The parish church of St Nicholas in Compton has the double
honour of being Surrey’s best Norman church, and of possessing England’s only
two-storeyed sanctuary. It is well worth a visit.
The lower part of the tower and the corners of the nave date
from the earlier Saxon church. The Norman work is in two phases: the chancel
arch and chancel date from 1080-1100, and the aisles with their solid, rounded
arcades, together with the upper sanctuary, date from 1160-80. The only major
later addition was the upper part of the tower with its shingle broached spire,
in the late 13th or 14th centuries. The porch is
Victorian.
Inside, the whitewash reveals a wealth of Norman decoration.
The chancel arch has fine dogtooth carving, and the capitals of the arcade
piers have scalloped and crude foliage designs. The east nave wall has the
remains of an unusual 15th century painted decoration, of stepped
cubes in perspective, instead of the usual Judgement.
The chancel is a gem: the lower sanctuary is framed by an exquisite
arch with roll mouldings, saw-tooth and dog-tooth ornament. The balustrade of
the lower sanctuary is Jacobean, c. 1620 (as are the fine pulpit and screen),
but this is outshone by the Romanesque balustrade of the upper sanctuary: this
is original Norman work (c. 1180), making it the oldest architectural timberwork
in situ in England. Squints to the north and south chancel walls may relate to
anchorite cells: that on the south side may have been a chantry chapel. An ancient wooden staircase joins the two sanctuaries.
The fittings and fixtures are equally rich: the north aisle and lower
sanctuary have 14th and 15th century tomb recesses, and piscinas and aumbries abound. The chancel arch has rare Crusader
graffiti, a 12th century image of a knight with a pointed
helmet, with crosses and intersecting circles. The east window has 13th century stained glass of the Virgin
and Child, and in the nave floor are brasses to the Thomas Genning and his
family (d. 1508), though sadly with some of the images missing.
The church has no fewer than four services on a Sunday. After your
visit, the nearby Watts Cemetery Chapel provides a striking contrast of
Arts and Crafts workmanship.
The Street, Compton, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1EG
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