Churches in Sussex (8th day trip)
Apologies for taking so long to post the 8th day trip visiting churches in Sussex. The delay is due to my moving to Sydney to live in late October. As you can imagine it was a bit stressful in the weeks prior to departure. Once I arrived in Sydney I had to find a home to rent (another story!). If you are interested in following how I furnish a Victorian rental house in Sydney’s Paddington, on a budget follow me on Instagram (@angelabuntcreative.com
Have you read my blog posts for the previous seven day trips to Sussex churches? Click on the links below:
Day 1 - churches in Warminghurst, Botolphs, Glynde and West Firle
Day 2 - churches in North Stoke, South Stoke, Bramber, Alfriston, Bishopstone, Alciston
Day 3 - churches in Bodiam, Ewhurst Green, Brightling, Lullington and Rodmell
Day 4 - this day trip took me across the border into Kent and included a visit to the gardens of Great Dixter; churches in Goudhurst, Rolvenden, Fairfield on Romney Marsh
Day 5 - churches in Compton (Surrey), Trotton, Chithurst, North Marden, East Marden, Hardham, Rudgwick (Sussex)
Day 6 - churches in Pevensey, Folkington, Wilmington, Litlington, West Dean, Piddinghoe
Day 7 - churches Shere, Albury (Surrey); Little Somborne, Kings Somborne, Upper Farringdon and Selborne (Hampshire)
This 8th day trip into Sussex was to visit the little churches around the town of Petworth.
Church of the Holy Cross, Bignor
This group of churches were some of the most beautiful that I visited and in the most exquisite settings. Once again I never came across another human being while visiting these churches. It’s quite extraordinary not to find anyone around, isn’t it?
St Agatha, Coates, is one of the remotest and least documented medieval churches in Sussex. It lies in the wooded countryside just south east of Petworth. It’s a small C12 aisleless church, unaltered except for the insertion of C13 lancets and a large belfry of 1907.
The church building is a little different from that built by the Normans early C12. The walls, impressive chancel arch and the square font all date from that period. One Norman window survives, high up on the south wall suggesting that the building would have been very dark. Installation of splayed lancet windows by the monks during C13 has provided us with the wonderful natural light.
In C16 the north doorway was enlarged, the present door installed and the porch constructed. Little changed until construction of a small vestry during late C19. In early C20 the church was extensively restored in memory of the first Duchess of Abercorn who spent the last 20 years of her life at nearby Coates Castle (a nineteenth century country house. The communion table, reredos and chancel furnishings all date from this restoration.
Seven minutes away was St John the Baptist in the hamlet of Sutton. Most of churches in the area south of Petworth are small and very old but this church is larger than usual and is also exceptional because its present appearance is largely C14, when it was considerably extended.
Herringbone masonry in its north wall shows the nave is C11, to which a south aisle and arcade were added in the late C12.
The weathered external recess to the south may have been for a tomb. Despite its rounded head, the mouldings are C14.
Most of the interior was rebuilt post C14th.
Just a five minute drive away is Church of the Holy Cross in Bignor. The church is on the northern edge of a village, more a group of houses loosely grouped. It is some way from the Roman villa that is Bignor’s main claim to fame.
The church is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The chancel arch and possibly some walling in the nave are late C11 and the rest is C13, with aisles, tower and chancel. The nave is likely to be C13 as it is very broad. The church was restored in 1876.
The next church, St Mary’s, Barlavington, was one of my favourites. The area west of Bignor under the Downs has changed little since the Middle Ages, with sunken roads linking the scattered villages. Barlavington church stands down a turning by a farm, which is its only close neighbour.
It is an exquisite small C12 church in a glorious setting surrounded by the most beautiful Sussex countryside. Though close to the Downs, it is built of rough sandstone. Nothing appears older than C12, which is the presumed date of nave and chancel.
The church had provision for two aisles, though probably only the south one was built. It was reconstructed in 1874. Probably because of its remoteness, the church was later neglected. In 1954 the west wall was said to be ‘in a tragic state’ but its condition now appears satisfactory.
The next church a seven minute drive away was St Peter’s, East Lavington. This small heavily restored church, originally C13, is close to a C18 house which is now a school - Seaford College. The church is its chapel. Seaford College belonged in the C19 to the Wilberforce family and its most eminent member to own the property was Bishop Samuel Wilberforce of Oxford and later Winchester (1805-73), one of the most celebrated Anglican bishops of his time. The church is now a feature of Seaford College’s gardens. In origin it is mostly C13, though a church is mentioned in Domesday Book. Although the exterior is refaced, the side walls of the chancel are C13. Sadly the church was locked so I wasn’t able to go inside.
The conservative politician Rt Hon Euan Wallace and his second wife Barbara Lutyens and their three sons are all buried in the corner of the graveyard.
Another seven minutes away was the fascinating church St Richard’s in Burton Park. The church is a total contrast to the very grand classical mansion of 1831, which is set in a park. The mansion’s design involved both Capability Brown and Humphrey Repton. There is no village attached to this church, just the mansion.
It is a C11 two-cell church that was little altered before 1636 and only lightly restored thereafter. The fittings include a C15 screen, C16 monuments and C16 and C17 paintings. In 1851, the church had been closed for over 100 years.
It has an aisleless nave and a chancel, angled slightly to the north. Such a plan, particularly taken together with the large quoins of the nave and some herringbone masonry in the north wall, looks C11. There is no chancel arch and the only early detail is the blocked low round-headed south doorway. It has been seen as pre-Conquest but is more likely late C11.
Burton church is memorable for its simply plastered walls and the fittings. They are unparalleled in Sussex and recall what many country churches looked like before about 1850.
Ten minutes away was St James, Selham. This gorgeous little C11 country church is in a beautiful setting near the River Rother. It has the most fascinating Saxon and early Norman details.
Like other villages in the valley of the Western Rother, Selham has no discernible village centre. This two cell church has no original windows and various features point to different parts of C11. For example, both the nave and chancel are largely built of herringbone masonry which combined with the thin walls are evidence of a pre-Conquest date.
The chancel arch raises further doubts about a dating earlier than the late C11. Its breadth in proportion to its height is associated with the later C11, but the shallow roll-mouldings on its head could be rather earlier.
A long stone on the north abacus respond with crisper mouldings looks re-used and may be Roman in origin. The rough foliage on its west face was probably added when it was placed in the arch. Beneath it on all three sides is a band of interlace and under that a capital with large volutes. The south abacus has an irregular pattern of loops above a band of foliage and intertwined monsters of decidedly Viking character on the capital, which imply a date relatively early in the C11. The disparate styles of the arch span much of the C11.
The chancel was not lengthened when it was remodelled in the C13, as the positioning of the side-lancets shows. In addition, a south chapel was added. The plain timbers of the nave roof could be C11 or C13. Most later mediaeval changes were undone in the C19. The plain tub style font is C11.
The last church of my 8th day out in Sussex was All Hallows in the village of Tillington. Both Tillington and nearby Upperton, both in the parish, are designated conservation areas and there are many old buildings in the area including medieval timber framed houses. One third of the buildings in the parish are grade II listed. All Hallows Church with its unusual Scots crown tower is a landmark when approaching from Petworth and is floodlit at night. It was painted byJ M Turner and John Constable. The church, first recorded in 1100 was mostly rebuilt and enlarged between 1807 and 1837, but retains romanesque sculpture and a plain eight-sided C12 stone font.
Opposite the church is the is 350 year old pub, the Horseguards Inn, which is thought to get its name from the cavalry who stayed there overnight while escorting gold bullion from London to the navy at Portsmouth. This is my favourite English pub so I planned my day trip to end up at the pub for a well earned lunch. The pub was voted best pub 2017 in the Good Pub Guide. The proprietors, Sam Beard and his wife, are passionate about the environment and using seasonal, local produce and recycling, sourcing ingredients from local suppliers, from their own vegetable garden or even by foraging. The pub even encourages diners to bring their own produce to use in the kitchen. The pub has rolling views down the Rother Valley.
The end of a long day visiting little cC11 churches buried in hamlets or down farm lanes in the stunning countryside around Petworth and ending in my favourite pub. What’s not to love.?!