St Mary Magdalene's Church, Tortington
Encyclopedia
St Mary Magdalene's Church is the former Anglican
parish church
of the hamlet
of Tortington
in the district of Arun
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. Founded in the 12th century to serve a priory and villagers in the riverside location, it has experienced little change despite a 19th-century restoration
. Its ancient chancel arch and doorway have remarkable carvings with "grotesque, boggle-eyed monsters", rare beakhead figures and chevron ornamentation. Standing in a picturesque setting behind a farm, the flint and Caen stone
building was used for worship until 1978, when it was declared redundant
. It is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust
, and English Heritage
has listed it at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
and parish next to the River Arun
in West Sussex. The ecclesiastical parish was originally shaped like an inverted triangle, but many boundary changes took place over the centuries. As well as the manor—mentioned in the Domesday survey
of 1086—there was a medieval Augustinian
monastery, Tortington Priory. An agricultural hamlet
had developed by the 12th century, and its layout and function have changed little since then.
A church was first mentioned in the mid-12th century, when there was a rectory. It was built primarily to serve the priory. The doorway and "delightful" chancel
arch survive from that era—both have been dated to 1140—and the layout and fabric of the church are still largely 12th-century despite subsequent restoration. An aisle with two bays
was added to the south side of the nave
in the 13th century, and the doorway was moved to accommodate it. The aisle was later destroyed (during or before the 18th century), and its arcade
was blocked. Another 13th-century change was the addition of lancet window
s in the north and south walls of the chancel.
The church was quick to install seating for parishioners as this gradually became standard in the 15th and 16th centuries (until then, churches had none). Some of these early seats survive, in the form of plain, straight-headed wooden benches. Features described in the medieval period but now lost include a Lady chapel
—a recess on the outside of the chancel wall may be a remnant of this—a leaded steeple and a porch, of which there are fragmentary remains. A white bell-turret, similar to that at St Andrew's Church at nearby Ford
, replaced the steeple. Constructed of timber and added in the 18th century, it was apparently painted white to help with navigation along the adjacent River Arun
. Also in the 18th century, the chancel arch and chancel roof were remodelled (the nave had already acquired a timber king post
roof in the medieval era)
Many Sussex churches were restored
during the Victorian era, sometimes drastically; St Mary Magdalene's Church was reordered in 1867, but the changes were modest. A new south aisle was built to replace the destroyed 13th-century aisle, and the arcade separating it from the nave was unblocked. The doorway was moved to its original position as a result. A vestry
was built on the north side in 1892.
The area remained sparsely populated in the 20th century, and congregations declined. The Diocese of Chichester
declared St Mary Magdalene's Church redundant
on 1 August 1978. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
) on 21 April 1980, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Chichester
, Church Norton
, North Stoke
and Warminghurst
.
St Mary Magdalene's Church was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
on 5 June 1958. Such buildings are defined as being "nationally important and of special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 913 Grade II listed buildings, and 960 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Arun.
of St Mary Magdalene's Church have a complicated history. For most of its existence, it was a parish church
with its own vicar, although the incumbents did not always live in the parish (they generally lived in nearby Arundel
from the early 19th century onwards). The church at Binsted
was within the parish in the 16th century. In 1897, the parish ceased to be independent: it became part of a joint benefice with Arundel. A third church, at South Stoke
, was added to this arrangement in 1929; the parishes were never merged though. Tortington's identity survives as of in the legal name of the parish of St Nicholas' Church, Arundel: Arundel with Tortington. Its benefice is still called Arundel with Tortington and South Stoke.
The advowson (the right to appoint clergy) was first mentioned in 1214, when it was held by William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel
. It passed to Tortington Priory by 1380 and stayed with that institution until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in the mid-16th century, when it passed to the Lord of the Manor
at Tortington Manor. This continued throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, although the Earl of Arundel apparently held the right again in 1579 and The Crown
made three appointments in the 17th century. Various other noblemen held the advowson in the 18th and 19th centuries until it passed to the Bishop of Chichester
in 1897.
and stone rubble are the main building materials; there are quoins
of Caen stone
. Remains of the original south porch can still be seen.
The most distinctive features of the church are its two surviving Norman-era
structures: the south doorway and the chancel arch. These are densely and richly carved with a wide range of decorations, including bizarre monsters and unusual beakhead
-shaped designs. The latter are rare in Sussex—only St Mary's Church at Broadwater
and St Mary de Haura Church
at Shoreham-by-Sea
have similar designs. The doorway, whose door has decorative strap hinges, has three layers of carvings in its semicircular arch; they are in the form of chevrons, stars and grapes. The chevrons form a zigzag pattern and reach the jamb
s and capitals
; the outside face has the grape-like motifs in the angles where these meet, and the labels (horizontal elements) have the repeating star pattern. Nikolaus Pevsner
describes the carvings as "keeping inside the established pattern" of such work, and not displaying the "extraordinary ... [simultaneously] mannered and extrovert" details of the carved doorway at St Mary's Church at nearby Climping
.
Inside, the carvings around the chancel arch—dating from about 1140, like the doorway—consist of "an amazing congregation of grotesque monsters", "boggle-eyed ... with beaks, tongues and squid-like tentacles, that frown and glare at visitors below". The roll mouldings
of the arch are held in the beaks of these "fearsome", "wide-eyed horrors". Such "beakhead" decoration is a little-understood feature of Late Norman architecture: in churches, it may have been used to capture the congregation's interest or to inspire fear and awe. The moulding has two orders (recessed jambs which together form a chamfer
ed opening): in contrast to the lavishly decorated outer order, the inner order is plain.
Some Norman windows survive: these are large, round-arched and chamfer
ed with deep splays. The chancel has 13th-century lancets, some of which have stained glass
by Charles Eamer Kempe
(one, of St Richard of Chichester
, has been described as "of exceptional quality compared with most windows of this period [late 19th century] in Sussex"). The east window of the chancel has stained glass attributed to Thomas Willement
. The south aisle, added in the 13th century and unblocked in 1867 during the restoration
of that year, has chamfer
ed arches supported on round abaci
and octagonal respond
s.
The oldest internal fitting is a 12th-century font
of Caen stone, with a round bowl, foliage decoration in the form of honeysuckle
s, decorative mouldings
and an arcade-style motif with scallop-shaped capitals. An "interesting" plain Jacobean
pulpit
of the early 17th century, with legs rather than the usual single stem, may have been made by a local craftsman. There are 15th-century panelled pews in the south aisle. Above the chancel arch there are two hatchment
s designed in the 18th century.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Tortington
Tortington
Tortington is a small village in the Arun district of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the Arundel to Ford road southwest of Arundel. It had an Augustinian priory, Tortington Priory, but little evidence of this remains. The village's former parish church, St Mary Magdalene's Church, was...
in the district of Arun
Arun
Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.-History:...
, 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...
. Founded in the 12th century to serve a priory and villagers in the riverside location, it has experienced little change despite a 19th-century 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...
. Its ancient chancel arch and doorway have remarkable carvings with "grotesque, boggle-eyed monsters", rare beakhead figures and chevron ornamentation. Standing in a picturesque setting behind a farm, the flint and Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
building was used for worship until 1978, when it was declared redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
. It is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
, and 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 II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Tortington is an ancient manorManorialism
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...
and parish next to the River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
in West Sussex. The ecclesiastical parish was originally shaped like an inverted triangle, but many boundary changes took place over the centuries. As well as the manor—mentioned in 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...
of 1086—there was a medieval Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
monastery, Tortington Priory. An agricultural hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
had developed by the 12th century, and its layout and function have changed little since then.
A church was first mentioned in the mid-12th century, when there was a rectory. It was built primarily to serve the priory. The doorway and "delightful" 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...
arch survive from that era—both have been dated to 1140—and the layout and fabric of the church are still largely 12th-century despite subsequent restoration. An aisle with two bays
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:...
was added to the south side of the 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...
in the 13th century, and the doorway was moved to accommodate it. The aisle was later destroyed (during or before the 18th century), and its arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
was blocked. Another 13th-century change was the addition of lancet window
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...
s in the north and south walls of the chancel.
The church was quick to install seating for parishioners as this gradually became standard in the 15th and 16th centuries (until then, churches had none). Some of these early seats survive, in the form of plain, straight-headed wooden benches. Features described in the medieval period but now lost include a Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
—a recess on the outside of the chancel wall may be a remnant of this—a leaded steeple and a porch, of which there are fragmentary remains. A white bell-turret, similar to that at St Andrew's Church at nearby Ford
Ford, West Sussex
Ford is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located 3 km to the south-west of Arundel...
, replaced the steeple. Constructed of timber and added in the 18th century, it was apparently painted white to help with navigation along the adjacent River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
. Also in the 18th century, the chancel arch and chancel roof were remodelled (the nave had already acquired a timber king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
roof in the medieval era)
Many Sussex churches were restored
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...
during the Victorian era, sometimes drastically; St Mary Magdalene's Church was reordered in 1867, but the changes were modest. A new south aisle was built to replace the destroyed 13th-century aisle, and the arcade separating it from the nave was unblocked. The doorway was moved to its original position as a result. A vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was built on the north side in 1892.
The area remained sparsely populated in the 20th century, and congregations declined. The Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared St Mary Magdalene's Church redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
on 1 August 1978. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
) on 21 April 1980, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
St John the Evangelist's Church is a former Anglican church in the cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes as a proprietary chapel, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching house" reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the Church...
, Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, also known as St Wilfrid's Church and originally as St Peter's Church, is a former Anglican church at Church Norton, a rural location near the village of Selsey in West Sussex, England...
, North Stoke
St Mary the Virgin's Church, North Stoke
North Stoke Church, rededicated in 2007 to St Mary the Virgin after its medieval dedication was unexpectedly rediscovered, is a former Church of England parish church in the riverside hamlet of North Stoke in the Horsham District of West Sussex...
and Warminghurst
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a former Anglican church in the hamlet of Warminghurst in the district of Horsham, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The present building, which is no longer used for worship, has 13th-century origins, but a church may...
.
St Mary Magdalene's Church was listed at Grade II by 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...
on 5 June 1958. Such buildings are defined as being "nationally important and of special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 913 Grade II listed buildings, and 960 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Arun.
Parochial history
The parish boundaries and advowsonAdvowson
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 St Mary Magdalene's Church have a complicated history. For most of its existence, it was a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
with its own vicar, although the incumbents did not always live in the parish (they generally lived in nearby Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
from the early 19th century onwards). The church at Binsted
Walberton
Walberton is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located five miles to the north-west of Littlehampton, and is situated south of the A27 road. Located on the southernmost slopes of the South Downs the civil parish covers an area of and has a population...
was within the parish in the 16th century. In 1897, the parish ceased to be independent: it became part of a joint benefice with Arundel. A third church, at South Stoke
South Stoke, West Sussex
South Stoke is a small village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is located two miles to the north of Arundel, and is situated on the west bank of the River Arun on the edge of Arundel Park. It is reached by road from Arundel. A footpath leads to North Stoke on the...
, was added to this arrangement in 1929; the parishes were never merged though. Tortington's identity survives as of in the legal name of the parish of St Nicholas' Church, Arundel: Arundel with Tortington. Its benefice is still called Arundel with Tortington and South Stoke.
The advowson (the right to appoint clergy) was first mentioned in 1214, when it was held by William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel
William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel
William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman, a favourite of King John, and a participant in the Fifth Crusade.-Lineage:...
. It passed to Tortington Priory by 1380 and stayed with that institution until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in the mid-16th century, when it passed to the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
at Tortington Manor. This continued throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, although the Earl of Arundel apparently held the right again in 1579 and The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
made three appointments in the 17th century. Various other noblemen held the advowson in the 18th and 19th centuries until it passed to the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
in 1897.
Architecture
St Mary Magdalene's Church has a nave, a narrower chancel, a vestry on the north side accessed from the nave, a south aisle with an arcade, a timber bell-turret and a roof of clay tiles which slopes steeply as a catslide over the aisle. FlintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and stone rubble are the main building materials; there are quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
of Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
. Remains of the original south porch can still be seen.
The most distinctive features of the church are its two surviving Norman-era
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
structures: the south doorway and the chancel arch. These are densely and richly carved with a wide range of decorations, including bizarre monsters and unusual beakhead
Beakhead
A beakhead is the protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship. It was fitted on sailing vessels from the 16th to the 18th century and served as a working platform by sailors working the sails of the bowsprit, the forward-pointing mast that carries the spritsails...
-shaped designs. The latter are rare in Sussex—only St Mary's Church at Broadwater
Broadwater, West Sussex
Broadwater is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. Situated between the South Downs and the English Channel, Broadwater was once a parish in its own right and included Worthing when the latter was a small fishing hamlet. Before its incorporation into the Borough of...
and St Mary de Haura Church
St Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea
St Mary de Haura Church is an Anglican church in the ancient "New Shoreham" area of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex...
at 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...
have similar designs. The doorway, whose door has decorative strap hinges, has three layers of carvings in its semicircular arch; they are in the form of chevrons, stars and grapes. The chevrons form a zigzag pattern and reach the jamb
Door jamb
A doorjamb is the vertical portion of the frame onto which a door is secured. The jamb bears the weight of the door through its hinges, and most types of door latches and deadbolts extend into a recess in the doorjamb when engaged, making the "true" and strength of the doorjambs vitally important...
s and capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
; the outside face has the grape-like motifs in the angles where these meet, and the labels (horizontal elements) have the repeating star pattern. 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...
describes the carvings as "keeping inside the established pattern" of such work, and not displaying the "extraordinary ... [simultaneously] mannered and extrovert" details of the carved doorway at St Mary's Church at nearby Climping
Clymping
Clymping is a civil parish, located around the hamlet of Climping in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. The parish also contains the coastal hamlet of Atherington. It is located three miles west of Littlehampton, just north of the A259 road...
.
Inside, the carvings around the chancel arch—dating from about 1140, like the doorway—consist of "an amazing congregation of grotesque monsters", "boggle-eyed ... with beaks, tongues and squid-like tentacles, that frown and glare at visitors below". The roll mouldings
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...
of the arch are held in the beaks of these "fearsome", "wide-eyed horrors". Such "beakhead" decoration is a little-understood feature of Late Norman architecture: in churches, it may have been used to capture the congregation's interest or to inspire fear and awe. The moulding has two orders (recessed jambs which together form a chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed opening): in contrast to the lavishly decorated outer order, the inner order is plain.
Some Norman windows survive: these are large, round-arched and chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed with deep splays. The chancel has 13th-century lancets, some of which have stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
(one, of St Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
, has been described as "of exceptional quality compared with most windows of this period [late 19th century] in Sussex"). The east window of the chancel has stained glass attributed to Thomas Willement
Thomas Willement
Thomas Willement, 1786–1871, was a British stained glass artist, called “the Father of Victorian Stained Glass”, active from 1811 to 1865.-Biographical:Willement was born on the 18th July 1786 at St Marylebone, London....
. The south aisle, added in the 13th century and unblocked in 1867 during the 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...
of that year, has chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed arches supported on round 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...
and octagonal respond
Respond
A respond is a half-pier or half-pillar which is bonded into a wall and designed to carry the springer at one end of an arch....
s.
The oldest internal fitting is a 12th-century font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
of Caen stone, with a round bowl, foliage decoration in the form of honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
s, decorative mouldings
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 an arcade-style motif with scallop-shaped capitals. An "interesting" plain Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
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...
of the early 17th century, with legs rather than the usual single stem, may have been made by a local craftsman. There are 15th-century panelled pews in the south aisle. Above the chancel arch there are two hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s designed in the 18th century.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England
- List of places of worship in Arun