St John the Baptist, Ripe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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