wagon roof, also with stencil designs. Further decorative work is found in the beautiful, delicate wrought iron chancel gates.

The other furnishings of note are pre-Victorian, and include fragments of mediaeval stained glass in the chancel windows, a Decorated Gothic font with ogee panels, and a dignified Jacobean pulpit topped with a sounding board.

Church Road, Newick, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 4JZ

Chiddingly Parish Church

2011-04-11T23:42:00.003+01:00

This large and impressive church, with its landmark spire, sits in the middle of an attractive and historic village.

History

The village name is Saxon, recorded in Domesday as ‘Cetelingei’, the place of Cedd’s people, but it is unclear exactly when the church was first built. However, when the chancel was rebuilt in the 19th century, traces were found of Norman masonry from the 11th and 12th centuries, suggesting there was an earlier church on the site.

The present nave was probably built in the 13th century, from which period it is clear the chancel arch and two lancets in the aisles remain. The nave arcades are later, probably 14th century, as are the Perpendicular windows in the north and south walls of the aisles, which presumably replaced smaller, earlier windows. The south transept (of which more later) has a large, rectangular Elizabethan window with transoms. The chancel itself was rather thoroughly rebuilt in 1864.

The church

The fine tower, with its 60ft spire, dominates the exterior; the west door beneath has label stops in the shape of the "Pelham buckle", a familiar feature in the area, denoting the generosity of the Pelham family in 14th century donor.

Inside, the interior is dark thanks to some particularly heavy Victorian glass, but the nave at least retains its 18th century box pews. There are three bays to the nave arcade, and a king-post roof (possibly 14th century), but eyes are drawn to the church’s most prized possession, the Jefferay monument, in the south transept.

This huge 16th century monument, executed in pink alabaster, commemorates Sir John Jefferay (d. 1578), Chief Baron of the Exchequer under Elizabeth I, and MP for Arundel and East Grinstead. He lies in his legal robes, some height above his first wife, Dame Alice, also recumbent. Very unusually for the period, they are flanked by the upright, life-sized figures of their only daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband Sir Edward Montagu. (Only one other monument of this period in England has standing figures). Below is a kneeling grand-daughter, also Elizabeth.

Lady Elizabeth Montagu is dressed in the most incredibly elaborate costume, with a tall collared ruff, a remarkably revealing cleavage and a huge farthingale; Pevsner described her costume as ‘preposterous’. More humorously, a friend of mine suggested her outfit would make a perfect model for a toilet-roll holder. Regardless, the monument is generally well preserved.

Other monuments include a charming wall tablet to William Jefferay, (d. 1611) with his wife, attended by his two sons and seven daughters. The tablet records that all the children survived – a rarity in the 17th century. The eldest son, Thomas, emigrated to America in 1631 and is recorded as living in Weymouth, Connecticut in the New England registers.

In the nave floor is a brass commemorating John Jefferay, the first of the local Jefferay family, who died in 1512, and his wife Agnes. Other memorials include a fine polished black stone slab in the chancel to the Bromfield and French families, local iron-founders.

Other furnishings of note include the 18th century pulpit, its sounding board with an unusual ogee cap; and a rather intimidating 20th century carved wooden eagle lecturn, brought from a derelict church at South Heighton.

Chiddingly, near Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6HT

St Bartholomew, Chalvington

2011-04-11T23:15:00.002+01:00

This little church, with its pretty weather-boarded bell turret, has a nave dating from the late 13th century, with windows mostly in the late Early English style, with simple bar tracery. The chancel dates from the 14th century and its windows have the more familiar Decorated Gothic form. Outside, the east and west walls of the nave are tile hung, and above the north doorway are fragments of Norman zig-zag carving.

The interior is unusual for the absence of a chancel arch - in fact the chancel walls project into the nave. The east end of the nave roof has a most complex arrangement of beams, with six braces attached to the easternmost king-post.

The most interesting features are the stained glass: in the curvilinear Decorated east window are 14th century fragments relating to the donor, the rector, Thomas Diliwyt, who held the living between 1388 and 1409. The glass includes the inscription: John Diliwyt Rector Huise Ecclesie Me Fieri Fecit. But better still are the remains in the south east nave window, which depict St Thomas a Becket, dressed as a Bishop, his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding a crozier, with the letters ‘S. T.OM.AS’. This glass is thought to be late 13th century, making it the oldest in East Sussex.

Church Farm Lane, Chalvington, Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 3TD

St John the Baptist, Ripe

2011-04-11T22:58:00.003+01:00

Ripe is an exceptionally pretty village, complete with pub and village shop. The church is set at one end of the village, overlooked by two impressive houses and the junior school.

History

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book, appearing as Achiltone, with various spellings. Although there was certainly a church here in the 11th and 12th centuries, the present nave and south porch date from the 13th, with a late Decorated chancel (c. 1350) and a fine Perpendicular tower, which bears the buckles of the Pelham family as label stops, indicating their patronage.

The church

The interior is exceptionally attractive, and all eyes are immediately drawn to the east window, with its beautiful curvilinear tracery. The north-east corner of the nave retains the two doors of a staircase that once led to the rood loft, and between them and the chancel arch is a delicate Decorated arch indicating the site of a nave altar, with a plainer matching one on the south side; records legacies left for two altars, one to St John and St Dominic, and one to Our Lady of Pity. To the west, the tower has a very handsome Perpendicular window.

Furnishings of note include a much restored late 13th or early 14th century font, a fine sedile and piscina in the chancel, and substantial fragments of mediaeval glass in the otherwise clear east window. The outside door jambs of the south door are worth a look for their graffiti, which include a votive cross on the east jamb, and a heraldic shield with three Pelham buckles on the west jamb.

Outside, there are some fine 18th century headstones with fearsome skulls, and in the west graveyard is the grave of Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957), the troubled writer best known for his novel ‘Under the Volcano’, who died while living in a boarding house in the village.

Church Lane, Ripe, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6AU

All Saints, Laughton, Sussex

2011-04-11T22:49:00.003+01:00

This pretty and unusually village church sits at the end of a long lane from the crossroads in the centre of the village, set in a spacious churchyard.

History

The area has been settled since Palaeolithic times, with a continuous history through the Bronze Age, Roman and Saxon periods. First mentioned in the Domesday book, it is probable that there was a church here in Saxon times.

The present building, however, is firmly 13th century, with a fine 15th century tower and chancel arch, and a chancel replaced in the 18th century, in an early example of the ‘Gothick’ style. The tower in particular is of interest, one of a number in the area financed by the local Pelham family, and the west door carries the distinctive ‘Pelham buckles’ as label stops – recalling the tradition that Sir John Pelham and another knight captured the French King at the battle of Poitiers in 1356, for which Pelham was awarded the buckle of the King’s sword belt.

The church

The church has a very wide, unaisled nave leading to a chancel in the east and the tower room in the west. Two lancet windows in the nave date it to the 13th century, but the others are later perpendicular Gothic, along with the tower and chancel arches. The nave roof has fine old tie-beams and king-posts.

The chancel is sizeable, square and rather bare inside; the east window is a decent attempt at Perpendicular, but the two south windows have very odd tracery, with round-headed arches with hexagonal upper lights. Between them is a priest’s door, framed on the outside by a most impressive ogee arch. Other external details of interest include large, diagonally set crocket pinnacles and a band of quatrefoils on the jambs.

Furnishings of note include two helms, one Tudor from about 1540, and one from about 1660. These may have carried at a knight’s funeral or hung above his tomb. Behind the altar, the screen incorporates the tracery of the mediaeval rood screen within more modern wooden panelling. There are piscinas and aumbries in the nave, indicating the place of nave altars.

Memorials of note include an impressive war memorial, and several to the Pelhams between the 17th and 19th centuries, including one to Sir James Pelham (1792-1873), Lord Mayor of London (1848), which includes a pretty carving of a ship, recalling his naval career.

Church Lane, Laughton, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6AH

St Nicholas, Itchenor

2011-02-13T14:55:00.002Z

St Nicholas is a typical small Sussex village church, situated on a cul-de-sac of a village street on the west side of the Selsey peninsular. Although Itchenor is a Saxon place name, and permission to build a church was given to the Lord of the Manor around 1175, most of what we see today dates from the 13th century.

The exterior is dominated by its pretty shingled turret, which was rebuilt in the 19th century and partly supported on two buttresses. (The church guide-book has an early sketch showing a narrower turret with no buttresses). The porch dates from the same century.

Inside, the church is a simple undivided space, with no division between chancel and nave, and no aisles. Most of the windows are mediaeval: there are 13th century lancet windows in the north walls, and three more in a stepped arrangement in the east. The south wall in the Sanctuary has lancet windows from the 13th and 14th centuries, the latter with a trefoiled head. The south nave wall contains a 15th century two-light window.

The best furnishing is the 13th century octagonal font, with elegant gothic arcade decoration on the bowl. There are three bells, dated c. 1530, 1665 and one from the 17th century.

The Parish is now linked with those of Birdham and West Wittering; the joint web-site gives details of services.

Itchenor Road, West Itchenor, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7DL www.wwbichurches.org

St Peter & St Paul, West Wittering

2011-02-13T14:43:00.008Z

West Wittering is a pretty (and well-heeled) village in the corner of the Selsey Peninsular, its church tucked away behind the old village green.

The church’s history is both long and complex: the first church on the site was erected around 770AD, and that this or a replacement was destroyed by the Vikings during a raid between 950 and 1010. It was rebuilt in stone during the reign of King Canute, and again by the Normans around 1150. A south aisle was added around 1175-1200, with the chancel, north tower and the Lady Chapel dating from the 13th century.

From the outside, the squat tower with its pyramidal cap seems almost detached, and the sizeable Lady Chapel – much wider and taller than the aisle - makes reading the south side equally challenging. Inside, the aisle arcade of four bays comprises the most basic of pointed arches, crudely cut into the wall. The piers are alternately round and octagonal, with strange capitals mixing foliage and corner volutes, not helped by being whitewashed. The aisle itself is determinedly modest in scale. Entirely different is the two-bay arcade separating the chancel and impressive Lady Chapel; although anachronistically having round arches, this is a fine piece of 13th century work, with a central pier of Purbeck marble and sophisticated mouldings. The chancel itself has an attractive pair of Early English windows, renewed in the 19th century.

The church’s furnishings are of particular interest. The choir stalls contain two Tudor misericords from the 16th century, and the altar rails date to around 1600. In the Lady Chapel is a 13th century coffin lid with a crude Bishop’s staff, locally reputed to be connected with St Richard of Chichester, who had a residence close by. In the sanctuary are two tomb recesses connected with William Ernley (d. 1545). The larger recess commemorates his first wife, Elizabeth (d. 1528), and dates from around 1530-35. Gothic in style, it has carvings depicting the Resurrection. Adjacent is William’s tomb, erected by his second wife, this time with scenes depicting the Annunciation and Christ showing his wounds. This later tomb contains both Renaissance and Gothic elements.

Other items worth looking out for are the crude Saxon tub font, a small piece of Saxon carving framed in the Lady Chapel, and the delightfully rustic pews (a mixture of 16th century originals and Victorian copies) with Fleurs-de-Lis poppy-heads.

Pound Road, West Wittering, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 8AJ www.wwbichurches.org

St George's Church, Brighton

2011-01-15T15:26:00.002Z

St George’s church is one of Kemp Town’s major landmarks. Built towards the end of the Regency architectural period, it is one of Brighton’s oldest churches still in active use. The crypt houses a cafe and community centre.

History

The church was commissioned by Thomas Read Kemp MP, the developer of Kemp Town, to designs by the architect Charles Augustin Busby. Begun in 1823, it was opened in 1826. As well as religious motivations, it was partly a speculative venture, as Kemp hoped to receive a good income from the pew rents. In this regard it seems to have been something of a failure, as it was sold in 1831 to Laurence Peel, son of Sir Robert Peel. It became a parish church in 1879.

On Peel’s death, his heirs sold it to the congregation, and shortly thereafter to the Church Patronage Society. In the early 1890s the church was altered by erecting a chancel at the east end, and replacing the interior columns which support the balconies and roof.

During the 1830s, the church was used by Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV, which made it a fashionable and popular place of worship, necessitating the addition of an upper west gallery. She also donated a range of church plate, still in use today. The Peel family also continued to use the church, which contains a number of their memorials.

Threatened with closure in 1962, the church today has a busy parish life and an active worshipping community, and is also used for regular concerts.

The Building

Busby’s design delivered a typical Regency church: it is a sturdy rather than elegant classical design, of yellow brick relieved by stucco work. The main exterior feature is the imposing west end façade, which comprises a pair of giant Ionic columns in antis, flanked by Doric pilasters. Above is a square tower with a Greek-style cupola. There are two tiers of windows throughout. At the east end, the chancel extends forwards slightly and is topped by a simple pediment. An odd feature is East Window, its classical round-arched outline filled with three round-headed arches surmounted by unusual eye-shaped tracery.

The interior is spacious and airy, although the blue-on-blue colour scheme – reinforced by blue upholstery on the chairs in the nave – does rather dominate. The nave has galleries on north, south and west sides, with the additional 1835 gallery high up in the west end. The new 1890 columns (rising from the floor to the galleries, and again from the galleries to the ceiling) have capitals of acanthus leaves, but are too slender for the proportions of the church (the guide describes them as an act of ‘well meaning vandalism’). The ceiling is flat over the galleries, with a generous barrel vault over the central nave space. More successful is the east end, with a handsome classical reredos executed in oak.

Furnishings are limited to memorials (mostly to the Peel family), a relief-painted Royal Arms, and displays of church plate and historical artefacts. On my visit, there was a sizeable crib on display.

St. George's Road, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1ED

St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh

2010-10-01T17:18:00.003+01:00

The three spires of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral form a prominent part of the iconic skyline of Edinburgh, especially when looking west along Princes Street.

History

The Episcopal Church had been without a cathedral in Edinburgh since the division of the established church in 1689, when the ancient Cathedral of St Giles had come under the Ministry of the Established Presbyterian church. However, the aspiration to build one was only realised in the 19th century, when two wealthy spinster sisters, Barbara and Mary Walker, bequeathed their Drumsheugh Estates to fund the building on a site to the west of the New Town.

An architectural competition was held for the new Cathedral, which was won by Sir George Gilbert Scott, perhaps best known as the architect of St Pancras railway station. The foundation stone was laid in 1874 and the Cathedral completed in 1879, although the towers were added later. Scott considered this his best church.

The Church

The church is the largest ecclesiastical building in Scotland, and its three spires - the central spire over the crossing is 275ft high - form a prominent landmark in Edinburgh, although the church itself is actually tucked away, off the City's main thoroughfares in the western part of the New Town.

The design is essentially in Early English Gothic, with Decorated Gothic additions. The layout is conventional, with a nave with aisles separated by arcades of 6 bays, with large aisled transepts and an aisled chancel of 4 bays. The overall impression is of great space and size, with the dark exposed stonework giving it an air of mystery.

Fittings of interest include the pulpit and high altar Reredos, both designed by J Oldrid Scott (son of Sir George); a brass lectern in the form of the Pelican; and a huge hanging Rood, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer (1864–1929) to form part of the War Memorial; and the Millenium Window in the Resurrection Chapel (in the South Transept), designed by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. There are also excellent encaustic-tile pavements in the Chancel, and fine Victorian ironwork screens, elaborately painted, in the Choir. Most notable, however, is the pew of the novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), brought here from St George's Episcopal Church, now located in the King Charles Chapel.

The Cathedral boasts a choir that sings daily. A song school was built for them to practice in, in 1885. Designed by J Oldrid Scott, it contains a wooden vaulted roof, painted blue and decorated with gold motifs, while the walls are covered with mural-style paintings by Phoebe Anna Traquair. This building is open to the public, on a limited basis, to view the murals - see website for information on visits.

Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AW

St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh

2010-10-01T17:09:00.004+01:00

St Giles is not the prettiest or most dramatic of cathedrals, but has a complex and interesting history and a striking setting on the Royal Mile.

History

There has been a place of worship on the site for around 900 years, and possibly longer, as there is a record of a parish church in Edinburgh in 854AD. A church on the present site was built in the 1120s in the Romanesque style. It was dedicated to St Andrew in 1243, but later rededicated to St Giles.

This church was later enlarged in the Gothic style, and the present choir, built between 1320 and 1380, is the main remnant of this building. Partially burned in 1385, it was repaired and further expanded during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Albany Aisle (1409) and the Preston Aisle (c. 1454) date from this later period. Private chapels were also inserted, and by the 16th century there were some 150 of them crowding the interior.

However, the church underwent major changes as a result of the ministry of the famous Scottish Reformation churchman, John Knox, who was Minister at St Giles 1559-1572. During this period the church was reorganised to reflect the Reformed style of worship, which included removing many of the chapels and much of the stained glass. Because of his Ministry, the church is regarded by many as the spiritual home of Presbyterianism. The building was also partitioned to enable other uses to take place, which over subsequent years including a police station, fire station school and coal store.

During the 17th century, the church experienced periods of Episcopal (Anglican) control, and was elevated to Cathedral status in 1635-38 and again in 1661-89. These episodes reflected tensions arising from King Charles’ plans to reintroduce episcopacy in Scotland: those opposed to the move signed a National Covenant and, by the end of the century, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland had become the Established church. Thereafter, St Giles ceased to be a Cathedral, although the name has stuck.

These tensions are well illustrated by two impressive tombs in the church: those of James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, who resisted the National Covenant, and who was executed in 1650; and his opponent, Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, himself executed in 1661. Montrose was interred in the church after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660; his memorial dates from 1880. That to Argyll, in a similar style, dates from 1894.

The exterior was substantially restored in 1829, and from 1872 the partitions were removed and the interior opened up, with new stained glass windows inserted (all the glass dates from the 19th and 20th centuries). The major 20th century addition was the Thistle Chapel, built in 1911 for the Knights of the Thistle, Scotland's order of chivalry. It was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer in an elaborate 15th century high Gothic style.

The church

The church now dominates the central section of the Royal Mile, and its tower lantern is a prominent landmark. The exterior is impressive, but most of the interest lies inside. The interior is dark and cavernous, an effect magnified by the presence of double south aisles and numerous small chapels (also referred to as aisles), the arcade arches giving a forest-like appearance.

Although it has transepts, the addition of aisles and chapels give it an almost rectangular plan. The architecture is largely late Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic, although many of the windows date from the 19th century restorations.

Most impressive is the Thistle Chapel which, with its complex vaulted ceilings and elaborate woodwork, is a testament to early 20th century workmanship. The Chepman aisle houses Montrose’s impressive memorial, complete with life-sized alabaster effigy in full 16th century military garb. Argyll also has a life-size effigy, in Civilian dress, located in St Eloi’s aisle. The south Preston Aisle, which leads to the Thistle Chapel, dates from 1454 and was erected to contain a relic (an arm bone) of St Giles, although this was lost in the reformation around 1560.

The 15th century Albany Aisle is now dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars, and includes memorials to the various Scottish Regiments. The church walls are covered in numerous other memorials, of varying quality and interest, predominantly from the 19th century.

High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1RE

St John the Evangelist, Newtimber

2010-07-28T10:32:00.003+01:00

Surrounded by fields and just a scattering of houses, St John's has an idyllic setting, with fine views of the South Downs, close to the old moated manor house at Newtimber Place.

The church dates from the 13th century, but a rather severe Victorian restoration in 1875 by Carpenter and Ingelow resurfaced the walls, and renewed most of the windows. A watercolour in the nave shows the church before restoration. From the outside, the main feature is the pretty Gothick west tower, erected earlier in 1839, which replaced the original turret.

Inside, however, it still has the feel of an intimate village church, lit predominantly through tall lancets, some of which contain glass by Clayton & Bell. The base of the Jacobean pulpit has survived, along with two ancient carvings, now incorporated into the modern lectern; and a carved fragment of the mediaeval rood-beam, used as a shelf behind the font.

There are some interesting wall memorials: a poignant one to John Newnham who died aged just 12 "& near 6 months" in 1756, set in the small north transept chapel that was once housed the private pew of the Lords of the Manor at Newtimber; a grand wall memorial to a former Rector, John Osborne (d. 1774); and a series to the tragic family of Sydney Charles, Viscount Buxton (1853-1935), who lived at nearby Newtimber Place.

A Government minister under Asquith, Lord Buxton held various posts until becoming Governor General and High Commissioner to South Africa 1914-20. He is, however, perhaps best known as the President of the Board of Trade who had to defend the Government's policy on lifeboat regulations in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic.

He was the first and last to hold his title, all his sons predeceasing him: his second son Kenneth died in 1894, aged 7; his eldest son, Charles Sydney Buxton, died in 1911 aged 29; and his youngest son, Lieutenant Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton, died in action at Passchendaele in 1917, aged just 19. Charles is commemorated both in a wall memorial (complete with a rather striking profile), and a stained glass window of St Francis, designed by Mary Brickdale (1872-1945). His half-brother Denis has a splendidly romantic carved wooden memorial with a gilded knight in armour, set above the pulpit.

More tragedy was to follow in 1923 when Lord Buxton's daughter, Doreen Fitzroy, died a few weeks after childbirth, aged 25. She is commemorated in the best monument in the church, a sculpture of a mother and child by Sir William Reynolds-Stephens (1862-1943). A nearby slate memorial commemorates Doreen's mother, the Viscount's second wife, Mildred Anne Smith (d. 1955).

Outside, the churchyard has a tumble of table-tombs, some leaning at precarious angles. A recent addition is a black marble memorial to the sinking of the RMS Mendi in 1917, a troopship carrying 823 troops of the 5th Battalion, South African Native Labour Corps, including Chief Henry Bokleni Ndamase. The Mendi collided with the liner Darro in thick fog and sank in under 20 minutes, drowning the Chief and 670 men.

Church Lane, Newtimber, near Hassocks, West Sussex BN6 9BT

Holy Trinity, Poynings

2010-07-26T16:55:00.006+01:00

Poynings is a leafy village, nestled under the South Downs, north of Brighton. Its grand mediaeval church was rebuilt all in one go in the late 14th century, resulting in a building of rare architectural uniformity for so small a village.

History

The Domesday survey of 1087 refers to a church in Poynings, and there is little doubt that there was once a a Saxon place of worship here. The Norman building, erected on an impressive mound, stood for 300 years until the reign of Edward III. But in 1389, Sir Michael de Poynings, Lord of the Manor, left 200 Marks in his will for the erection of a new church, giving us the building we see today.

Although the rebuilding incorporated much of the old fabric, the new church was built in an early Perpendicular style, overseen by Poynings' son Thomas. The unusual width of the south transept, sometimes called St Mary's Chapel, reflected the desire to include the founder's grave within its dimensions. A porch was erected over the grave of the founder's grandson, Thomas of Poynings, who died in 1430, his coat of arms carved on the gable.

The only major post-Reformation work were 17th century roof repairs, as evidenced by a tie beam, now in the south transept, and the addition of new furnishings. The Victorian restoration was unusually sensitive, with only the placing of a screen to the south transept and the insertion, in 1843, of the south transept window, which itself dates around 1643 and was brought from Chichester.

The building

From the outside, there is little anticipation of the grandeur inside: the walls are the usual flint, with stone dressings. The central tower is low and has small openings, and the churchyard crowds the building, hiding its dimensions.

The interior, however, is a dramatic space. The building plan is that of a Greek Cross, with nave and chancel of equal length, and generous transepts. The crossing itself dominates the whole, the steeply pointed arches springing from identical robust semi-octagonal responds. The windows are all two-light Perpendicular, except for a grand five-light East window and the later window in the south transept. The overall sense of space is rare, and gives some insight into what an unfurnished mediaeval church may have felt like.

Several windows have fragments of 15th century stained glass, the best being the east widows in the north transept, which depict the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel in one light and the Virgin in the other. The detail is astonishingly well preserved - Mary stands in front of an urn with a rather elaborate lily growing from it.

Fittings and features of interest abound and include the triple sedilia and piscina in the chancel with ogee arches under square heads; the octagonal Perpendicular font with blank ogee arcading; the 14th century screen, now across the south transept; and altar rails dating from 1640, although the angel finials date from after World War II. These were carved by sculptor William Court, in memory of Anthony Stanislaus, an airman killed in combat. The carved pulpit is also Jacobean. The chancel contains two late 17th century family box pews, and the chancel steps include 13th century decorated encaustic tiles. The nave has indistinct wall paintings, with the Ten Commandments painted over earlier mediaeval pictures.

The south transept contains an old carved tie beam dated 1623 and bearing the name of Francis Killingbeck, a former rector who died in 1625. It is probable that he was responsible for repairs to the roof. On the transept floor are the remains of mediaeval tomb slabs, sadly now missing their brass fittings. They have been tentatively identified as those of Agnes de Rokesley (d. before 1346); Sir Michael de Poynings and his wife; Richard de Poynings, in full armour, who died in Spain in 1387; and an unknown couple from the 16th century. Opposite, the north transept is home to a beautiful four-wheeled funeral bier.

The Street, Poynings, West Sussex BN45 7AQ

St Ann, Manchester

2010-07-23T16:39:00.002+01:00

St Ann's is Manchester's second oldest town church, and an excellent example of early 18th century English baroque architecture.

History

St Anne's was built 1709-1712, in the early days of Manchester's expansion, and designed to cater for the rapidly growing population. It was only the second church to be built in the then town after the original 15th century parish church (now the Cathedral). The funds for its construction were provided largely by Lady Ann Bland, and its consecration reflected both her name and that of the reigning Queen. From the start, the church had strong Whig and anti-Jacobite connections - in contrast to the High, Jacobite stance of the older church. John Wesley preached at St Ann's in 1733 and 1738, and the author and intellectual Thomas De Quincey was baptised here 1785.

The architect was probably John Barker, who chose the then fashionable Baroque style, possibly influenced by Wren's churches in London. The church was designed as a 'preaching box', with a west tower, a large galleried nave, and a small sanctuary, giving prominence to the central three-decker pulpit in front of the altar. As built, the tower was topped by a three-tiered cupola, which was removed in 1777 for safety reasons. This was replaced with a spire, which was also later removed on similar grounds.

In 1837 the church was renovated, with the original square piers of the nave arcade replaced by the present Tuscan columns. A more substantial renovation in 1887 by Alfred Waterhouse (architect of Manchester's City Hall) significantly reordered the church: he raised the chancel floor and moved the pulpit to the side, created the vestry and Lady Chapel, placed the choir stalls in their present position and inserted highly elaborate Baroque-style stained glass in the three East End windows. These were later matched by similar windows on the north and south walls.

The church survived damage from a number of incendiary bombs in World War II, but not from the blast by the IRA bomb in 1996, which blew out the windows. These have all now been repaired.

The church

The exterior is imposing and very Wren-like: the nave walls have two rows of round-headed windows, separated by coupled pilasters; the apse is richly decorated with tall fluted Corinthian pilaster and an entablature with a carved frieze; and the north door has a pedimented tetrastyle Corinthian doorcase with fluted columns. All this is executed in a distinctive purplish red sandstone. The area around the church is now pedestrianised and forms part of the city's main shopping area.

The interior is an impressive space, with the generous galleries supported by the Tuscan columns inserted in 1837. The east end is a symphony of panelled wood, lit through the strongly decorated stained glass. The fittings include the organ, which still contains elements of the 1730 original, and a painting of the Descent of Christ in the Lady Chapel, painted in the 16th century style of Annibale Carraci and brought from Italy early in the 20th century.

The church is happily open every day and provides a peaceful oasis in the centre of the city.

St. Ann Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester M2 7LF

St Mary, Storrington

2010-07-19T10:27:00.005+01:00

St Mary’s stands at one end of a sprawling churchyard, a few minutes from the village’s main street. The site of a church since Saxon times, the present building is an amalgam of work from the Norman to Victorian periods.

History

The church is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the original 11th century Norman nave now forms the north aisle, together with a Lady Chapel, formerly the chancel. A new nave was added in the 13th century, and from this date survive the arch at the east end of the north aisle, and an arch between the present Lady Chapel and chancel, as well as the windows of the north aisle. What is now the north arcade was rebuilt in Perpendicular Gothic style in the 15th century.

In 1731 the original shingled spire was struck by lightning, but repaired so badly that in 1745 it collapsed, bringing down part of the nave. The nave and tower were rebuilt in 1750, though the nave rebuilt in 1843, and again in 1876, when the present south aisle, with an arcade matching that of the north aisle, were added. The chancel was also extended eastwards at this time. The present chancel arch is Victorian: the original chancel arch now rests between the chancel and the vestry.

The church

The church is unusual for this part of Sussex, being built of stone with ashlar dressings, built rather than of flint. The plain but handsome west tower built in 1750 stands over the three gables of the church and aisles.

Inside, the interior is dominated by the nave arcades which, although 500 years apart in date, are happily well matched, with piers composed of four attached shafts. The 13th century arch in the north aisle is pointed but tapered slightly towards the imposts, giving a ‘horseshoe’ appearance.

There is a brass to a former Rector, Henry Wilshaw (d. 1591) on the south chancel wall, and some imposing 19th century wall monuments, including one by the sculptor Sir Richard Westmacott to Sir Henry Hollis Bradford (1781-1816). A Lieutenant Colonel in the First Grenadier Foot Guards, Bradford died at La Vacherie, near Lilliere, on December 7. 1816, of wounds received at the Battle of Waterloo.

In the graveyard, in a small area enclosed by privet hedges, is the grave to the Jesuit Father George Tyrrell (1861-1909). Regarded by some as the foremost intellect among English Jesuits since the Reformation, he was an important Catholic theologian whose modernist views led him to be expelled from the Jesuits and excommunicated from the Catholic Church, although he is now more usually regarded as ahead of his time. The gravestone is an early work of the sculptor and stonecutter, Eric Gill.

Today the church is the centre of a busy Parish life, and on my visit I was treated to some fine change-ringing by local bell-ringers.

Church Street / School Lane, Storrington, West Sussex RH20 4LA

St Andrew, Jevington

2010-07-13T17:46:00.002+01:00

Jevington has an impressive church for a small village, with a well preserved Saxon tower, set in a steep-sided valley running down through the South Downs to the sea.

The tower is obviously the earliest part: although later altered, the remains of the short, robust Saxon windows with Roman tiles as crude voussoirs, and the baluster shaft on the bell openings, are impressive. The date is less certain: the church guide claims 900-950, though others claim a mid to late 11th century date. Inside, the tower arch is also probably 11th century (the openings either side are Victorian).

There must have been a nave here when the tower was built, although the details of the present nave – for example the south porch – date from around 1200. The chancel was built around 1230, although the East Window is later in date, around 1300, on the cusp of the Early English – Decorated divide. The squints either side of the chancel arch were inserted during a Victorian restoration. The north aisle added later in the 13th century. This is unusual, with a central transverse arch, presumably added for strength. The north wall lancets are original in style but renewed, whereas the windows in the south nave wall date from around 1500. The heavy, dark roof is also from around this period, with alternating hammer-beams and kingposts.

The church has some unusual and interesting fittings. Most celebrated is the late Saxon sculpture on the north wall, showing Christ in a loin cloth, piercing a rather diminutive beast with a cross-topped lance, with Urnes-style interlacing at his feet. This may depict Psalm 91, verse 13: You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

The square font is 14th century in style, with corner pillars on the broad stem, and there is a 14th century piscina in the chancel. Various memorials are also of interest: in the south chancel, a large monument to Charles Rochester (d. 1758) has a bold portrait in a medallion, with his wife Leonora (d. 1756) standing just behind him. Opposite is a cartouche with pilasters and broken pediment to Robert Rochester (d.1723), two sons and a grandson.

On the south wall at the west end of the chancel are three brasses to the Markwick family; that to Elizabeth (d. 1608) was lost for over 90 years before being found in an antique shop. Opposite, a black marble tablet to a former Rector, Nathaniel Collier, depicts the date as 1691/2 – demonstrating the dispute over the start of the New Year (25th of March in the Julian calendar or 1st January in the Gregorian calendar) – not settled until 1752.

On leaving, go via the churchyard towards the village, through the fine, centrally hinged Tapsel Gate.

Church Lane, Jevington, Polegate, East Sussex BN26 5QE

St Peter, Folkington

2010-07-13T17:44:00.002+01:00

Found at the end of a narrow lane and surrounded by dense woodland, Folkington’s diminutive church, with its intimate interior, nestles in the lower slopes of the South Downs. Its parish today is home to just 60 parishioners.

The church is a simple 13th century building with lancet windows, neither aisles nor chancel arch, and the familiar Sussex flint walls and red tiled roof. Part of the dark king-post roof, as well as the bell turret, may also be of this date. From the 15th century come two nave windows, as well as the attractive octagonal font, with a moulded bowl and panelled stem. The Victorians rebuilt the west wall and inserted the window with Y-tracery.

The nave contains a group of spacious and high 18th century box pews, the seating arranged to face the pulpit, which may be late 18th or early 19th century. The sanctuary contains a cartouche memorial to Lady Barbara Thomas, (d. 1697), with two putti, opposite one to her husband, Sir William Thomas, Bt. (d. 1720), surmounted by his coat of arms, an urn and two more veiled putti.

The inscription reads (in rather odd rhyme):

A right worthy Gentleman
Deservedly Remarkable
For his great Zeal for ye Publick good
For his generous Hospitality
For his strict Justice
And extensive Charity

Outside in the graveyard is the tombstone to Elizabeth David (1913-1992), the cookery writer who did so much to open British minds to continental food. It is carved with vegetables and a cooking pot. Over the wall, a wild garden contains two sculptural images of the Long Man of Wilmington; unlike the original, they stride defiantly forward, proudly displaying their manhood...

Folkington Road, Folkington, Polegate, East Sussex BN26 5SD

St Mary & St Peter, Wilmington

2010-07-13T17:40:00.003+01:00

This interesting church was an unusual foundation, built both as village church and to serve the small community of Benedictine monks in the adjacent Priory, founded in the early 12th century.

The church itself has a Norman chancel; the monks would have used the latter (the parishioners restricted to the nave), which still preserves its Norman lancets and low ledges for seating the monks: originally, the floor would have been lower, so making the seating more practical.

The north transept chapel was added early in the 13th century, with the two-bay south aisle following slightly later. This was later partially blocked, but reopened during Victorian restoration. The chancel arch is also a 19th century replacement in the 13th century style.

The nave rebuilt with the fine roof, with kingposts and tie-beams inn the 14th century, and most of the windows renewed in the decorated style. The north porch was added in the 15th century, as well as the Perpendicular East Window.

The best furnishing is undoubtedly the Jacobean pulpit, dating from 1610, complete with a back panel and sounding board, topped off with a fine open-work obelisk. A puzzling, weathered carving set in the south chancel wall, brought in from outside in 1948, is thought to be 12th or 13th century and female (possibly a Madonna holding a diminutive Christ?), though Pevsner felt it more likely to be male. The viewer must decide.

Also of interest are the fluted frieze and steep pediment from an Elizabethan monument in the south aisle, said to have been to a member of the Culpeper family. Finally, in the north chapel is the ‘Bee and Butterfly window’, inserted in 2002 to replace an 18th version, destroyed by a fire. The window incorporates pieces from the original and depicts St Peter surrounded by butterflies and bees, above - appropriately enough - a Phoenix.

Outside, the great Yew tree by the porch is said to be 1,600 years old. Walk around to the churchyard extension for good views of the remains of the Priory Buildings, now part of a private house.

The Street, Wilmington, Polegate, East Sussex BN26 5SL

St Pancras, Arlington

2010-07-13T17:36:00.003+01:00

St Pancras is a delightful church set in lush countryside in the Sussex Weald, with plenty of historical interest.

History

The nave is Saxon, with long-and-short work on three corners, and a window with Roman tiles used as crude voussoirs to form the arch. The north chapel was added around 1200, and the Early English Gothic tower and north aisle in the 13th, though the presence of the chapel arch indicates that an aisle must have been in place when the chapel was built. The chancel was rebuilt in the 14th century, and both the chancel arch and the two arches from the north chapel into the chancel date from this time. The fine king-post roof may also date from the 14th century. The tower arch was renewed in the 15th century, when the solid tower buttresses were added. Two Victorian restorations (in 1868 and 1892) were sensitive and restrained.

The church

The most striking feature of the church as you approach, is its squat tower with tall, shingled broach spire, which can be seen from some way away through the thickly wooded churchyard. From the outside, the Saxon remains on the corners of the nave, and the Saxon window, to the right of the porch, are clearly visible.

Inside, the interior is entirely whitewashed, save for patches of wall painting. The elegant Early English arcade has octagonal piers and leads the eye to an impressive chancel arch, though it is also worth looking up to the roof, picked out by the whitewash. The late 12th century arch from the north aisle to the north chapel has a half dog-tooth motif below the imposts. The windows include the Saxon round-headed window, Early English lancets and Decorated windows. The East Chancel window has particularly fine tracery of arches upon arches, and features head stops on the hood moulding which are said to be of Edward III and his wife, Eleanor.

The fittings and furnishings are of great interest. The robust square font is a good example of 15th century Perpendicular Gothic panelling, and the chancel screen, though Victorian, is a good replica. The wall paintings with lettering left of the chancel arch are Elizabethan, but the flowers and crosses are 14th century. Also from the 14th century are the traces on the north (St Christopher) and south (St George) walls of the nave, though they are now too indistinct to make out their contents.

In the north chapel are several mediaeval grave slabs with crosses, and a niche containing an exceptionally rare 13th century pottery storage jar, found close by. The north aisle has an impressive wooden chest, and the sanctuary a very unusual 14th century piscina with ogees beneath a castellated top. The pulpit is 18th century, as are the arms of George III atop the tower arch.

A short walk from the churchyard south east brings you to the lovely Cuckmere River.

The Street, Arlington, Polegate, East Sussex BN26 6SE

St Simon & St Jude, East Dean

2010-07-04T16:46:00.001+01:00

Typically Sussex from the outside - flint walls, tiled roofs and a low tower - the first impression of East Dean’s interior is of modern restoration. However, a more careful inspection is rewarded with a wealth of historic detail.

The oldest part of the church is the low 11th century tower, which may predate the Conquest. This was originally part of a nave on the Saxon model, and shows signs of a former arch to the east for an apsidal chancel.

The present nave was added in the 12th century, and the chancel – which has a prominent inclination to the north - in the early 13th century. The nave was extended west in 1885 to include the bridge and organ, and again in 1961-2 to provide the bright modern baptistery.

Once inside, the nave to the west, including the baptistery, are light and bright, thanks to a wealth of windows with clear glass, all undertaken in a sympathetic modern Gothic style. The chancel arch is clearly modern, but the chancel walls shows the remains of a pair of now-blocked lancets to the north (with pointed heads) and to the south (with rounded rear-arches), next to another, larger pointed archway, which corresponds to a blocked 14th century trefoil headed window embedded in the wall outside. The 15th century east window is flanked by the shafts of earlier Early English lancet windows. There are yet more blocked arches in the wall between nave and tower.

The fittings are of particular interest: pride of place goes to a beautifully preserved Jacobean font, complete with sounding-board, with delicate carved decoration. Beneath the pulpit’s lectern an inscription dates the whole to 1623. There is an aumbry by the pulpit, opposite another opening covered by a modern grille.

By the door is a damaged stoup of an elaborate decorated design, an octagonal basin beneath a trefoiled head. Next to the tower door are the remains of a tombstone bearing the arms of the Bardolf family. Finally, the font, although modern, has been designed around fragments of the original 11th century font.

Gilberts Drive, East Dean, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN20 0DL

St Mary, Friston

2010-07-04T16:44:00.001+01:00

Despite being next to the busy A259, Friston’s little flint-built church sits in a lovely spot, next to Friston pond, and from its graveyard are sweeping views down to East Dean.

The nave is thought to be mid-11th century, extended west in the early 12th century. The chancel and porch are 14th century, as are many of the windows and, possibly from the 14th or 15th centuries, the fine king-post roof. The only modern addition is the 19th century north transept.

The interior is intimate and charming: on the south wall, remains of a small round-headed window and door are thought to be Saxon or at least in the Saxon-Norman overlap, the present south door being Norman. The handsome west window is 14th century. The chancel arch is wide and low, and the tiny chancel has unusual blank arches to the north and south, both with a single trefoil-headed light, and a blank reredos arch to the east, beneath a 19th century double-lancet east window.

The fittings are of great interest. The nave contains two remounted brasses of Thomas Selwyn (d.1539) and his wife, but more splendid are the later Selwyn monuments, moved from the chancel recesses to the north transepts in the 19th century.

Sir Thomas Selwyn (d. 1613) and his wife are depicted kneeling, facing each other across a prayer desk, within an elaborate pillared and arched frame of alabaster. Below the children all face east, with three babes in swaddling clothes beneath the prayer desk - ‘like small French loaves’, according to Pevsner. That to Edward Selwyn (d.1704) is a simpler classical design, carrying a long Latin memorial.

In the porch, the east window surround has an unusual form of mediaeval graffiti, showing Christ on the Cross, and other marks, possibly showing a Gothic window. There are several aumbries, piscina and stoups, all 14th century, and an elegant bowl font, dated to around 1700.

Outside, just to complete the picturesque is a fine tapsel churchyard gate.

Crowlink Lane, Friston, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN20 0AU

St Michael, Lewes

2010-07-02T12:07:00.003+01:00

Located right on the High Street in Lewes, yet strangely hidden, St Michael's is a fascinating amalgam from different periods, with a distinctive and rare round tower, with a tall shingled spire.

History

The church dates from the late 12th or early 13th century, the actual date a puzzle as the pointed arches indicate a 13th century, but the round tower is more typical of the 11th or 12th centuries. There are two others of similar design in Sussex. The list of rectors goes back to 1283.

The church was rebuilt in the 14th century with the addition of a south aisle, the arcade of which survives. However, the church suffered badly after the Reformation (Lewes being a fiercely Protestant town) and was semi-derelict by the 18th century.

This necessitated a significant rebuilding in 1748, in which a north arcade was added (or rebuilt) and the south arcade extended - unusually in wood - but in a vaguely matching style. A further rebuilding in 1884 extended the chancel, remodelled the interior and replaced three Georgian windows in the south wall with Gothic versions.

The church

The most distinctive external feature is the tower, now rendered, with a single pointed lancet window, and a later trefoil window above. The tower is adorned with a prominent sculpture of St Michael by Harry Phillips, erected in 1976. The 18th century frontage to High Street is an attractive example of square and knapped flintwork, with two doors, each surmounted by rounded windows, and the three Gothic windows inserted in 1884.

Inside, despite the dark and atmospheric interior, one can clearly identify the distinction between the original 14th century arcade of slender Gothic arches, and the 18th century wooden versions - painted a slightly odd chocolate colour. At the west end of the south aisle is an original lancet window, an equivalent on the north side now blocked and infilled with a Victorian wall painting of St Pancras.

The fittings are of extensive interest. Behind the attractive Victorian font are two brasses, relocated from the floor. The older brass, dated around 1430, is of a knight in full armour, now sadly headless, a lion at his feet. One heraldic shield survives. He may be a member of the extended de Warenne family (who built Lewes castle), possibly John Waryne, a member of the household of Henry IV. Adjacent is a half brass to John Braydforde, (d. 1457) a former rector of St Michael's. His brass has a wonderfully touching expression.

On the north wall, a 16th century classical style memorial to Sir Nicholas Pelham shows him and wife facing in prayer, their ten children as mourners below. He is famous for his defence of Seaford against a French force which had previously sacked Brighthelmstone (modern Brighton). A wonderful inscription on the monument has a play on his name:

His valr's proofe, his manlie virtues prayse;
Cannot be marshall'd in this narrow roome;
His brave exploit in great King Henry's dayes,
Among the worthye hath a worthier tombe.
What time the French sought to have sack't Seafoord,
This Pelham did repel them back aboord.

Opposite are the remains of the monument to George Goring, MP for Lewes, (d. 1601) and on the north wall a brass memorial records the life of Dr Gideon Mantell, (1790-1852), a local doctor, geologist and paleontologist. He discovered first the teeth and then a skeleton of an Iguanadon, now on show in the Natural History Museum, and is credited with helping inaugurate the scientific study of dinosaurs.

There are two paintings, one large 17th century canvas of the Descent from the Cross, possibly by Balucchi, and one of the Madonna and child, thought to be Spanish of 17th century. Finally, the reredos is by celebrated Victorian Gothic architect J L Pearson.

Through a door in the north wall, steep steps (formed from tomb slabs) lead up to the small but tranquil graveyard. A surprising space for the town centre, from the rear there are fine views of Lewes Castle's keep.

Practicalities

The church is normally open during weekdays until 5pm. The church is part of the united benefice that includes St Anne's and St Thomas a Beckett in Cliffe. There is a Sunday Mass at St Michael's at 10.30am.

High Street, Lewes, BN7 1UW

St John sub Castro, Lewes

2010-07-02T10:08:00.006+01:00

St John-sub-Castro - or St John's-under-the-Castle - is a large early Victorian church just to the north of Lewes castle, which incorporates 11th century elements from a previous building, and has a lovely, hidden graveyard.

History

The first church on this site (actually slightly north of the present church) was erected at least as early as the 11th century, and possibly before. Details of this church are sketchy - almost literally - as what is known of it comes from drawings and descriptions made before it was rebuilt.

These show a traditional Sussex church, with elements from the 12th-14th centuries and a tower, and which lost its chancel some time around the reformation.

The present church was designed by George Cheesman, part of a family business based in Brighton, and completed in 1839. This incorporates some Anglo-Saxon elements from the fabric of the earlier church. An apsed chancel was added by Philip Currey in 1883.

The church

Cheesman's design is neo-Gothic in style, of flint with red brick detailing, and tall windows with broad transoms, decorated with trefoil headed arches. The axis runs north-south, with the ritual east end to the north.

The most prominent - and best - feature is the beefy castellated tower at the west end, which dominates the view along Abinger Place. Pevsner was unkind about the window tracery, but as a whole, the building works well enough. The spacious interior has galleries on iron columns on three sides.

Of most interest, however, are the relics from the earlier church, set into the walls either side of the apse at the east end. On one side is a late Anglo-Saxon doorway, with three demi-shafts supporting an arch with three matching roll mouldings, and unusual, wide square marble abaci which cut across all three. In place of a door, a mediaeval tombstone slab decorated with a cross design is set into the wall.

On the opposite side, next to the churchyard footpath, is an archway which may have been set in the old church's chancel - there is some debate about whether it was the chancel arch proper or not. Again, in place of a door is another ancient cross tomb slab, of similar design to that on the other side.

The arch is inscribed in Latin: CLAUDITUR HIC MILES DANORUM REGIA PROLES MANGUS NOME EI MANGNE NOTA Þ GENIEI DEPONENS / MANGNUM SE MORIBUS INDUIT AGNUM Þ PETE Þ VITA FIT PARVULUS / ARNACORITA. This refers to a warrior of Royal Danish lineage, Magnus, who became an anchorite at the church.

Anchorites were an extreme type of hermit, who were literally sealed up in a cell attached to a church. Through a window onto the chancel they could participate in services, as well as being fed and watered. They usually stayed there until death.

The churchyard itself is also worth a look; it is a wonderfully hidden space; semi-derelict, surprisingly large and heavily wooded.

Church Row, Lewes, BN7 2PU

St Nicholas, Pevensey

2010-06-27T15:58:00.003+01:00

Most people visiting Pevensey get no further than the castle, but its mediaeval church is also very attractive and well worth a visit.

History

Although there is some architectural evidence of late 12th century work, the present chancel dates from the reign of King John 1200-1216, at the time the castle was being expanded, with the nave built a little later.

As Pevensey declined as a port, the church fell into disrepair, and the chancel was walled off from the nave in the 17th century, to be used for sheltering cattle, storing coals and hiding contraband brandy for smugglers! Restored tastefully in 1875-1900 under George Gilbert Scott Jnr, it remains an excellent and complete example of the Early English Gothic style.

The Church

From the outside, the church is built largely of flint, the most notable feature being the attractive tower, of three stages: Scott rebuilt the second stage and added the third, but kept the broach spire design of the original. The north chapel (built on the site of an early chapel) is also Scott's work.

On entering into the nave, the most striking feature are the wonderful arcades of double-chamfered arches, which rest on piers which alternate between octagonal and a clustered quatrefoil designs. There are five bays to the south, and three to the north, leading to a heavily buttressed tower arch. With the exception of the west window, all are lancets, including those of the tall clerestory. All is roofed off by a fine king-post roof.

The chancel is entered through a fine, tall Gothic arch of the purest form, with elaborately carved stiff-leaf capitals, which date it to around 1230. The chancel is almost as long as the nave, and has three elegant lancets at the East End, with another two lancets paired on the south wall, with attractive shafts and mouldings on the inside.

Fittings of interest include a 13th century stone coffin lid with a cross design in the south aisle, the crude Norman font, but most impressive is the alabaster monument to John Wheatley (d. 1616), which includes an effigy lying on his side. he contributed to £40 to the fitting out of a ship from Pevensey to fight the Spanish Armada. Two piers also have niches for statues, doubtless disposed of during the Reformation.

Church Lane, Pevensey, East Sussex BN24 5LD

St James, Birdham

2010-06-24T22:37:00.004+01:00

Birdham is a well-kept Sussex village, perhaps best known for Birdham Pool, once a tidal mill but now part marina and part nature reserve. But this is a tale of a church and a tree.

The church first. Dedicated to St James, it looks very attractive from the outside, situated next to a small, immaculately kept village green and a generous wooded churchyard. It dates almost entirely from the 14th century, save for the tower, erected in 1545, and the chancel, which was replaced in the rather severe Victorian restoration of 1882.

This severity is rather apparent on entering: the only features of particular historic interest are the 14th century chancel arch, and the impressive tower arch of 1545. Pevsner regards the latter as a puzzle, as the clustered shafts look earlier (c. 14th century) and appear too small for the Perpendicular arch above; he speculates that a smaller tower may have been projected, or built and replaced. The west window is also Perpendicular, and a nice feature. The tower contains two bells, one 14th century and one from 1695.

The only fittings of especial interest are some mediaeval 'pilgrim crosses', carved like graffiti on the outside of south door arch, and the east window, by artist Michael Farrar Bell and dedicated in 1978. It depicts James and John in their boat with Jesus and their father Zebedee, as described in the Gospel of Mark. Cameos in the background depict agriculture, Chichester Cathedral and a yacht in Birdham Pool.

Outside the porch, however, is a treasure from the natural world: a Macrocarpa tree, its trunk twisted into the most incredible form, looking for all the world like a strange being. It is possibly the most amazing tree I have ever seen.

Church Lane, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex P20 7SP

St Mary the Virgin, Apuldram

2010-06-24T20:32:00.003+01:00

Apuldram is a delightful place with a delightful name, from the Old English apulder (apple) and hamm (enclosure), a testimony to the soil, ideal for apple cultivation. It has an equally delightful church, once a chapel of ease of Bosham.

Dating from around 1100, the church was substantially rebuilt in the 13th century, when a south aisle was added, and gained its porch in the 1400s. Among the five 19th century restorations, that of 1845 by J Butler, architect to Chichester cathedral, was particularly sensitive to the interior, and revealed the squint and rood-loft stairs (now fronted by the pulpit). Later work in 1877 by Lacy W Ridge was less sensitive, with a roof in pine and the little bell turret, although the whole has seasoned well with time.

The approach from the nearby lane is by a long footpath, with fields, meadows and trees, to a wooded churchyard, planted with roses. The exterior is classic Sussex: knapped flint walls, with Caen stone dressings, a red tiled roof, and shingled turret.

The porch leads into the south aisle, with three bays of classic Early English Gothic, double chamfered arches resting on round piers with round abaci and massive square bases. The nave and chancel are undivided, but eyes are drawn to the chancel. This is a simply beautiful 13th Century composition: triple lancet windows with moulded heads, Purbeck marble shafts and wall arcading fill the East wall, with matching compositions in the north and south walls. The result is surprisingly sophisticated for so small a church, described by Pevsner as ‘rich and austere at the same time’.

The church’s fittings are almost the equal of the architecture. Pride of place is fought for by the beautifully preserved 15th century wooden screen in the south aisle, of six bays of cinquefoiled ogee arches with quatrefoils in the spandrels; and the 14th century pavement of encaustic tiles on the lower chancel step, a rare survivor anywhere and even more remarkable in so small a church.

At the west end of the south aisle, a mediaeval bench survives, with poppyheads originally of fleur-de-lis design, behind the 12th century font, decorated with Romanesque arcading. Piscinas survive in chancel and south aisle. Finally, the porch windows have a scratch sun-dial and interesting graffiti on the jambs, including a merchant’s mark, a “weathervane cockerel”, scroll-work and lettering.

The whole experience is a delight: on my visit, on a perfect warm June day, I ate a picnic lunch in the shade of the churchyard trees, before taking the footpath the short distance down to the sea wall of the Fishbourne Channel.

Apuldram, Appledram Lane South, Chichester PO20 7EG www.apuldramchurch.co.uk

Cathedral Church of St Woolos, Newport

2010-06-15T09:59:00.003+01:00

Set high on Stow Hill and commanding fine views over Newport, the Cathedral of St Woolos (Welsh: St Gwynllyw) is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Monmouth. Incorporating fabric spanning over 1,000 years, it has a rich and fascinating history.

History

The exact origins of the church are shrouded in legend, but the first church is said to have been built around 500AD by Gwynllyw, a local Lord. He fell in love with Gwladys, daughter of the King Brychan (modern Brecon) but, having been refused her hand in marriage, he abducted her. Evidently she still married him and, over time, Gwynllyw was converted to Christianity both by Gwladys and their pious son Cadog (later St Cadog). Gwynllyw then built a religious settlement or Clas on the site of the present cathedral - chosen, again according to legend, after an angel in a dream told him to build a church where he found a white ox with a black spot on its head.

This original 6th century building would have been made of wood and wattle-and-daub, but the site was revered sufficiently for the Saxons to build a later stone church on the site of the present St Mary’s Chapel, possibly in the 10th century. The remains of this church constitute the oldest part of the present building.

In 1080 a new church with a nave and lean-to aisles was built by the Normans, immediately east of the Saxon building. The earlier church was probably by this time a ruin, as the Norman west door pierced its east wall. Around 1200, the Saxon chapel was restored and the walls raised, with narrow lancet windows inserted above arched tomb niches.

The church was badly damaged in 1402 by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr, but later in the 1400s substantially enlarged and repaired, mostly by Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry VII. The north aisle was enlarged and fine Perpendicular Gothic windows were inserted, followed later on by a similar enlargement of the south aisle, and a double-height south porch with a priest’s house on the first floor. Finally, the tower was added towards the end of the 15th century, and included a statue of Jasper Tudor, as Governor of Newport 1485-95.

The church’s history then shows a period of steady decline: much damaged during the Civil War, by the early 19th century St Mary’s Chapel had become a charnel house, and the nave had effectively become a chapel, with a singing gallery on the site of the rood screen, cutting off the nave from the chancel.

Restoration began in 1818 with the repair of St Mary’s Chapel, which then became the main entrance of the church. An extensive further restoration in 1853 replaced the south porch and the two 15th century south aisle windows with three new ones; restored the Norman font and 15th century chancel; and removed the singing gallery and inserted a new chancel arch.

The next phase of building resulted from the decision in 1921 to create a new Diocese of Monmouth. After much deliberation, St Woolos was chosen to be the new Cathedral, a process finally completed in 1949. However, it was clear that the original chancel was too small for its function as cathedral, so an new East End was built in 1961-2 by the eminent architect ADR Caroe, decorated with a mural and new rose window designed by the artist John Piper.

The church

The church is today entered through the 15th century tower, into the 13th century St Mary’s chapel. This includes the restored Norman font, with green men on each corner. The effigies in the tomb recesses are unfortunately horribly mutilated and decayed (and, sadly, rather fenced off by modern central heating pipes), although that of Sir John Morgan (d. 1491) and his wife Janet has some better preserved elements. The low window on the right has a mediaeval rose inserted into what is probably an original Saxon window. Stonework on the lower left and right sides also remains from the pre-Conquest church.

Eyes are, however, drawn forwards to the Norman door, one of the Cathedral’s treasures. The columns are very unusual, and are likely to be Roman, sourced from the settlement at Caerleon. The capitals are also unusual; they are of Composite design, but incorporate Norman humanistic sculpture (depicting praying men and birds). The capitals may therefore have been Roman, with the Norman work carved into them when the church was built. The arch itself has bands of bold zig-zag, billet and chevron decoration.

The nave is instantly recognisable as Norman work, with five bays of rounded arches on round piers with scalloped cushion capitals. Both arcades have empty windows which once formed the clerestory, but became internal when the aisles were raised. On the left by the chancel arch, the door to the long-vanished rood-loft can be seen.

The north aisle is bright and wide, the Tudor windows filled with clear glass; the south aisle is narrower, and a line of corbels indicates the height of the original aisle. At the east end, a tall modern Gothic arch leads onto St Luke’s chapel, a modern addition despite its appearance. At the west end is the impressive classical-style tomb of Sir Walter Herbert of St Julians, (d. 1568), albeit with the effigy badly mutilated. It is a rare Renaissance survivor in Wales.

Beyond the chancel arch, the modern chancel provides a literally bright contrast, with its clean lines and modern wooden furnishings, although some of the windows – including the small ‘Leper’s Window’ on the north side - were kept from the original chancel. The eye is drawn to Piper’s huge bold mural, which depicts the creation, its outline recalling the Norman architecture elsewhere. Critics vary on how well the old and new fuse, but it certainly adds a new and bold dimension to a building which already reflected a variety of historical styles.

Before you leave, it is also worth looking down, for the floor is paved with interesting memorial stones, dating from 1653 onwards.

Practicalities

The church is a 10 minute walk up Stow Hill from Newport City Centre, and is open most days for private prayer and visitors. As well as being a cathedral, it has a large and populous parish, and services are held daily – see website for details. The church has a small shop in the south porch.

On my visit, I was made very welcome indeed by a small group of very friendly and helpful ladies, with wonderful organ music playing in the background.

Parish Church of St Mary & St Gabriel, South Harting

2010-06-08T16:09:00.001+01:00

South Harting nestles on the north face of the South Downs, a sheltered, wooded spot, with a traditional village centre and two pubs. Its large church dominates the village, sitting high on a ridge at one end of the main street, with nave, chancel, transepts and a copper-clad broach spire. It is best known for its fine Elizabethan monuments and chancel roof, and the war memorial in the churchyard by Eric Gill.

Mainly dating from the early 14th century, the church suffered a major fire in 1576, and the subsequent Elizabethan restoration provided a new chancel arch as well as new roofs. In 1610 a chapel was added by the Caryll family, but was subsequently abandoned and now lies in ruins.

The interior is dark but spacious, and the Gothic arches of the nave, aisles and crossing could perhaps best be described as ‘muscular’. The later Elizabethan chancel arch sits beneath the remains of the original pointed arch, with its dog-tooth decoration still visible. The Early English Gothic east end window is a Victorian replacement (and its below the original plain lancet) but the transept windows are an essay in Decorated Gothic.

The chancel roof is worth a special look – dating from the post 1576 rebuilding, it is both inventive and decorative in its own right, a complex mix of wall posts, tie beams, pendants, bosses and collar beams. In the north transept, there is a competing Victorian example of woodworking ingenuity, in the form of a magnificent wooden spiral tower staircase.

The monuments are also largely Elizabethan. Three coloured effigies of the Cowper family, dating from around 1600, are located in the south transept. They comprise a kneeling effigy of a John Cowper of Ditcham, and recumbent effigies of his son John (d. 1586) and his wife, all resplendent in full Elizabethan costume.

Next to them is the badly weathered effigy of Sir Richard Caryll (d. 1616), originally located in the chapel outside, but brought inside in 1956 after it became ruinous. In the chancel is a rather plain arched tomb recess, containing the 17th century memorials to the Ford family.

Other fittings of note include the 13th century font and various hatchments. Outside, the remains of the Caryll Chapel can be seen between the South Transept and Chancel; its vault contains 11 members of the Caryll family who died of smallpox between 1601 and 1613. On the other side of the chancel is the fine, tall war memorial by Eric Gill, decorated with delicate relief carvings. More prosaically, as you leave the churchyard, take a look at the village stocks, recently restored!

The Street, South Harting, near Petersfield, Sussex GU31 5QB

St George, Trotton

2010-06-08T15:59:00.003+01:00

Trotton is located on the busy A272 between Petersfield and Midhurst, amidst glorious countryside, the road still crossing the River Rother on the Grade-I listed 16th century bridge.

Just around the bend from the bridge, Trotton’s church is hidden behind a bank and rows of trees. It has an Early English tower, plainly plastered with single lancets and a shingled broach spire. The rest is early Decorated Gothic from the early 1300s; except for the Victorian east window, all its windows are original. It looks much like any other Sussex village church.

Inside, however, is another matter. The first surprise is the space: a single, rather barn-like expanse without aisles or a chancel arch, although it has a splendid original roof with tie-beams, purlins and arched braces.

The second surprise comes by looking west; the walls at the west end of the church, and the adjacent north and south walls, are covered in 14th century wall paintings of astonishing boldness. Best preserved are those on the west wall: a judgement theme of an almost cartoon-like arrangement depicts Christ in the centre, above Moses holding the Ten Commandments. To the right, a clothed Spiritual Man, in an attitude of prayer, is surrounded by oval panels depicting the seven acts of mercy (clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, tending the sick, receiving the stranger, visiting the prisoner, and burying the dead). To the left, a more faded naked Carnal Man is surrounded by similar panels, this time depicting the more familiar seven deadly sins (pride, gluttony, anger, avarice, lust, sloth and envy).

On the north wall, four rather faded armoured figures bear the Camoys Arms on their surcoats, and helms bearing the Camoys crest of a large plume. One of the figures holds a dog by a lead, perhaps indicating that this was intended as a hunting scene. Opposite, St Christopher carries the Christ child, depicted twice (one early 14th century, the other, better preserved, of around 1400). The other images are of the donors (the Poynings and Camoys) surrounded by various heraldic devices.

As if the wall paintings were not enough, the mediaeval riches continue, for Trotton contains two of the best memorial brasses in England. On the aisle floor, a full-length brass to Margaret, Lady Camoys (d. 1310) is the oldest such female brass in England. It shows has her in a full length gown and wimple, a small dog sleeping at her feet. Indents show that the brass once had a canopy and eight shields outside the figure, and a further nine shields within.

In front of the altar, a large 9ft-long tomb chest, its sides carved with shields and quatrefoils, is topped by one of the most magnificent and best preserved brasses in existence. It shows Thomas, Lord Camoys (d. 1421, though the tomb says 1419 – an error?) and his wife, holding hands, he in full 15th century plate-armour sporting the Order of the Garter, she with crespine head-dress, mantle, sideless cote-hardie, and kirtle.

He stands on a lion, while at her feet is the small gowned male figure, probably of her stepson Richard, father of Hugh, second baron. They stand under a sumptuous double-canopy of Ogee aches, with three (originally four) shields above.

Lord Thomas is best known for commanding the left wing of the English Army at the Battle of Agincourt. He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1415. He married twice, and is shown here with Lady Elizabeth Mortimer. She was formerly married to Sir Henry Percy, better known as “Harry Hotspur”, and was immortalised as “Gentle Kate” in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.

Other tombs include the remains of a splendidly carved 15th-century table-tomb set in the south wall; the table-tomb of Sir Roger Lewknor (d. c. 1478) in the north-east corner of the chancel, its sides decorated with repeated trefoiled niches, under swags; and, in the southeast corner, the table tomb of Anthony Foster (d. 1643), with plain pilasters.

Other features of note, besides many later wall monuments, are the delicate and unusual 17th Communion Rails, and a rather plain tub font.

Trotton, on the A272 between Petersfield and Midhurst

St James, Selham

2010-06-08T12:18:00.002+01:00

Selham is almost perfect Sussex, nestling in the lush valley of the River Rother, midway between Petworth and Midhurst.

Its church is equally delightful. Set in an attractive churchyard, it consists of a small nave and chancel, with a south chapel.

Its history is a little obscure: it is not mentioned in Domesday, but the nave and chancel were clearly built very early in the Norman period, at the end of the 11th century. A south chapel was added in the 14th century, but largely rebuilt in the 19th. It once has a west tower, demolished in the 18th century and replaced with the current (and slightly twee) bell-cote during the Victorian restoration.

The actual age of the church has always been a puzzle: the proportions of the doorways, walls and nave suggest a Saxon origin, but the chancel in particular has lovely herringbone masonry, characteristic of Norman work, as well as a Norman tub-style font. But the greatest mystery of all is Selham’s real treasure, its chancel arch.

Narrow in the Saxon tradition, the arch itself has plain roll mouldings in the Norman style. The arch is supported by attached columns, above which are capitals, than abaci and then imposts. Each element is carved in different designs, incorporating both Saxon and Norman styles. The north capital has a crude Composite design, with coiled stems and semi palmettes. Above this, the abacus has Saxon-style interlace, and the impost on top has roll moulding facing and interlinked palmettes in the Norman tradition.

The south capital is the most fascinating, with marvellous reptilian figures in the Viking style: one fish-like animal spews foliage, whereas a second snake-like has a knotted body and devours its own tail while also spewing forth more foliage. Above this, the abacus has stylised foliage, and the impost has Saxon roll decoration emerging from a strange, looped snake-like beast.

Architectural historians have argued how all this came about, and whether it dates before or after 1066. Could different pieces, possibly of different dates and intended originally for other work, have been put together to make the arch? Or does it simply represent Saxon masons working in the Norman period and incorporating new designs? The truth is that we will never know, but can only marvel at the unique and fascinating result.

The church still has regular services, twice a month.

Selham, Petworth, GU28 0PW south of the A272

St Mary the Virgin, Littlehampton

2010-06-04T10:40:00.007+01:00

Littlehampton's parish church is a 20th century building built in a traditional style, and sits in a lovely tree-filled churchyard in the centre of the town.

History

There has been a church on the site since around 1110, which later (18th century) pictures show as a familiar Sussex amalgam of Norman and Gothic styles, with a tower and short spire. By the early 1820s, the building was in need of serious repair and was also too small for the expanding town, so a new church was begun in 1826, preserving some of the original elements, to designs by George Draper.

However, after a century of use, this 'new' church had itself become too small for the needs of the parish, and in the 1930s plans were drawn up to remodel and substantially enlarge the church, by the architect W.H. Randoll Blacker. He used much of the 1826 structure, encased in modern brick, but also added significant extensions of his own. It was completed in 1935-7, and it is this which we see today.

The church

The exterior style is essentially a very plain, 20th century take on Neo-Gothic, executed in brick with stone dressings. The nave windows have Y-tracery with distinctive broad transoms which contain carved shields.

The tower is also very plain, but contains the clock-face from the Victorian church, as well as a 14th-century window from the mediaeval church set on the west side. (Interestingly, the listing regards this window as coming from the 1826 church, but pictures of the earlier church show exactly the same window in the mediaeval predecessor).

The interior is surprisingly spacious, with a broad nave, galleried aisles and transepts, and a west organ gallery. The chancel terminates in an apse which has its own westward arch.

Although the architectural style is predominantly Gothic, the main fittings (pulpit, gallery balustrades and chancel screen) are in a Classical 18th century style which, with the clear glass and pale walls, give it a more 18th century feel.

There are some other fittings of interest. The font, with marble columns, decorated with cherubs and fleur-de-lis, is from Draper's church. Memorials from the earlier churches line the gallery walls and there are several fragments of the Victorian stained glass inserted in the later windows.

The floor at the west end also incorporates memorial floor slabs from the mediaeval church, some dating back to the 1720s, and some piscinas and stoups, presumably from the mediaeval church, can also be found.

The church received particular praise from Nikolaus Pevsner in his Sussex volume of The Buildings of England: he stated that the interaction of the fittings and space 'gives one a lot of respect for the designer'. Praise indeed. The building is Listed at Grade II.

Today, the church the centre of an active parish life, with a daily act of worship. The church is a member of the 'Forward in Faith' grouping.

Church Street, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 5EN

The Parish Churchof St Peter and St John the Baptist, Wivelsfield

2010-05-31T11:54:00.003+01:00

Tucked away on a dead-end lane a mile away from the modern village that bears its name, Wivelsfield’s church is a delightful amalgam of building from different periods.

History

Wivelsfield is first recorded as a village in an 8th century Anglo-Saxon charter as Wifelesfelda, and a church may have existed from around this date. There was certainly a church here before the Norman conquest, as the old Saxon North doorway testifies.

The church was first expanded in the 13th century, with an enlarged chancel, the south arcade of two bays and a south chapel. During the 14th century, the nave was extended westwards and the 15th century saw the south aisle wall rebuilt (c. 1500), along with a porch and the addition of the tower. A gallery was inserted in the west of the nave in 1716. Thus it remained until the Victorians removed the gallery and added the north aisle in 1869, thankfully preserving the Saxon doorway by incorporating it in the new north wall. They also added the porch and extended the chancel, incorporating the original East Window in the east end of the north aisle.

The church

The most striking features on entering the churchyard are firstly a large yew on the left – supposedly over a thousand years old – and the original Saxon doorway. This is – in typical Saxon style – tall and narrow, with a carved arch of two orders, carved with simple reeding decoration.

The modern entrance is via the south porch, but before entering, take a look at the 14th century west doorway, and then the main south window of the tower: the arch has two carved label stops, on the left an owl and on the right a man playing a rather large wind instrument. Sadly, they are rather eroded. The church guide implies they may have been using Celtic imagery here, with the owl for wisdom and the music for joy and praise.

Inside, the south arcade of the nave is in classic Early English style, and the south chapel has a distinctive single lancet window with wide splays. The north arcade and aisle are clearly Victorian, but the east window of the north aisle, a triple lancet under an arch, is the former east window, re-set. The chancel and south chapel have piscinas and the chancel has what may be an Easter Sepulchre, with a small attractive stained glass window depicting St John the Baptist (now lit from the vestry behind).

The furnishings include a plain Victorian font and a pulpit. The base of the pulpit is taken from the original Jacobean sounding board, turned upside down.

Church Lane, Wivelsfield, RH17 7RD

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Clapham, West Sussex

2010-05-24T13:22:00.002+01:00

Clapham is a one-lane village nestling in the south face of the South Downs, just north west of Worthing. Its pretty and historic church is found up a gravel lane to the north of the village, surrounded by Clapham Wood, and is chiefly known for its impressive brass memorials and what is claimed to be the oldest ring of three bells in Great Britain.

History

Although the manor dates back to Norman times and possibly earlier, the present church is basically a replacement begun around the end of the 12th century and early into the 13th century. There is a continuous list of Rectors from 1257 to the present day, and the dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary is recorded in 1405.

The nave dates from the late 12th century and is partly in the transitional style, but otherwise most dates from the 13th century, with additions in the 15th, including the present west door and a now-blocked north door. The shingled spire was replaced with the current roof in 1790, and the architect Sir Gilbert Scott undertook an extensive but sensitive restoration in 1873-4. In 1910, during work on the nave, a skull was found under the western pillar of the north arcade. It was replaced in its original resting place.

The Church

The church consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, and a squat tower, barely higher than the nave, at the western end of the north aisle. The exterior walls are made entirely of flint.

Inside, the difference between the earlier north and south aisles is immediately apparent: the north, of two bays, is Transitional in style, with round piers, stiff-leaf carving on the capitals and pointed arches. The three-bay south aisle is pure Early English Gothic, with simple capitals. A fragment of a blocked Norman window in the north arcade indicates that this must have been the original north wall before the aisle and arcade were inserted.

The three lancets in the west wall were reinserted by Scott, based on remnants found when removing a later and larger window which lit a gallery, which he also removed. The windows in the south and north aisles are essentially 15th century. The south aisle also has a small, low window at the east end which, by tradition, is a leper window, to enable those with the disease to follow services from outside. A local farm was a leper colony in mediaeval times, and a path from it to the church was known locally as ‘the leper path’.

Scott largely rebuilt the chancel, and in doing so reinserted the original lancets (for which sufficient evidence remained within the walls). The east window is 15th century. But the joy of the chancel is its memorials, in both stone and brass, to the Shelley family – distant relatives of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Most impressive is the complete floor brass to John Shelley (d. 1526) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John de Michelgrove, in front of the communion rail. It has beautifully preserved 3ft high effigies, albeit in a rather simplistic style, heraldic shields and a representation of the Trinity, with God the Father seated behind a crucified Christ and a dove. Brass rubbing can be arranged on payment of a fee.

On the south wall are two more sets of brasses to the Shelley family: John Shelley (d. 1550) and his wife Mary Fitzwilliam, and their twelve children; and another to his son, John, shown kneeling in armour with his wife, son and daughter. Opposite is a recessed tomb, with carved figures of Sir William Shelley (d. 1548) and his wife Alice, and their fourteen children – seven sons and seven daughters, one of whom is shown as a nun. Sir William was a judge and is shown in legal costume, with a hood, and entertained Henry VIII at nearby Michelgrove House (sadly demolished in the 1870s).

The east wall of the chancel is decorated with tiles by William Morris, in place of a reredos. More figures in a similar style are stencilled in the window recesses. Other furnishings of note include some attractive brass chancel gates, a brass eagle lectern and a heavily carved pulpit, all late Victorian.

The tower contains a ring of three bells, named Jacobus, Catekina and Katerina Margarita. It is thought they were cast in Arundel around 1350, by Alan Rous, the son of one Nicholas le Rous, who moved there in the 1290s.

The church is now part of the larger parish which includes Findon and Patching.

The Street, Clapham Village, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3UU

St John the Divine, Patching

2010-05-24T13:17:00.003+01:00

Patching village sits just above a gap in the South Downs, north west of Worthing, and above the glorious sweep of road known as ‘Longfurlong’, now part of the A280. The village has some picture-postcard thatched cottages, and a mediaeval church, dedicated to St John.

History

The village and church are first mentioned in the Saxon period in 948AD, and again in the Domesday survey, but the present building dates from around 1200. There is an unbroken list of Vicars from 1282 to the present day.

The sequence of building in the church presents something of a mystery, as the fine arches beneath the tower (and the odd orientation of the nave) suggest that this may have been intended as the original crossing. The church was renovated in 1835, 1856 and especially in 1889, when the spire, porch and vestry were added, as well as its rededication to St John the Divine.

The Church

From the outside, the church is typical Sussex: flint walls, stone dressings and a tall, shingled spire, and Early English Gothic lancet windows throughout. Inside, the nave is wide and barn-like, with a magnificent, original roof. But what catches the eye is that the chancel arch of off-centre, with the nave apparently pushed to the left.

Just before the chancel arch to the left is an archway to what is now the north transept, but is actually beneath the tower, and there are also arches to the east and west, all with shafts in classic 13th century style.

The chancel is entered through an impressive Victorian screen, and has two lancets in the East End with a small Oriel window above, and a fine piscina with stiff-leaf capitals. The carved reredos is a modern addition.

Furnishings include a very fine octagonal 15th century font, with quatrefoil panels enclosing rosettes, and a 19th century pulpit incorporating 16th century arabesque panels. On the floor beneath the tower is a fine 18th century memorial, to Mary (d. 1737) and Robert Bushby (1739). Their epitaphs read:

Here Lyes beneath
A Lass deprived of Life
A tender Mother
And a Loveing wife

A faithfull friend
A Father dear
A loveing husband
That lyeth here”

The modern parish includes the nearby church of Clapham and the larger church of Findon, up the Longfurlong road. The church is a Grade I listed building.

The Street, Patching Village, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3XF

St John the Baptist, Llanblethian

2009-12-20T19:01:00.004Z

Tucked away to the south of Cowbridge, the prosperous village of Llanblethian feels more like a suburb of the larger market town, but Cowbridge was in fact founded (in the 13th century) within the older parish of Llanblethian. It is fitting, then, that Llanblethian has a very fine, well-preserved mediaeval church, located in an enviable position at the top of a overlooking the River Thaw and its newer neighbour.

History

The earliest documentary evidence for the church is a charter from the mid 12th Century, when it was a possession of Tewkesbury abbey. The current fabric dates from between the 12th and 15th centuries, the most notable additions being the tower (said to have been the gift of Anne Neville, wife of Richard III, in 1477) and a substantial late-Gothic porch with pinnacles. The inevitable Victorian restoration stripped the interior of its plaster, but it is still atmospheric and beautifully maintained. The church was originally dedicated to St Bleddian, the Welsh form of St Lupus, the 5th-century Bishop of Troyes who (according to tradition) accompanied Germanus on his visit to Britain in 429AD.

The church

From the outside, the church presents a simple plan of west tower, nave and chancel, with a substantial south transept and adjoining south porch. The 15th century tower is reminiscent of those of Somerset, with stepped diagonal buttressing, pretty traceried bell openings, battlements and corner pinnacles. On entering, the interior is dominated by those stripped walls, but is softened by a beautiful roof, with sturdy arched bracing, and a generous collection of wall memorials dating from the 17th century onwards. Indeed, more ancient memorials cover the floor throughout, as well as the walls of the porch.

The chancel arch in the Early English style is clearly modern, but the tower arch is original, with two wonderful corbels of rather stout men in late 15th Century costume. The tower space contains a number of ancient tomb slabs with crosses, presumably from the tombs of earlier priests. The south wall of the transept incorporates a large Gothic niche containing a mediaeval effigy of a priest; investigations in the crypt uncovered a skeleton of a man - presumably a priest - holding a pewter chalice to his chest. The chalice is now in the church’s possession. Other fittings of note include an ancient wooden door in the north wall, a handsome modern wooden reredos, and some attractive Victorian stained glass.

The church will amply repay a visit; note that the roads in the village are both steep and subject to width restrictions.

St John the Baptist, Church Road, Llanblethian, CF71 7JF

Holy Cross Church, Cowbridge

2009-12-19T17:21:00.003Z

Cowbridge is a small, prosperous market town, roughly half way between Cardiff and Bridgend. Although there is some evidence of Roman occupation, a mediaeval walled town was founded by charter in 1254 within the older parish of Llanblethian. The centre of the town still retains its mediaeval street plan, including the South Gate.

Church history

The parish church was originally built as a Chapel of Ease of the parish church in Llanblethian, and was probably founded along with the town. Until the 20th century it was dedicated to St Mary. Although the church contains elements from the 13th century, the most remarkable feature is its semi-fortified tower, built around 1300.

The church was extended in the 14th and 15th centuries, and restored by John Pritchard between 1848 and 1853, and by George Pace in the 20th century. A recent grant from Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments agency, has restored the tower to its mediaeval appearance, complete with external rendering. The building is listed at Grade 1.

The building

The church is tucked away off the High Street, a short walk from the old Grammar School and the remaining mediaeval south gate. Looking from Church Street, the building is dominated by its massive, squat, tower: hugely buttressed and with a projecting staircase, it is surmounted by an octagonal battlement. Other notable external features are the substantial south aisle, almost as large as the nave, and a large north chancel chapel, now used as a vestry.

Inside, the combination of the nave and south aisle make for a spacious interior, with an arcade of elegant clustered piers separating the two. There is no crossing as such, the space under the tower leading to the heavily-Victorianised chancel.

The most notable fittings are two memorials. The first is a very fine Jacobean memorial to William Carne, of Nash Manor, and his wide Elizabeth, located in the South Aisle. They are depicted facing each other, with their three sons and daughters below as mourners. The women are dressed identically in black, the men in armour, all with fine ruffs. The other is an elegant 18th century memorial to the extensive family of David Jenkins (d. 1664) in the nave.

Both nave and aisle are filled with low (and apparently very uncomfortable) mid-Victorian box pews, although some of these have been removed in the nave and there are plans to remove even more. While this creates a large flexible space, I am less sure about the choice of bright red for both seats and carpet, which for me rather jars with the mediaeval and Victorian fabric. On a jollier note, the church was filled with Christmas trees on my visit, each donated by a different group or institution, as part of a Christmas festival.

The church is the centre of a very busy parish life, which encompasses a total of eleven churches.

Holy Cross, Church St, Cowbridge CF71 7BB

All Saints, Lullington

2009-11-24T13:39:00.002Z

Photograph courtesy of Frank Collins

Lullington's village green has a small scattering of houses, a former school, a farm and a church. So perfect is this little ensemble, it could almost be a film-set.

The church is ancient however: possibly a Saxon foundation, it was in the ownership of the Bishop of Coutances in 1086. The building we see today dates from the 12th century, with a South Aisle added around 1280, the Chancel in 1340, and South Porch around 1450. Extensively but sensitively restored in 1862, it is chiefly known for its Norman work, regarded as among the best in Somerset.

On the exterior, this is most clearly visible on the north side, where the north door has a fine Tympanum with Christ in Majesty, above an arch of two orders, one zig-zag and the other a series of wonderful beak-heads. Beneath, two animals eat from the Tree of Life. The supporting columns have zig-zag and spiral carving with heavily weathered capitals. Above, the corbel table is a delight in its own right, with the subjects including a surprised-looking king and two beasts embracing. The south doorway is also Norman, although of a simpler design.

Inside, there is yet more Norman work in the tower and chancel arches, with carved capitals depicting a green man, a winged lion and a peculiar ox with two bodies apparently joined by a single head. But the best furnishing is its font: dating from the 11th century, it has interlinked arches under a frieze of flowers and an inscription which reads: "Hoc Fontis Sacro Peveunt Delicta Lavacro". Above the inscription is another frieze, this time of 'Green Cats', linked with long bands of foliage spewing from their mouths. Such green cats were probably meant to be lions, but were carved by masons who had never seen the real thing. Whatever their origins, it makes the font a unique and fascinating object.

Well worth a detour.

All Saints, Lullington nr Frome, BA11 2PG

St Andrew, Mells

2009-11-24T13:31:00.003Z

Photograph courtesy of Frank Collins

Mells is a pretty and interesting little village just west of Frome, with houses scattered along steep lanes. At its heart is the impressive church of St Andrew, set alongside an equally impressive Tudor Manor House, approached along a planned 15th century street - the combination being described by architectural historian Nikolas Pevsner as "among the happiest in Somerset".

The church itself - now Grade I listed - was founded in the 13th century, but almost entirely rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries in the Perpendicular Gothic style. From this period, the most notable features are the wonderful porch and tower - the latter with impressive pinnacles. Indeed, the whole church is decorated with battlements and pinnacles, as well as an unusual two-storied polygonal vestry. Both porch and tower have elaborate fan vaults, of a quality which would grace any cathedral.

Inside, the roofs and furnishings are largely Victorian, but it still feels like a mediaeval church: the north chapel has its original wooden roof, and the south chapel - largely filled with the 19th century organ - has two very impressive brasses to earlier Vicars, unfortunately rather hard to appreciate in their cramped surroundings. Look closely and you can also find the remains of the odd Jacobean pew.

The adjacent manor house was once home to the Horner family, and passed by marriage to the Asquiths. Around the turn of the century, the house became something of a magnet for the artistic worthies of the time such as Eric Gill, Edwin Lutyens and Burne-Jones, who left some impressive fittings and furnishings, including tombs, memorials, glass and tapestries.

Most notable are a tapestry and a plaster memorial depicting a peacock to Laura Lyttleton, both by Burne-Jones; and the handsome equestrian statue by Mannings and Lutyens in the north aisle. This is a memorial to Edward Horner, the last of the male Horner line, killed in action at Noyelles in France in 1917, aged 28.

Outside, behind the East end of the church are memorials to the Horners and Asquiths, to Lady Violet Bonham-Carter, and - most notably - to Siegfried Sassoon, who asked to be buried close to his friend, Ronald Knox, the Catholic priest and scholar. To the north, a clipped avenue of yews is another example of Lutyens' work.

St Andrew, New Street, Mells nr Frome BA11 3PT

St. Martin-Le-Grand Church, York

2009-10-19T14:27:00.003+01:00

St Martin's is one of York's most notable landmarks, best-known for its impressive clock which hangs over Coney Street. But it has also had a tumultuous history, and contains one of York's most impressive mediaeval stained glass windows.

The church was one of one of York's largest and finest, prior to a fateful night in 1942, when an air raid reduced the church to a smouldering ruin. Before then, it boasted a large nave and chancel with full length aisles and chapels. The fabric dated from the 11th to the 15th centuries.

The well-known and large double-sided clock on Coney Street was fitted in 1668, and which was topped by a statue of the 'Little Admiral' in the 18th century.

The clock and statue survived the bombing, but little else did. The church was eventually rebuilt between 1961 and 1968, with the 15th century tower and south aisle becoming the church, and the remainder (most of the former nave and north aisle) becoming an enclosed garden of remembrance. Substantial parts of the north walls survive, however, including elements from the 11th century.

Although much smaller, the restored church is an attractive space, combining modern works with a 17th century memorial to Sir William Sheffield (d. 1633) and - above all - its mediaeval stained glass. This had fortunately been removed for safe keeping in 1940, and includes one gem: the window depicting the life and works of St Martin of Tours, dating from around 1440.

Formerly the west window, this is now in the new north wall and faces visitors as they enter. It is huge for a parish church (and is the largest in the city outside the Minster): 9m high and 4m wide, it is one of the best preserved of its type and contains no Victorian additions or repairs.

The church is normally open during weekdays for private prayer and visitors.

Coney Street, York, YO1 9QL

All Saints, North Street, York

2009-10-19T11:58:00.005+01:00

If you visit just one church in York (aside from the Minster, I suppose), make it this one. This fascinating little church, tucked away on the rather less touristy west bank of the Ouse, has much to interest visitors and contains one of Britain's most impressive collections of mediaeval stained glass.

History

There has been a church here since at least the 11th century, probably predating the Norman invasion. In the 12th century, the single-cell church was expanded with aisles, some of which incorporated Roman columns from the original Roman settlement of Eboracum.

The chancel was reconstructed in the 13th century in the Early English style, but a major rebuilding in the 14th century saw the East End rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style, with the aisles extended to form a rectangular plan. Later in the same century, the tower and 120ft spire were built, and the fine chancel and aisle ceilings were added in the 15th century.

The church

On entering, the church has a slightly rustic and homely feel to it. With no crossing, the nave is divided from the chancel only by the rood screen, and the aisles run uninterrupted from east to west. The arcades are in the simplest Early Gothic style, with simple capitals. One of the original Roman columns can clearly be seen between the north aisle and chancel.

But the main event is unquestionably the stained glass: almost all of it is mediaeval, and of very high quality. There is simply too much to describe here in great detail, but there is more information available on the church's website. But essentially, the north and south aisles and east end contain windows which are complete or almost entirely complete in their original form, and date mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The most famous are in the north aisle: first, the 'Corporal Acts of Mercy Window' shows a bearded man (who may be the donor, Nicholas Blackburn, a merchant and mayor of York), carrying out six of the seven bodily acts of mercy, ie feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, offering hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and relieving those in prison. The final act (burying the dead) is omitted.

Next along in the aisle is the unique 'Pricke of Conscience' window, so named after a Middle English poem, written in the Northumbrian dialect, describing the last 15 days of the world. The panels depict the destruction of the world and the fate of humankind, each panel underscored with the relevant passage of the poem, and all intended to call people to repent. As you might expect, the images include some wonderful beasts, demons and devils, along with people in varying states of terror or torment. The families of the donors sit watching all this at the bottom of the window.

Finally, in the south aisle, look out for the bright and colourful 'Orders of Angels' window in the south aisle: in one of the lower panels is a man wearing a pair of very uncomfortable looking 15th century spectacles.

Other fittings of note include a fine 15th century memorial slab on the floor of the south aisle near the chancel arcade, and the imposing late 17th cetury pulpit. Don't forget to look up, either, to the chancel and aisle ceilings with their beautifully carved 15th century hammerbeams depicting angels and men of the church.

The church is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and Mass is said on Thursday at 12.45, and on Sundays at 12 noon and 17.30. The church is normally open for visitors in the middle of the day.

North Street, York, YO1 6JD

St Wulfran's, Ovingdean

2009-09-28T16:55:00.005+01:00

The charming village of Ovingdean, tucked away in its own little valley a mile inland from the sea, is now part of Brighton but remains a world away in spirit. It is also famous as the birthplace of Charles Eamer Kempe, the renowned designer of stained glass: his work fills the church and he is buried in its churchyard.

History

There was a ‘little church’ and settlement here in Saxon times, recorded in the Domesday book, and it seems that it was rebuilt almost immediately after the Conquest, when the current Nave and Chancel were erected. This was followed by the short, robust tower early in the 13th century, followed by the south porch around 1300 (rebuilt around 1867). The south wall shows the unmistakeable signs of a south aisle of two bays also built around the 13th century, and which may have been destroyed during a French raid. A south chapel was added leading off the chancel in 1907 on the foundations of an earlier structure.

The dedication to the 7th century French Bishop St Wulfran is unusual, shared only by the Parish Church of Grantham and the collegiate church in Abbeville, in France, where he is buried.

The Church

The church is set into a steep hillside, and the floor progressively descends from the tower to the chancel. Save for the corner stones, its walls are entirely of flint, with a red tiled roof and a typical Sussex pyramidal cap on the tower. The walls are pierced only by narrow Norman windows or simple lancets, save for the Decorated Gothic windows in the south wall of the nave. These, as well as others through the church, contain glass by Kempe, with his tell-tale wheat sheaf signature.

Inside, the interior is something of a surprise: the walls of the nave are bright with whitewash, and the eye is immediately drawn to the unusual arrangement of three chancel arches, underneath a rood screen. The plain central arch is the Norman original, with the two flanking arches added in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th; the rood is Kempe’s work from 1867. Opposite the south door are the remains of the original Norman north door, complete with water stoup. To the west, a generous pointed tower arch leads to a spacious tower room, which now contains additional pews and the font. High the east wall above the arch is the original mediaeval bell wheel.

Turning east, the Chancel has yet more lancets and Norman round-headed windows; the tiles reredos and painted wooden panels either side of the East Window are late Victorian, while those in the gable above by Maude Bishop were painted 1957-63. Of greater interest to most visitors, however, is the painted ceiling: although the ceiling is a 19th century replacement, the paintings of birds and foliage was done was Kempe in 1867. Off the Chancel is the small south east chapel, built in 1907 on the foundations of an earlier chapel.

Back outside, the old churchyard is worth a look; as well as the Kempe family tomb, is that of Magnus Volk (1851-1937), builder of the electric railway which still plies its trade along Brighton’s seafront.

The Green, Ovingdean, Brighton BN2 7BA

St John the Evangelist, Preston, Brighton

2009-08-03T17:11:00.004+01:00

St John’s an impressive late 19th century church on the London Road just north of Preston Park in Brighton. Completed in 1902 to designs of the famous Victorian architect Sir Arthur Blomfield, it was extended with the addition of a chancel in 1926, and is a Grade-II listed building. It is one of the most prominent buildings on the approach to Brighton from London.

The church consists of a nave and chancel, with a baptistery and narthex at the west end. Built of ragstone, with a tiled roof, the exterior is dominated by a tall wood-and-lead fleche at the junction of the nave and chancel. The style is essentially Early English, with simple lancets throughout, except for the impressive Decorated Gothic East Window.

The church is entered through the baptistery and narthex, separated from the nave by a three-bay arcade. The nave is impressively spacious - both long and generously aisled, with an Early English style arcade of five and a quarter bays on round piers, and a tall clerestory. There are lancet windows in both aisle and clerestory in five sets of matching pairs. These are all filled with clear glass which, with the pale cream walls, gives the interior a bright and spacious feel.

A simple Gothic screen separates the nave from the chancel, which has a sedilia, an elaborately carved stone reredos and a mosaic tiled floor. Fixtures and fittings of note are limited to the impressive carved Gothic pulpit, a brass eagle lectern and attractive stained glass in the East window. The church has a busy parish life, and adheres to a liberal catholic tradition.

The Lord Mayor's Chapel, Bristol

2009-07-25T15:48:00.003+01:00

The Lord Mayor’s Chapel is often overlooked by those visiting the nearby Cathedral, which it faces across College Green. But this small, Grade I Listed chapel contains a wealth of history, including an impressive collection of tombs and stained glass behind its modest but attractive west front.

History

The chapel was established to serve a religious hospital foundation in 1230, to care for the sick, feed the poor and educate 12 poor boys. Originally administered by the Cathedral, it became a separate institution in the late 13th century. It was endowed with lands by wealthy Bristol merchants until it was dissolved, along with other such religious foundations, in 1539.

Fortunately, it was purchased by Bristol Corporation in 1541, and has remained in their possession ever since: it is now the country’s only functioning chapel in civic ownership. Most of the foundation’s other buildings have long-since disappeared.

The building

The nave was erected around 1230, followed by the south aisle around 1280. The tower – visible from the passage at the side – was erected in 1487, and the chancel was rebuilt and the south aisle chapel added in 1500. In 1523, Sir Robert Poyntz, a close associate of Henry VII and Henry VIII, built a chantry chapel south of the chancel. The church underwent a major restoration in 1889, undertaken by the renowned church architect J L Pearson, who rebuilt the West Front (albeit retaining the window design) and North Transept. The original west window now resides in a garden, as a romantic ruin, in the Bristol suburbs.

Although the chapel has some fine Tudor architecture – the nave roof, the fan vaulting of the Poyntz Chapel and the East Window are all impressive – the church is chiefly known for its rich stained glass and fittings.

Pride of place must go to the tombs, dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Most of these were moved to the south aisle and south aisle chapel in the 18th century. There are simply too many to describe in detail, but as a collection they would flatter any cathedral.

The earliest are two crusader tombs in the South Aisle Chapel, with effigies in full chain mail armour, believed to be of the co-founders, Maurice de Gaunt (d. 1230) and his nephew Robert de Gournay (d. 1269). In the south aisle is a very rare merchant’s tomb from around 1360, wearing civilian dress, including short ‘pixie’ boots, stockings and a full-length cloak. Most poignant is that of John Cookin, dated 1627, who died aged 11. He is depicted, life-size, on one knee, carrying his schoolbooks, under a fine classical canopy.

But the stained and painted glass is also impressive: although some is original, most came from the Abbey of Fonthill in 1823, and dates from the late mediaeval period. Made in England, France and Cologne, much of it was inserted in the East Window, but the south aisle chapel also has 23 roundels of German and Flemish glass from the 16th and 17th centuries, and the Poyntz Chapel roundels from the 15th century.

Also of note are the fine 15th century reredos, and a large number of mediaeval piscinas and carved heads (mostly corbels) - don't miss the wonderful grotesque face in the south transept. Finally, the Poyntz Chapel floor is laid with 16th century floor tiles from Spain - said to be the largest such collection outside the Iberian Peninsular.

College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TB

St Mary the Virgin, Eastbourne

2009-07-10T09:26:00.007+01:00

The Eastbourne familiar to most visitors is that of the genteel, largely Victorian, seaside resort. But it will surprise many that the town's history goes back a lot further: the area has been settled since the Roman period, and the Domesday Book records a church, watermill, salt pans, fisheries and ploughlands.

This settlement was a mile or so inland, and is today known as the 'old town’. At its centre is the surprisingly large church of St Mary, which dates from the 12th-14th centuries: it was fortunate in being sensitively restored in the 19th century, and is full of fascinating architectural and historical details.

The church was built around 1200, and the nave and chancel both survive from this period. The church was enlarged in the 14th century, with an additional west bay to the nave, a robust tower and north and south aisles. On entering, the Norman arcades and chancel arch dominate the spacious interior: the chancel arch, strangely, is rounded, whereas the nave and chancel arcades are pointed, although they were probably built around the same time.

The nave arcades have alternating round and octagonal piers, with stiff-leaf carving. The chancel arch and chancel arcades have a type of zig-zag decoration, whereas those in the nave are plain. The clerestory has large, simple lancets. The 14th century gave the tall tower arch and the decorated style windows in the aisles, tower and chancel. Two windows at the east of the south aisle are slightly later, from the 15th century.

The interior has a wealth of interesting details, fittings and furnishings. The chancel has decorated sedilia, piscina and Easter sepulchre, all with decorated ogee arches from the 14th century, and the south chapel has a tomb recess from the same period.

There is a rare rood piscina high on the south arcade next to the chancel arch, and there are two delightful faces in the south aisles - the one under the rood stair has a wonderfully bulbous nose. Both north and south chapels have 14th wooden screens with delicate ogee decoration. The font is slightly later, in the Perpendicular style.

The church has a superb collection of memorials on the walls and floors, dating from the early 17th to the mid 19th centuries. Most notable are those of Katherine Gildredge and her two infant children (d. 1625), carved by Edward Marshall, master mason to Charles II, and located in the north chapel. More poignant is that to Henry Lushington in the South aisle, (d. 1763). He was the eldest son of the vicar and a member of the East India Company. He survived the 1756 'Black Hole of Calcutta' uprising, but died in another incident in 1763, defending his colleagues in Patna.

Outside, the “Old Parsonage” - actually a Rectory Manor house - survives from the 16th century, alongside a timber-framed barn. More oddly, the churchyard contains a tall Norman cross, brought from St Erth in Cornwall.

Church Street, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN20 9HR

St Saviour, Eastbourne

2009-07-10T09:19:00.006+01:00

Pevsner’s Sussex volume of the Buildings of England is blunt: “Eastbourne, as against Brighton and Bournemouth, is poor in worthwhile Victorian churches. In fact, there is only one: Street’s St Saviour.”

Whatever one thinks of that view, there can be no disagreement that St Saviour is an impressive building. Its architect was George Edmund Street, best known for the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand, and a favoured architect of the 19th century Oxford Movement, which espoused traditional catholic liturgy and theology.

For St Saviour, Street designed a building in his favoured Gothic style, mixing Early English and late 13th century styles in blood-red brick with ashlar trimmings. Begun in 1867 to replace a iron ‘mission’ church, the spire – its dominant external feature – marked its completion in 1872.

Moving inside, you are immediately struck by the sense of space: the nave is wide and tall, with generous aisles leading dramatically to an apsidal East End. The next thing to strike you, as your eyes adjust to the light, is the decoration: the interior abounds in it: glass, mosaics, tiling, murals, painting and marble. Most of this was executed by the firm of Clayton & Bell (normally better known for their stained glass), with marble by the Italian form of Saviati.

The decoration reaches its climax, appropriately enough, in the sanctuary, where the scheme is almost overwhelming in its richness and complexity. The gilded reredos (1937) is by W H Randolph Blacking, and is dedicated to Henry Urling Whelpton, second incumbent and son of the first Vicar: in any other church it would dominate, but here must jostle for attention. More restrained, but equally impressive, are the murals over the chancel arch, painted directly onto the brick, and depicting Christ in glory with saints and angels.

There are two chapels: that on the left is dedicated to St Peter, in recognition of the parish absorbed by St Saviour’s in 1972, and on the south side the memorial chapel to its first Vicar, Henry Robert Whelpton. The baptistery at the west end houses an onyx font designed by Street and has murals depicting St Augustine preaching at Canterbury and St Oswald.

As one might expect, the church has a vibrant parish life, with worship in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Happily, they keep their church open daily for private prayer.

South Street, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4UT

St Andrew, Greensted

2009-07-06T15:26:00.004+01:00

This unassuming church, tucked away in the Essex countryside, is not just rustic and charming - although it is both of those - but is also historically very important. A closer look reveals that the nave walls are built of upright, halved wooden logs, making St Andrew's Europe’s oldest extant wooden building, and the oldest wooden church in the world - as well as Britain's only log church.

The history of the site dates back around 1300 years: the land of the East Saxons - now Essex - was evangelised By Saint Cedd in 654AD, who was based at nearby Bradwell on the Essex coast. Remains have been found under the present church of a wooden building dating from the late sixth or seventh century, which may have been a sanctuary used by those early missionaries. The dedication to St Andrew also suggests a Celtic foundation.

The present nave is rather later, and has recently been dated by dendrochronology to around 1060. It was originally dated to some 200 years earlier, but, even with this later date, its status as Europe’s oldest standing wooden building and the world’s oldest wooden church remains.

The original church was probably thatched, and without windows. The Normans built a chancel, although all that remains now are the footings and a pillar piscina. The present brick chancel was erected around 1500, and at the same time the handsome chancel arch inserted, and roofs rebuilt and tiled. The date of the tower is uncertain, but it may have been added in the 17th century - one of the bells is dated 1618. The east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in the Victorian period and the roof and walls also repaired.

An interesting piece of local history is that some of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, after they were pardoned, were settled in Greensted on their return, and one of them, James Brine, was married here in 1839.

The church now is set in a pretty country churchyard, full of yews and lichen-covered gravestones. The porch was built next 12th century Crusader tomb, and leads directly into the Saxon nave. This is incredibly dark inside, despite the insertion of dormer windows, and retains its box pews. The chancel is somewhat brighter, and whitewashed.

The church has some interesting fittings: the pulpit was donated in 1698 by London pewterer Alexander Cleeve, and in the chancel are the Norman piscina and a memorial to one Jone Wood, dated 1585. The eagle lectern is an impressive bit of Victoriana: most of the glass is also Victorian, save a small but well preserved piece of 15th century glass set in the quatrefoil window in the west wall.

The rear of the church has all sorts of items for sale to help fundraising, from the usual postcards and guides to a wide selection of country jams and other sweet treats.

Church Lane, Greensted, Essex, CM5 9LD

St Martin, Chipping Ongar

2009-07-06T15:18:00.002+01:00

St Martin’s is a historic Norman church in the pretty little town of Chipping Ongar, and is situated just off the High Street. Built just after the Norman conquest, around 1080, the original nave and chancel still survive, the flint walls incorporating reused Roman bricks and tiles which are clearly visible from the outside. The church was extended in Victorian times, but still retains its 15th century steeple, complete with 17th century clock.

Inside, the atmosphere in the nave is dark, thanks to the low, heavy 14th century roof, and some rather heavy Victorian stained glass. The porch, south aisle and nave arcade are also Victorian, and you have to look to find the mediaeval features: narrow, round-headed Norman windows in the north wall, above a stoup for Holy Water.

The chancel arch was rebuilt around 1350, but some Norman windows also survive in the chancel, alongside 14th and 16th century insertions, and some of the 'scissor’ roof beams are also thought to be Norman. The East window is a nice Decorated Gothic example from about 1300.

The fittings include a 16th century pulpit, a 15th century font and, on the south wall of the chancel, a memorial to Sara Mitford (d. 1776) by the noted English sculptor Joseph Nollekens. Under the south side of the altar is another memorial, to Jane Pallavicini, cousin of Oliver Cromwell (whose father fought on the Royalist side). Back outside, on the north wall of the sanctuary is a small recess (now with a door). This was originally an anchorite cell - where a hermit could take part in the service without being seen or coming into contact with the parishioners.

Finally, one of the Victorian windows depicts David Livingstone - who lived in Chipping Ongar in 1838-40 to undertake probationary year at the London Missionary Society school.

Off the High Street, Chipping Ongar, CM5 9JJ

St Mary, Udimore

2009-07-03T23:36:00.004+01:00

Udimore is one of those small English villages strung out along a road, with no real centre, which is so easy to drive through. But just off the busy B2089 is the lovely church of St Mary, situated in an idyllic spot next to a farm and to a duck pond (which actually had a family of ducks on it when I visited).

Udimore is recorded in the Domesday Book, and there was an important lodge here in mediaeval times, in which both Edward I and Edward III stayed - Edwards III’s Queen, Eleanor, is said to have watched the English fleet from Udimore before the Battle of Winchelsea (against a Castilian fleet) on 29 August 1350.

Historically, the church nave was originally 12th century Norman, to which a south aisle was added around 1200, with the chancel added slightly later and the tower slightly later still, around 1230. The aisle was lost at some later period and the whole church was heavily restored in 1896.

From the outside, the church looks impressively large: the tower is robust and squat, and barely higher than the tall nave and chancel roofs. The walls on both north and south sides of the nave betray a series of alterations, with blocked arches abounding. On entering the church, it is clear that it once had a south aisle of three bays, in the Early English Gothic style, on round columns with stiff-leaf capitals, dating from the very beginning of the 13th century: these are best preserved in the central bay, which now forms the south 'porch’, although there is no internal door or wall.

It is not clear when the aisle was demolished, but may have been around the time of the Black Death. The porch was added during the 19th century, using a 15th century door, and the north wall nave lancets are also 19th century. The south nave windows are 15th century, although heavily restored, and probably came from the original south aisle wall.

The chancel is entered through a beautifully proportioned (and very pointed) arch, and now we find ourselves firmly in the 13th century. The chancel is indeed textbook Early English Gothic: there are lancets in the north and south walls, and a triple lancet composition at the east end. The westernmost lancet on the south wall was originally lower, to allow people outside the church to watch the mass: the sill was raised in line with the others in Victorian times - the alteration is clearly visible on the outside.

The church has some interesting fittings: in the chancel is a small wooden font, covered in plaster to make it look like stone: an edict at the Reformation forbade the use of wooden vessels, and this is an unusually late example (early 18th century) of a stone 'forgery' designed to hide the fact!

The Jacobean period is represented by a fine bench seat in the porch, and there is a particularly grand coat of arms of George III, erected by two churchwardens in 1772. The pulpit and font are both Victorian. Back outside, the churchyard contains some interesting graves, including a number of anthropomorphic 'bodystones’.

Udimore, just off the B2089, near Rye. TN31 6BB

St Michael, Playden

2009-07-03T23:10:00.004+01:00

Playden is today almost a suburb of Rye, and passes almost unnoticed by those driving along the A268. But it is mentioned in the Domesday book (as “Plaidenham”), and has a fine – and largely unrestored - late 12th century church, tucked just off the main road.

From the outside, the most notable feature is the slender shingled broach spire, atop a robust Norman tower. The interior betrays the change from round Norman arches in the three easternmost bays of the nave, to Early Gothic arches in the westernmost bay, and under the tower. A small Norman window in the north aisle also testifies to a possibly older past.

But its treasures are its fittings: first amongst equals is the rare but astonishing decorated gothic wooden screen between the north aisle chapel and the tower. This has complex ogee work forming medallions above turned columns, and is believed to date from around 1310. The chancel is screened by a later Perpendicular screen, simpler but still handsome. Under the tower itself is an ancient ladder – there is no staircase – which has been dated to 1686. Alas, it is no longer safe to use.

Finally, in the north aisle is an unusual memorial stone, featuring two casks and a crossed matchstick and fork. It commemorates a Flemish brewer, Cornelis Roetmans who was buried here in 1530.

Playden, on A268 1 mile north of Rye.

St Dunstan, Snargate

2009-07-03T22:59:00.004+01:00

Romney Marsh in Kent is famous for its ancient and atmospheric churches: built to serve villages which are shadows of their former selves, their isolated towers pepper the flat, windswept landscape.

So it is with St Dunstan, at Snargate; a few cottages and a pub, but otherwise all around is fields, willows and sheep. The name derives from the snare-gates, or sluices, built to maintain the water way to Romney harbour, and recorded as long ago as 1254. The flat landscape wasn’t always regarded as romantic, though: as late as 1799, Hasted’s History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent describes it as a “very forlorn unhealthy place, partaking of the same bad qualities of both air and water as the neighbouring parishes in the Marsh”.

The first impression of the church is one of surprising size for so remote a location, a view reinforced on entering its spacious interior. Its early history is not known, but the present nave dates from around 1200, enlarged around 1250 with aisles to the north and south. The resulting arcades are simple but handsome affairs of four pointed Early English Gothic arches on round piers. The responds at either end of the south aisle have women’s faces beneath foliage. The nave roof is magnificent – perfect tie-beams and king posts, dating from the 16th century.

The north aisle roof – unusually gabled – is older still, dating from the fourteenth century. Its trusses have decorative bosses, depicting (from west to east): foliage, a spread- eagle, a cross fleury, the initials “WN” and, against the east wall, the arms of Sir John Copuldlike, whose wife Joane inherited the Manor in 1399.

The chancel was added in the 14th century, and has two bays of arcades to what were once north and south chapels, with octagonal columns. There is – unusually – no chancel arch, although the position of the rood-screen can clearly be seen, as can the remains of the staircase which went up to it. The fifteenth century added the robust Perpendicular tower, dating from around 1400, and also the aisle windows. The tower arch is particularly impressive, framing a text-book late Gothic window. Finally, the small brick porch was added in the 18th century.

The church has some fascinating fittings and furnishings that bear greater inspection. Pride of place goes to the wall painting of a ship in the north aisle, dating from 1500 (picture below). So good is the painting, that it can be dated to a type of ‘great ship’ from the period 1480-1520, of perhaps 800 tones, with four masts, a forecastle, half deck and quarter deck. There is a local tradition that such a painting indicated that the church was a safe place in which to hide smuggled goods, and indeed in 1743 a large seizure of tobacco was made in the belfry, and a cask of hollands (Dutch gin) was found under the vestry table!

To the right of the painting, either side of the north door, two lead plates record those who repaired the church in 1780, including “T. Apps, carpenter, and all his jolly men”.

Between the chancel and north aisle is a 14th century altar tomb in the Decorated Gothic style decorated with quatrefoils, dating from around 1360, but sadly lacking its inlaid brass. The sanctuary rails of wood atop wrought iron supports are 17th century, and the pulpit 18th century. All are simple but handsome. Back in the nave, the font, from around 1220, still has its original lead lining. Next to it are some preserved encaustic tiles, from 1485. Finally, the church has a ring of three bells, one of which, inscribed “+ AVE * MARIA”, dates from around 1275.

The church has a service once a fortnight, and is part of the parish of Brenzett with Snargate and Brookland with Fairfield. The church is normally open in daylight hours. It’s well worth a detour.

Snargate, on lane opposite Red Lion pub, between Brenzett and Appledore TN29 9RX

St John the Evangelist, Piddinghoe

2009-07-01T21:48:00.004+01:00

Piddinghoe is a fortunate place. Although just a mile or two from Newhaven and half an hour from Brighton, this delightful little village nestling under the South Downs has more than its fair share of picture-postcard cottages, a quay on the River Ouse with colourful boats tied alongside, and a lake in the former clay workings now used for watersports.

It also has a fascinating and atmospheric little church, set on a mound directly above the river, notable for having one of three round towers in the Ouse valley (the others being at Southease and St Michael, Lewes). Their origin reflects the plentiful supply of flints for building walls, but a shortage of other stone from which to carve out quoins for tower corners. Otherwise, from the outside, all is typical Sussex: walls of more flint, and a tiled roof which sweeps down almost to the ground. Inside, it is - even for an old church - extraordinarily dark and atmospheric.

Historically, it was built some time in the late 11th or early 12th century, as it is included in a list of churches given to the Priory of St Pancras at Lewes in 1121. It then probably consisted of just a simple nave and the tower. Expansion began early in the 12th century, when three round arches were cut into the north wall to form an aisle. Four arches were similarly inserted in the south wall to create a south aisle, but these are pointed and slightly chamfered in the Gothic style, and date to around 1200.

The Chancel was added later still, and is in the Early English style of the 13th century, with an attractive composition on the East wall of three lancets, with a round oculus window above, and a handsome (though restored) chancel arch. North and south aisles were added to the Chancel, at the same time, each with a two-bay arcade. However, at some later point the south and chancel aisles were demolished, and it was not until the restoration in 1882 that they were rebuilt, following the original floor plan, albeit with tiny quatrefoil windows in the south arcade clerestory.

The church is dark owing to the small Victorian aisle windows, heavy with stained glass by Wailes & Strang. The one exception is an attractive modern window at the west end of the north aisle, by Marguerite Douglas-Thompson, inserted in 1983. The vaguely pre-Raphaelite Chancel glass is by Powell & Sons. The only other furnishing of note is the font, dating from the 13th century. The tower has three bells, cast in the 13th or 14th century, and all recast in 1713.

Back outside, there are two points of interest: next to the tower are the village’s stocks, still in place and now listed as historic monuments in their own right. Finally, the tower’s weather vane is shaped like a large fish, although its age is not known (other than being present in the 19th century). It features in Rudyard Kipling’s poem 'Sussex’, thus: ...where windy Piddinghoe’s begilded dolphin veers… Kipling clearly used some poetic licence, as the fish resembles a salmon rather than a dolphin!

Piddinghoe, nr. Newhaven BN9 9AN

St Peter, Henfield

2009-06-28T18:58:00.007+01:00

Henfield is one of those Sussex villages people drive through and admire, but seldom stop to explore. That’s a pity, because - traffic aside - it’s a very attractive place, with an impressive church tucked away from the main street on a narrow lane.

History records King Osmond giving permission to the local Count Warbold for a church as far back as 770AD, but the oldest parts of the present church date from around 1250. Rebuilding in the late 13th or early 14th centuries provided the present nave and clerestory, and the 15th century left the tower and Lady Chapel. Restoration in 1871 delivered the present wide aisles and two-bay outer aisles as transepts, as well as a new chancel.

From the outside, the impression is of an entirely Victorian church, save for the tower: Pevsner’s Buildings of England describes this as: “A Perp tower like a keep, as grim as it would be in Northumberland”, though it reminds me of the tower of the church in which I was christened, at Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset. But inside, the retention of the 13th century chancel arch and handsome 14th century arcade and nave roof, as well as the Lady Chapel, give it a more historic appearance, although it's hard not to be distracted by those those wide Victorian aisles.

Fittings are mostly Victorian, too, although the screen to the chapel – now known as the Parham Chapel - is 15th century, and there are old church chests – one Jacobean – dotted around. The piscina is also 14th century and was moved to the chancel in the Victorian restoration. Two 13th century lancet windows were also retained, now in the clergy vestry. The chapel windows are original, although the glass in modern (several of the windows are by Kempe). The most striking modern addition is the new stone floor, which still looks very new and one hopes will mellow a little with age.

Before you leave, the churchyard is worth exploring: there are some fine 18th century gravestones, and several avenues of clipped yews – 104 in all!

Church Lane, Henfield, West Sussex BN5 9NY

St Mary Magdalene, Paddington

2009-06-26T10:57:00.005+01:00

Not to be confused with the nearby church of St Mary, Paddington, St Mary Magdalene hugs the banks of the Grand Union Canal west of Little Venice. Designed by George Street, it is one of the most remarkable neo-Gothic churches in London.

The church was built from 1867 onwards for the Rev Dr Richard Temple West, then curate at All Saints, Margaret Street, to bring the ‘high’ Tractarian style of worship to what was then a poor community living in overcrowded housing. The street plan severely constrained the site, for which Street’s solution was the long, tall narrow design we see today. It’s hard to appreciate now what it must have looked like originally, since the surrounding streets have long since been replaced by a modern housing estate, and the church is now mostly surrounded by green space.

The church is built in red brick, in Street’s preferred Decorated Gothic: the most striking exterior feature is its slender octagonal belfry, surmounted by an elegant spire, which emphasises the height of the nave and polygonal apse, and forms a distinctive local landmark.

Inside, more of Street’s ingenuity is apparent: the South aisle is generous, but with insufficient room for a north aisle, there is instead an arcade with just a narrow passage behind, and the two arcades are different: the south aisle has conventional arcade on clustered piers, the north with arches on octagonal piers, with a pair of arches within each bay on a slim colonnettes. Both arcades carry large statues of saints under elaborate canopies.

However, the glory of the church is its lavish decoration and furnishings – too extensive to describe in detail, but there are paintings, mosaics, memorial brasses, abundant statuary and wall tiling, and a complete scheme of stained glass by Henry Holiday, a friend of pre-Raphaelite Burne-Jones. The north and south windows are particularly attractive and depict Saints with British connections.

Even the ceiling is painted, with a scheme by Daniel Bell (1873) showing saints and Biblical characters connected with the months of the year. Other artists and artisans included Ninian Comper, Thomas Earp, Martin Travers and Salviati. The crypt (which I have not seen, and to which access is limited) contains the Chapel of St Sepulchre, created as a memorial to Father West in 1894, again by Comper.

Aside from services, the church is usually open on Thursdays, and is well worth the short walk alongside the Grand Union Canal from Little Venice.

Rowington Close, Paddington W2 5TF Nearest Underground: Warwick Avenue

St Mary The Boltons, Kensington

2009-06-25T12:17:00.003+01:00

Surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in the world, St Mary’s nevertheless looks like a country church parachuted into central London, almost disappearing behind the dense trees and hedges of the central garden of the Boltons.

The church itself is the work of the architect George Godwin, and was constructed 1849-50 on the then developing Gunter Estate. It was largely financed by the first incumbent, Rev Hogarth Swale.

The church is largely in the Decorated Gothic style, with an aisleless cruciform plan. The exterior is very attractive, of Kentish ragstone and Bath stone dressings, with a short tower, octagonal lantern and spire (added in 1854). It sits in the middle of a lozenge-shaped garden, with park benches for visitors to admire the prettily kept gardens around the church.

After such a gentle introduction, the interior comes as rather a shock: it is severely whitewashed, and rather bright, as much of the stained glass was removed after War damage. The dark, heavy roof is supported on carved corbels showing the apostles, although these are hard to see through the whitewash. The altar was moved forward to the crossing in 1952, and the chancel turned into a Lady Chapel. I’m not convinced this presentation works: it feels, to me at least, in need of some colourful banners on the nave walls to liven it up.

Still, it retains its oak pews, and has an interesting and attractive bronze Pieta by Naomi Blake in St Luke’s Chapel (installed for the 150th anniversary celebrations), as well as Godwin’s original font. A few Victorian stained glass windows also survive, although the most notable is the bold, almost primitive-style East window by Margaret Kaye, inserted in 1955.

I had a very friendly welcome on my visit, and the church itself is the centre of a busy Parish, with services in 'the best liberal Anglican tradition’, according to its website.

The Boltons, Kensington, SW10 9TB. Nearest underground station: Earl's Court

St Paul, Knightsbridge

2009-05-29T12:27:00.003+01:00

St Paul’s, Knightsbridge, is one of those surprises that London specialises in: so close to the busy thoroughfares of Knightsbridge and Belgrave Square, so close to the touristy hot-spot of Hyde Park Corner, and yet unknown to most of those who pass by.

Perhaps that is to the benefit of those who do know about it: a church that is open on most days, its neo-Gothic splendour - and splendour is the right word here - providing an oasis of calm and tranquility in the midst of rushing madness.

History

The need for church here was becoming clearly evident in the early 19th century, as the development of the Belgravia and Knightsbridge areas started in earnest. The church was built mostly by private subscription: Thomas Cundy the younger was appointed architect, and the work was undertaken 1840-1843.

The church was perhaps the first in London to champion the principles of the Oxford Movement, which emphasised a return to the rituals and traditions of the Catholic church, and debates and controversy arising from this dominated the first 50 years of its life. The Chancel was lengthened in 1871-2 and again in 1892 by the well-known church architect G F Bodley, with the addition of a side chapel by the equally well-known A Blomfield in 1889.

Architecture

The church itself is built in the Perpendicular Gothic style, of yellow brick with Bath stone dressings. It has a prominent (though to me, slightly incongruous) western clock tower.

The exterior is handsome enough, but rather plain. It does not prepare you at all for the interior: the first impression is one of a vast space - the nave is both wide and high - and of the unusual retention of large galleries, supported on cast-iron columns on the north, south and west sides. The Chancel is separated by a full and elaborate rood screen - the work of Bodley, as is the design of much of the rest of the lavish decorative scheme, including the East Window.

The theme of elaborate decoration continues unabated throughout the church: the walls have tiled panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ (by Daniel Bell) interspersed with painted stations of the Cross (by Gerald Moira), and statuary and paintings abound. My favourite is actually the ceiling, a wonderful structure supported by impressive wooden ceiling trusses. Unsurprisingly, it is a Grade-II* Listed Building.

The church is today centre of a very busy parish life. In its past, it has been associated with the great and the good, although these days it emphasises its inclusiveness. It has a rich tradition of music, and is also a venue for regular concerts.

Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 8SH Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner