Stanmer Church
Encyclopedia
Stanmer Church is a former Anglican church in Stanmer
village, on the northeastern edge of the English
city of Brighton and Hove. The ancient village stands within Stanmer Park
, the former private estate of the Earl of Chichester
, which the Brighton Corporation (the predecessor of the present city council) acquired for the benefit of Brighton's citizens after the Second World War. The church and a stately home
, Stanmer House
, stand outside the village but within the park's boundaries. The church, which was declared redundant in 2008, has been listed at Grade II by English Heritage
for its architectural and historical importance.
in nearby Lewes
by the King of Sussex. The village belonged to the Church
for several centuries thereafter, being part of the Episcopal See
of Canterbury
by the time of the Domesday Book
. Ownership transferred from the Archbishop of Canterbury
to King Henry VIII
during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
A church was built in the Middle Ages
; records of it go back to 1232. It stood on open land outside the village. It had no known dedication, little is known about the building, and the only remnants from the era are some yew tree
s in the churchyard and several memorial tablets and tombstones.
The church and its associated land
were returned to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1555, not long after the Dissolution. The Pelham family began a long association with the village and church in the 16th century; they took ownership of the whole estate and its lands in the early 18th century. The Grade I-listed Stanmer House
was built for them in 1722, and the family became an earldom in 1801 when Thomas Pelham
had the title Earl of Chichester
bestowed upon him. The Earls demolished the houses and buildings of the old village and created an "estate village" north-east of the church. In 1838, the third Earl of Chichester, Henry Thomas Pelham
, decided to demolish the old church and build a new one on the same site. The architect is not known, and as with the original church there is no dedication; the building is always referred to simply as "Stanmer Church".
The Brighton Corporation bought the Stanmer Estate in 1947 as part of its policy of land acquisition, and in 1952 the boundary of the Borough of Brighton was extended to incorporate the parish.
The Diocese of Chichester
declared the church redundant from 29 December 2008, meaning it was no longer open for regular public worship. Stanmer Preservation Society maintains the building and opens it every Sunday. It also opens for specials events such as guest speakers and concerts.
layout, with a chancel
, nave
, north and south transept
s and a tower at the west end topped with a thin shingle
d spire
. An entrance porch is incorporated within the ground floor of the tower. A peal of bells cast in 1791 are housed within the tower. Knapped flintwork was used to build the exterior, although the structural quoins
are of stone. The church has a slate roof.
Inside, stone walls and carved wooden fittings predominate. Jude Jones, the designated carpenter and estate foreman of the Earls of Chichester and also an active member of the church in the 19th century, designed and constructed all the wooden fixtures. The chancel
roof is panelled and has moulded rib vault
s and intricately decorated ceiling bosses
. The nave roof of four bays also has trefoil
-headed panelling.
A gallery at the west end houses an organ
built in 1839. A plastered stone reredos
, also with trefoil-headed panels, dates from the mid-19th century. It is flanked by panels depicting the Ten Commandments
, designed by Jones. He was also responsible for the pulpit
, altar
and lectern
. His son, Francis Jude Jones, succeeded him in his roles in the Stanmer Estate and was also a capable carpenter, designing a new set of entrance doors as a memorial to the 7th Earl of Chichester.
Five memorial tablets and stones were moved from the old church. The oldest non-Pelham memorial dates from 1626, and commemorates Deborah Goffe, the mother of William Goffe
(one of the judges at the trial of King Charles I
). Another commemorates Sir John Pelham, his wife and their son, all of whom died in the 16th century. They are shown kneeling below the family coat of arms. Other memorials to the Pelhams are housed in the south transept.
The churchyard contains an unusual wellhouse
, rebuilt at the same time as the church, with a rare vertically-mounted donkey-wheel
dating from the 18th century or possibly earlier. Donkey-wheels are a smaller version of the more common horse-gin. The animal walks a circular path around the well, turns a wheel attached to a pump, and thereby draws water from the ground. Before mechanical power was available, horse or donkey power was sometimes used in areas where aquifer
s lay a long way below the surface; this was the case on the chalk
y South Downs, and both types of wheel were common in Sussex
in the 18th century. By 1968, however, only three donkey-wheels and five horse-gins survived. The wellhouse was damaged by a falling tree in 2007 but was repaired by Stanmer Preservation Society.
Several members of the Pelham family are buried in the churchyard, mostly on the south side of the church.
Stanmer Church remains within the joint parish of Stanmer and Falmer. The church at Falmer is dedicated to St Laurence, but it lies across the border in the adjoining local government district
of Lewes
rather than in the city of Brighton and Hove. The parish covers a mostly rural area, including Stanmer and Falmer
villages, the main campuses of the Universities of Sussex
and Brighton
, and the Falmer–Woodingdean road (B2123
) to the edge of the Woodingdean
estate. It also extends some way on to the southern face of the South Downs
. The parish priest had responsibility for the chaplain
cies of the two universities. Until its closure, there was a weekly service on Sunday evenings, and prayer sessions twice a month. Although now longer used for religious ceremonies, it is still opened by Stanmer Preservation Society every Sunday.
Stanmer
Stanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, in East Sussex, England.-History:Stanmer village pond is surrounded by sarsen stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs...
village, on the northeastern edge of 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...
city of Brighton and Hove. The ancient village stands within Stanmer Park
Stanmer Park
Stanmer Park is a large open park immediately to the west of the University of Sussex, and to the north-east of the town of Brighton in the county of East Sussex, England, UK....
, the former private estate of the Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times in British history. It was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1644 when Francis Leigh, 1st Baron Dunsmore, was made Earl of Chichester, in the County of Sussex, with remainder to his son-in-law Thomas Wriothesley,...
, which the Brighton Corporation (the predecessor of the present city council) acquired for the benefit of Brighton's citizens after the Second World War. The church and a stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
, Stanmer House
Stanmer House
Stanmer House is a Grade I listed mansion west of the village of Falmer and north-east of the city of Brighton and Hove.It stands very close to Stanmer village and Church, within the Stanmer Park...
, stand outside the village but within the park's boundaries. The church, which was declared redundant in 2008, has been 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...
for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Stanmer's recorded history goes back to 765, when the village and its lands were given to the South Malling monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in nearby Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
by the King of Sussex. The village belonged to the Church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
for several centuries thereafter, being part of the Episcopal See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
by the time of the Domesday Book
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...
. Ownership transferred from the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
to King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
during 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...
.
A church was built in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
; records of it go back to 1232. It stood on open land outside the village. It had no known dedication, little is known about the building, and the only remnants from the era are some yew tree
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
s in the churchyard and several memorial tablets and tombstones.
The church and its associated land
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
were returned to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1555, not long after the Dissolution. The Pelham family began a long association with the village and church in the 16th century; they took ownership of the whole estate and its lands in the early 18th century. The Grade I-listed Stanmer House
Stanmer House
Stanmer House is a Grade I listed mansion west of the village of Falmer and north-east of the city of Brighton and Hove.It stands very close to Stanmer village and Church, within the Stanmer Park...
was built for them in 1722, and the family became an earldom in 1801 when Thomas Pelham
Thomas Pelham, 1st Earl of Chichester
Thomas Pelham, 1st Earl of Chichester PC , known as the Lord Pelham of Stanmer from 1768 to 1801, was a British Whig politician.Pelham was the son of Thomas Pelham and his wife Annetta, daughter of Thomas Bridges...
had the title Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester
Earl of Chichester is a title that has been created three times in British history. It was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1644 when Francis Leigh, 1st Baron Dunsmore, was made Earl of Chichester, in the County of Sussex, with remainder to his son-in-law Thomas Wriothesley,...
bestowed upon him. The Earls demolished the houses and buildings of the old village and created an "estate village" north-east of the church. In 1838, the third Earl of Chichester, Henry Thomas Pelham
Henry Thomas Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester
Henry Thomas Pelham, 3rd Earl of Chichester was an English nobleman, styled Lord Pelham until 1826. He was the son of Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester and Lady Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne....
, decided to demolish the old church and build a new one on the same site. The architect is not known, and as with the original church there is no dedication; the building is always referred to simply as "Stanmer Church".
The Brighton Corporation bought the Stanmer Estate in 1947 as part of its policy of land acquisition, and in 1952 the boundary of the Borough of Brighton was extended to incorporate the parish.
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 the church redundant from 29 December 2008, meaning it was no longer open for regular public worship. Stanmer Preservation Society maintains the building and opens it every Sunday. It also opens for specials events such as guest speakers and concerts.
Architecture
Stanmer Church is in the Early English style. It has a simple cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
layout, with a 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...
, 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...
, north and south transept
Transept
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 and a tower at the west end topped with a thin shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
d spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
. An entrance porch is incorporated within the ground floor of the tower. A peal of bells cast in 1791 are housed within the tower. Knapped flintwork was used to build the exterior, although the structural 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...
are of stone. The church has a slate roof.
Inside, stone walls and carved wooden fittings predominate. Jude Jones, the designated carpenter and estate foreman of the Earls of Chichester and also an active member of the church in the 19th century, designed and constructed all the wooden fixtures. 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...
roof is panelled and has moulded 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...
s and intricately decorated ceiling bosses
Boss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
. The nave roof of four bays also has trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
-headed panelling.
A gallery at the west end houses 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...
built in 1839. A plastered stone reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, also with trefoil-headed panels, dates from the mid-19th century. It is flanked by panels depicting the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, designed by Jones. He was also responsible for the 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...
, altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
and lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
. His son, Francis Jude Jones, succeeded him in his roles in the Stanmer Estate and was also a capable carpenter, designing a new set of entrance doors as a memorial to the 7th Earl of Chichester.
Five memorial tablets and stones were moved from the old church. The oldest non-Pelham memorial dates from 1626, and commemorates Deborah Goffe, the mother of William Goffe
William Goffe
William Goffe was an English Roundhead politician and soldier, perhaps best known for his role in the execution of King Charles I and later flight to America.-Early life:...
(one of the judges at the trial of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
). Another commemorates Sir John Pelham, his wife and their son, all of whom died in the 16th century. They are shown kneeling below the family coat of arms. Other memorials to the Pelhams are housed in the south transept.
Churchyard
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
, rebuilt at the same time as the church, with a rare vertically-mounted donkey-wheel
Horse mill
A horse mill is a mill that uses a horse as the power source. Any milling process can be powered in this way, but the most frequent use of animal power in horse mills was for grinding grain and pumping water. Other animals used for powering mills include dogs, donkeys and oxen. Engines powered by...
dating from the 18th century or possibly earlier. Donkey-wheels are a smaller version of the more common horse-gin. The animal walks a circular path around the well, turns a wheel attached to a pump, and thereby draws water from the ground. Before mechanical power was available, horse or donkey power was sometimes used in areas where aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
s lay a long way below the surface; this was the case on the chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
y South Downs, and both types of wheel were common in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in the 18th century. By 1968, however, only three donkey-wheels and five horse-gins survived. The wellhouse was damaged by a falling tree in 2007 but was repaired by Stanmer Preservation Society.
Several members of the Pelham family are buried in the churchyard, mostly on the south side of the church.
The church today
Stanmer Church was listed at Grade II on 2 November 1954. The wellhouse has a separate listing, also at Grade II; this was granted on the same date.Stanmer Church remains within the joint parish of Stanmer and Falmer. The church at Falmer is dedicated to St Laurence, but it lies across the border in the adjoining local government district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Lewes
Lewes (district)
Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex in southern England covering an area of , with of coastline. It is named after its administrative centre, Lewes. Other towns in the district include Newhaven, Peacehaven, and Seaford. Plumpton racecourse is within the district...
rather than in the city of Brighton and Hove. The parish covers a mostly rural area, including Stanmer and Falmer
Falmer
Falmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles north-east of the former. It is also the site for Brighton & Hove Albion's new stadium....
villages, the main campuses of the Universities of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
and Brighton
University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is an English university of the United Kingdom, with a community of over 23,000 students and 2,600 staff based on campuses in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. It has one of the best teaching quality ratings in the UK and a strong research record, factors which...
, and the Falmer–Woodingdean road (B2123
B roads in Zone 2 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.- Zone 2 :- Zone 2 :-Notes:...
) to the edge of the Woodingdean
Woodingdean
Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse.-Source of name:...
estate. It also extends some way on to the southern face of the South Downs
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...
. The parish priest had responsibility for the chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
cies of the two universities. Until its closure, there was a weekly service on Sunday evenings, and prayer sessions twice a month. Although now longer used for religious ceremonies, it is still opened by Stanmer Preservation Society every Sunday.
See also
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
- Stanmer Preservation Society