St Mary, Chiddingfold

St Mary, Petworth

St Mary's lies to the north of the little town's historic centre, against the imposing walls of Petworth House. Its imposing but rather modern-looking tower is rather unexpected, though, and betrays the church's complex building history.

For starters, the plan is unusual: a cruciform church to which has been added a much wider south aisle than north, and a large chapel north of the chancel. This reflects a building sequence where the mediaeval church - from which the chancel (13th century), St Thomas's Chapel (12th century) and north arcade (14th century) survive - was heavily restored by Sir Charles Barry in 1827. He also raised the short mediaeval tower in brick, and then stuccoed it with a small spire. A further restoration by Kempe & Tower in 1903 added the south arcade and various fittings - the organ case, rood screen and reredos. The tower's spire and stucco was removed in 1947, giving the church its current appearance.

All this yields a rather strange interior: the south aisle and north transept are largely empty, and the former baptistry in the south transept (under the tower) is roped off and used for storage. But the nave has a pretty painted ceiling, and both nave and north chapel are filled with monuments and there is Kempe's stained glass.

The furnishings of interest are the monuments, and pride of place goes to the rather naive 16th century tomb recess in the north chapel, to Sir John Dawtrey (d. 1542) ands his wife. This mixes Gothic and Renaissance elements, and the figures, posed facing each other, have been prettily painted. A couple of monuments are by the celebrated John Flaxman (1755-1826) and, in the north aisle, sits a life-size, seated monument to George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (d. 1837) by Edward Hodges Baily. Though lifelike, his countenance is grim and severe - so it is surprising to learn that he was both a patron of Turner and Constable, and sired no fewer than forty illegitimate children.

St Mary's has a traditional pattern of Eucharistic services, and a range of events including afternoon tea & cake and coffee mornings, and a mother's and toddler's group. The church is also supported by its own Friend's group.

St Mary's, Church Street, Petworth GU28 0AD

St Richard, Burton Park

The little church of Burton stands next to Burton Park, 3 miles south of Petworth, but has no village. The main house and its outbuildings are now in mixed private ownership, but is easily visited on a walk from nearby Burton Ponds nature trail.

The tiny church is described in the Sussex edition of Pevsner's County Guides as, "a loveable, unrestored building, one of the mellowest in Sussex". It's hard to better that - the interior is a jumble of monuments and paintings of different dates, forming an harmonious whole.

Both nave and chancel are Norman, but the windows were replaced in 1636 in a repair ordered by Archbishop William Juxon. It has a dumpy west turret and herringbone masonry. The interior has benches using linenfold panels and a splendid and rare Royal coat of arms to Charles I, painted directly onto the wall. There are three splendid monuments: in the chancel, a 15th century recess containing a small recumbent female figure; a further recess in the south wall contains a brass to John Goring (d. 1521); opposite, a larger, canopied tomb commemorates Sir William Goring (d. 1553) and his wife (d. 1558). This has a patchwork of small brasses, including that of Lady Goring, though her husband's is missing. The tomb itself is a typical Tudor mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles.

The 15th century screen has a tympanum above with the commandments - again painted on the plaster. In the window splay of the north wall nave window is an unusual wall painting of a female martyr, being crucified feet upwards, her long hair flowing down.

The church has a monthly sung evensong on the second Sunday of the month, and is open daily for visits and private prayer.

St Richard, Burton Park, Duncton, Petworth GU28 0QU 

All Saints, Witley

Witley is a pretty village on the busy A283 Godalming to Petworth road, its church on a bank just high enough to rise above from the traffic. The church is an ancient foundation and contains rare wall paintings from c. 1120, from the Lewes Priory school, which also includes those at Clayton and Hardham.

The church is Saxon in origin, with a tall, narrow nave and an original splayed window in the south wall. The crossing tower was added at the end of the 12th century: the chancel and north chapel have a mixture of 13th and 14th century features, most notably a lovely East window in the curvilinear style. The north aisle and transept are 19th century, but fit happily into what is a warm and welcoming village church interior.

The wall paintings are less well preserved than those at Hardham and Clayton, but depict various scenes from the life of the Virgin and Christ: they include the Virgin at the Temple, the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus (the feast of Dives), with Abraham in heaven; the Marys watching the tomb of Christ, finding the empty tomb and the appearance of Christ to them; the Harrowing of Hell; and various scenes following the resurrection, and the parable of the miraculous haul of fishes. Althoguh the colours are faint (mostly pinks and browns) enough survives to show how lively and vivid they must once have been. More paintings are slowly being uncovered on the west and north walls.

Other furnishings of interest include a remarkable 13th century font, with an octagonal stem surrounded by 8 shafts; and a memorial brass to Thomas Jonys (d. 1530), a court official of Henry VIII.

The church has a busy parish life in the central tradition, with a choir, bellringers, and groups for toddlers, children and a Sunday School.

All Saints, Church Lane, Witley GU8 5PN

St Paul, East Molesey

East Molesey is a leafy and comfortable suburb of London on the south bank of the River Thames, to the west of Hampton Court station. St Paul's is one of two churches built to serve the growing suburb in the 1850s.

The church occupies a roundabout at the end of a long and impressive avenue which leads from the village high street, and was built to the designs of Stephen Salter & James John Laforest. Work progressed in stages: the nave and chancel were completed in 1854, followed by the south aisle (1860) and north aisle (1864), a nave extension in 1870 and the tower and spire in 1887-8. The land was donated by the property developer Francis Jackson Kent, to replace an earlier and smaller church which was no longer sufficient for the growing community.

The style is a rustic Decorated Gothic: ragstone on the outside, with a picturesque spire; inside, the nave arcades have octagonal piers with stiff-leaf capitals, each depicting different plants, now picked out in red and gold; and windows with a dizzying array of foliation. The church has some impressive stained glass, notably with a number of windows by Kemp, though mercifully there is enough clear glass to keep the interior from being too gloomy.

The church worships in the central style and has great provision for children, with Messy Church and one of the best collections of toys I've ever seen (and a 'bug hotel' in the churchyard). Happily, the church is also open during weekdays for private prayer and visits.

St Paul, Church Rd, East Molesey KT8 9DR