St Julian's Church, Kingston Buci
Encyclopedia
St Julian's Church is an Anglican church in Kingston Buci
(also known as Kingston by Sea) in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. Kingston Buci was a Saxon-era
village near the English Channel
coast between Southwick
and Shoreham-by-Sea
; little remains from that period, and modern residential development has obscured the old boundaries between the settlements, but the church retains its mostly 13th-century appearance and serves a parish which retains the ancient Kingston Buci name. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
settlement—possibly with Celtic influence. The manor
was held by Ralph de Buci on behalf of William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber
at the time of the Domesday survey
in 1086, and a church was established by that time. Excavations carried out in the 1960s discovered that the foundations and the surviving nave
walls were late Saxon
, predating the Norman conquest
by a few years.
The church was dedicated to Julian of Antioch
during the 12th century. A century later, the building took its present form when the chancel
and central tower were built, creating the simple three-cell (nave–tower–chancel) layout. A two-bay
north aisle was added to the nave at the same time, and a porch was built on the south side. The advowson
of the church was held by the de Buci family throughout this period; it passed out of their control when the manor was conveyed to another family in 1356. Since 1826, when George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
acquired the advowson, the patrons of the church have been the Earl of Egremont
and their successors, the Baronetcy of Leconfield
. Max Wyndham, 2nd Baron Egremont
is the current incumbent.
One unusual and ancient feature of the church, which survived in a complete form until the 14th century, was an anchorite
's cell. These rare features, associated with medieval churches, housed hermit
s who were pursuing a life of asceticism
: they would be walled up inside the cell for life, and a window into the chancel would connect them to the church. At St Julian's Church, the cell walls themselves were removed by the 14th century, but the window (a form of hagioscope
) and a door remain in perfect condition, and the roofline can still be seen. The door would have been built over when the anchorite was in the cell.
Lancet
and Perpendicular Gothic windows were added in the north, south and west walls in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Lewknor family, who held the advowson in the 16th century, built an Easter Sepulchre
at the north end of the chancel, containing the family tomb and memorials. Restoration
in the 19th century renewed some of the windows—for which the Perpendicular style was retained except in the east wall, which was given a large lancet window—improved the north aisle and added a buttress
to the outside of the nave.
s. The walls of the nave survive from the 11th century, and the rebuilding work of the 13th century appears not to have changed the proportions of the rest of the church. Although the aisle was rebuilt in the 19th century, its large arches—described by Nikolaus Pevsner
as "beautifully proportioned"—remain from the 13th century, when it was originally built.
The tower has a rib vault
in which the ribs are moulded
and rest on columns with rounded abaci
. The central placement of the tower and the vaulted arrangement mean that its lower section forms the quire. Outside, it is capped by a shallow, pyramid-shaped hipped
roof laid with pantiles.
Interior features include the Lewknor family's tomb in the Easter Sepulchre
, a pulpit
with two decks, an organ
in its own gallery, a 14th-century chancel screen, a rare singing-desk and some box pews. The Lewknor tomb has ogee
mouldings and a series of carvings depicting the Pietà
, the Resurrection of Jesus
and the Trinity
. The pulpit, made in the 18th century, dominates the interior with its size and positioning. The lower deck, an uncommon feature, serves as a separate priest's reading desk.
on 8 May 1950. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district.
The parish covers the area now referred to on maps as Kingston by Sea. The eastern boundary is formed by Kingston Lane and Upper Kingston Lane; on the west side, Eastern Lane forms the border with Shoreham-by-Sea; to the south is the River Adur; and field boundaries on the downland
slopes form the northern limits. These correspond with the ancient parish boundaries. The area is 782 acres (316.5 ha).
Kingston by Sea
Kingston by Sea, also known as Kingston Buci, Kingston Bucii or simply Kingston, is a small area in the Adur district of West Sussex, England. Although it is now part of a continuous urban area, its origins lay in an ancient village and parish church between Southwick to the east, Shoreham-by-Sea...
(also known as Kingston by Sea) in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Kingston Buci was a Saxon-era
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
village near the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast between Southwick
Southwick, West Sussex
Southwick is a small town and civil parish in the Adur District of West Sussex, England located three miles west of Brighton and a suburb of the East Sussex resort City of Brighton & Hove...
and Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea
Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...
; little remains from that period, and modern residential development has obscured the old boundaries between the settlements, but the church retains its mostly 13th-century appearance and serves a parish which retains the ancient Kingston Buci name. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Kingston, as it was originally called, was founded as an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement—possibly with Celtic influence. The manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
was held by Ralph de Buci on behalf of William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber
William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber
William de Braose , First Lord of Bramber was previously lord of Briouze, Normandy. He was granted lands in England by William the Conqueror soon after he and his followers had invaded and controlled Saxon England.- Norman victor :De Braose was given extensive lands in Sussex by 1073...
at the time of the Domesday survey
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086, and a church was established by that time. Excavations carried out in the 1960s discovered that the foundations and the surviving nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
walls were late Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
, predating the Norman conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
by a few years.
The church was dedicated to Julian of Antioch
Julian of Antioch
Saint Julian of Antioch is venerated as a Christian martyr of the fourth century. His date of death is given as 305 AD . He is sometimes confused with another saint of the same name.Of senatorial rank, he was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian...
during the 12th century. A century later, the building took its present form when the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and central tower were built, creating the simple three-cell (nave–tower–chancel) layout. A two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
north aisle was added to the nave at the same time, and a porch was built on the south side. The advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of the church was held by the de Buci family throughout this period; it passed out of their control when the manor was conveyed to another family in 1356. Since 1826, when George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was a British peer. A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1763 at the age of 12, inheriting estates at Petworth, Egremont, Leconfield and land in Wiltshire and Somerset. He later inherited the lands of the Earl...
acquired the advowson, the patrons of the church have been the Earl of Egremont
Earl of Egremont
Earls of Egremont was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1749, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Cockermouth, for Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, with remainder to his nephews Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th Baronet, of Orchard Wyndham, and Percy Wyndham-O’Brien...
and their successors, the Baronetcy of Leconfield
Baron Leconfield
Baron Leconfield, of Leconfield in the East Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1859 for George Wyndham. He was the eldest natural son and adopted heir of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont...
. Max Wyndham, 2nd Baron Egremont
Max Wyndham, 2nd Baron Egremont
John Max Henry Scawen Wyndham, 7th Baron Leconfield, 2nd Baron Egremont , generally known simply as Max Egremont, is a British biographer and novelist....
is the current incumbent.
One unusual and ancient feature of the church, which survived in a complete form until the 14th century, was an anchorite
Anchorite
Anchorite denotes someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, and—circumstances permitting—Eucharist-focused life...
's cell. These rare features, associated with medieval churches, housed hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
s who were pursuing a life of asceticism
Asceticism
Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
: they would be walled up inside the cell for life, and a window into the chancel would connect them to the church. At St Julian's Church, the cell walls themselves were removed by the 14th century, but the window (a form of hagioscope
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
) and a door remain in perfect condition, and the roofline can still be seen. The door would have been built over when the anchorite was in the cell.
Lancet
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
and Perpendicular Gothic windows were added in the north, south and west walls in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Lewknor family, who held the advowson in the 16th century, built an Easter Sepulchre
Easter Sepulchre
An Easter Sepulchre is a feature of English church architecture .-Description:The Easter Sepulchre is an arched recess generally in the north wall of the chancel, in which from Good Friday to Easter day were deposited the crucifix and sacred elements in commemoration of Christ's entombment and...
at the north end of the chancel, containing the family tomb and memorials. Restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century renewed some of the windows—for which the Perpendicular style was retained except in the east wall, which was given a large lancet window—improved the north aisle and added a buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
to the outside of the nave.
Architecture
St Julian's Church is a flint building with stone dressings, and consists of a nave with a north aisle, chancel and central (but partly offset) tower. The chancel and tower are the same width, and there are no transeptTransept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s. The walls of the nave survive from the 11th century, and the rebuilding work of the 13th century appears not to have changed the proportions of the rest of the church. Although the aisle was rebuilt in the 19th century, its large arches—described by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as "beautifully proportioned"—remain from the 13th century, when it was originally built.
The tower has a rib vault
Rib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
in which the ribs are moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
and rest on columns with rounded abaci
Abacus (architecture)
In architecture, an abacus is a flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, above the bell. Its chief function is to provide a large supporting surface to receive the weight of the arch or the architrave above...
. The central placement of the tower and the vaulted arrangement mean that its lower section forms the quire. Outside, it is capped by a shallow, pyramid-shaped hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
roof laid with pantiles.
Interior features include the Lewknor family's tomb in the Easter Sepulchre
Easter Sepulchre
An Easter Sepulchre is a feature of English church architecture .-Description:The Easter Sepulchre is an arched recess generally in the north wall of the chancel, in which from Good Friday to Easter day were deposited the crucifix and sacred elements in commemoration of Christ's entombment and...
, a pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
with two decks, an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
in its own gallery, a 14th-century chancel screen, a rare singing-desk and some box pews. The Lewknor tomb has ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
mouldings and a series of carvings depicting the Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
, the Resurrection of Jesus
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
and the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
. The pulpit, made in the 18th century, dominates the interior with its size and positioning. The lower deck, an uncommon feature, serves as a separate priest's reading desk.
The church today
St Julian's Church was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 8 May 1950. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district.
The parish covers the area now referred to on maps as Kingston by Sea. The eastern boundary is formed by Kingston Lane and Upper Kingston Lane; on the west side, Eastern Lane forms the border with Shoreham-by-Sea; to the south is the River Adur; and field boundaries on the downland
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
slopes form the northern limits. These correspond with the ancient parish boundaries. The area is 782 acres (316.5 ha).