Church of St Nicholas, Charlwood

Last updated

Church of St Nicholas, Charlwood
St Nicholas Church from the east Charlwood Surrey England 01.jpg
St Nicholas' church, Charlwood
Surrey UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Church of St Nicholas, Charlwood
Location in Surrey
51°09′21″N0°13′39″W / 51.1558°N 0.2276°W / 51.1558; -0.2276
LocationThe Street, Charlwood, Surrey, RH6 0EE
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Website St Nicholas Church
History
StatusGrade I listed
Architecture
Architect(s) William Burges
Style Norman
Years built11th to 15th centuries
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Southwark
Parish Charlwood
Clergy
Bishop(s) Rt. Rev. Jonathan Clark (area)
Rt. Rev. Christopher Chessun (diocese)
Rector Rev. Sue Weakley
Dean Rev. Andrew Cunnington
Archdeacon Venerable Daniel Kajumba

The Church of St Nicholas, Charlwood, is the parish church of Charlwood, Surrey, England. With a 12th-century tower and nave section and examples of 13th to 15th century art, fixtures and architecture, it is a Grade I listed building.

Contents

Building and its setting

St Nicholas's smallest nave and the tower were built c. 1080 with an addition in c.1280 and a 15th century later medieval building forming most of the remainder. Its parts were re-ordered by architect William Burges from 1857 to 1867. The church is a Grade I listed building. [1]

The original church was a simple two-cell structure consisting of a nave and a squat tower without a crossing. [2] The Norman church was enlarged in c.1280 by a new chapel with fine wall-paintings on the south wall. The church was further enlarged by the addition of a chantry chapel dedicated to Richard Saunders who died in 1480. In 1550 the chapel was converted into a private pew.

Burges was commissioned to undertake restoration in 1858, although work did not begin until 1864 and continued until 1867. [3] During restoration, a series of 13th century wall paintings were uncovered and Burges undertook their cataloguing and refurbishment. [4] Many interior features are intricately carved and old furnishings are featured: its octagonal pulpit is Tudor and the font is pre- Victorian. In the west window of the former nave are some fragments of ancient glass, a portion of the figure of a saint, and several other odd pieces, including two words of an inscription. Also in the first window of the north wall are two small eyelets containing roses and leaves. Patron Richard Sander (who died in 1480) has his initials, winged dragons and his coat of arms of Sander on the fine screen, originally around his chantry chapel.

The church has a vestry for choir and clergy, and a new church room, known as the Nicholas Room. The church has its graveyard adjoining to almost all sides. On the land to the north is the Old Rectory, with two ponds, one of which is known as the rectory pond, a small fish pond. The Old Rectory was sold in 2022. The path up to the church, in the form of a stone causeway, and the lychgate at the entrance are separately Grade II listed. [5] [6]

The baptism, marriage and death registers date from 1595.

A 25 point/paragraph survey of architectural features and furnishings with plan was written in the Victoria County History in 1911. [7]

Parish

Charlwood is a parish of the Church of England which overlaps its civil parish. This area's nearest town is Horley. The hamlet of Lowfield Heath was moved into West Sussex in 1974. The church is 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from most homes. it is almost encircled by a bend in the low-rise built-up road which has many of the oldest homes facing this rectory and church section. The village has over 80 listed buildings.

Parish history

The right to appoint the vicar belonged with the manor to the Prior and Convent of Christ Church, Canterbury Cathedral from at least 1231 to 1527. A vicarage instead of a rectory was ordained by the monks before 1308–9 who would thereafter fund that position in exchange for direct receipt of all the rectorial land and the greater and lesser tithes of the rest of the parish. After the loss of Christchurch under Henry VIII's reforms, [8] the rectory resumed and the right to name the rector transferred to Sir Robert Southwell with the manor, as in 1547 he transferred both to Henry Lechford, whose son Sir Richard conveyed the right to Richard Dallender in 1609. In 1615 Dallender quitclaimed to Robert Hatton, from whom in 1622 it returned to the Lechfords. Sir Richard Lechford, when he sold the manor of Charlwood in 1625, retained the right, selling it, however, in 1629 to Edmund Sander of Charlwood Place, by then a far taller, more grandiose manor in the parish. [7]

In 1644 the Bishop was compelled to sequester the priest position to a new rector, the previous incumbent, Thomas Mulcaster, having been proceeded against by 'five or six of the very scum of the parish,' according to his own account. This was during one of the most visible phases of the European wars of religion in England, the Civil War. [7]

His son-in-law, Henry Hesketh, chaplain in ordinary to Charles II, was afterwards rector of Charlwood. In 1661 Edmund Sander devised all his lands and tenements here including the property of the rectory, to his sister Elizabeth Bradshaw, from whom they passed to her cousin Sir William Throckmorton, who sold in 1672 to Sir Andrew King. In 1716 the rectory and its appointment right were conveyed to Henry Wise from according to Owen Manning the trustees of Francis Aungier, 1st Earl of Longford the intermediate owner. The property remained with the Wises until 1884, during which time the church was often served by members of that family and passed to the Rev. E. M. Gibson and some time after him it vested in the diocese. [7]

Extraterritorial diocese

In terms of its relevant see of a bishop, Charlwood was 'a peculiar of Canterbury' until 1846, when it was transferred to Winchester. By the rearrangement of dioceses in 1878 it was again transferred to Rochester and was added to Southwark on its creation. [7]

Clergy and style of worship

Part of the Diocese of Southwark, the style of worship is modern high church, with the emphasis on music, modern hymns and language ahead of ritual.[ citation needed ] The rector equally serves the smaller parish of Emmanuel, Sidlow Bridge, as one benefice. [2]

Regular weekly services are held and the following activities:

See also

P christianity.svg Christianityportal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Putney</span> Church in Greater London, England

St. Mary's Church, Putney, is an Anglican church in Putney, London, sited next to the River Thames, beside the southern approach to Putney Bridge. There has been a centre of Christian worship on this site from at least the 13th century, and the church is still very active today. It is also noteworthy because in 1647, during the English Civil War, the church was the site of the Putney Debates on the English constitution. It has been Grade II* listed since 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howell, Lincolnshire</span> Hamlet in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire

Howell is a village in the civil parish of Asgarby and Howell, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the A17, 4 miles (6 km) east from Sleaford, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from Heckington. In 1921 the parish had a population of 58.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlwood</span> Human settlement in England

Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is immediately north-west of London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, close west of Horley and north of Crawley. The historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex ran to the south of Gatwick Airport. Boundaries were reformed in 1974 so that the county boundary between Surrey and West Sussex, delineated by the Sussex Border Path, now runs along the northern perimeter of the airport, and the southern extent of Charlwood.

Samuel Sanders Teulon was an English Gothic Revival architect, noted for his use of polychrome brickwork and the complex planning of his buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burstow</span> Human settlement in England

Burstow is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England. Its largest settlement is Smallfield. Smallfield is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) ENE of Gatwick Airport and the M23 motorway, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) southwest of Oxted and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east of Horley. Crawley is a nearby large commercial town, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) southwest of Burstow and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Smallfield. Towards the outside of the London commuter belt, some residents commute to the capital by road or rail from here as London is 24.5 miles (39.4 km) to the north or Horley railway station is accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Prestbury</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Peter's Church is the parish church of Prestbury, Cheshire, England. It is probably the fourth church on the site. The third, the Norman Chapel, stands in the churchyard. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The Norman Chapel, the lychgate and west wall, the Hearse House, and the sundial in the churchyard are listed at Grade II. It is a Church of England parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the deanery of Macclesfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Littleton, Spelthorne</span> Village in England

Littleton is a village in the borough of Spelthorne, approximately 16 mi (26 km) west of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, it was transferred to Surrey in 1965. It is the location of Shepperton Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Southwark</span> Church in England

Christ Church, Southwark, is a church of the Anglican denomination situated on the west side of Blackfriars Road, London. At the time of the foundation there was no bridge at Blackfriars and so no major road connecting the area to the south or to the City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bolsterstone</span> Church in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

St Mary's Church, Bolsterstone is situated in the village of Bolsterstone, within the boundary of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The church dates from 1879 although there is evidence that a place of worship has existed on the site since the 12th century. It is located 8.1 miles (13 km) north-west of the city centre and is a grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumley Chapel</span> Church in London Borough of Sutton, England

The Lumley Chapel is a redundant Anglican church in the suburban village of Cheam, in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The chapel is located in the churchyard of St Dunstan's Church in Church Road, off Malden Road, the A2043.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St John the Baptist, Outwood</span> Church in Surrey, England

The Church of St John the Baptist, Outwood, is the parish church of Outwood, Surrey, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Martin's Church, Dorking</span> Church in Surrey, United Kingdom

St Martin's Church is an Anglican parish church in Dorking, Surrey. It is a Grade II* listed building and surviving parts of the structure date back to the Middle Ages. It in the archdeaconry of Dorking, in the Diocese of Guildford. The church is the main Anglican parish church in Dorking and was refurbished to the designs of Henry Woodyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary and St Peter's Church, Harlaxton</span> Church in England

St Mary and St Peter's Church is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Peter in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, England. The church is 2 miles (3 km) south-east from Grantham, and at the eastern edge of the Vale of Belvoir in South Kesteven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Church, Hanworth</span> Church in London, England

St George's Church, Hanworth, is a Church of England parish church based in Hanworth, London. It is dedicated to Saint George and has Grade II* listed status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Paul's Church, Clapham</span> Church in Greater London, England

St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church in Clapham, London. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century. The current building was completed in 1815 and is Grade II* listed. In the grounds, which hold the Green Flag Award, are some fine tombs including many early 19th century sarcophagi and a community garden, Eden. The incumbent is Revd Canon Jonathan Boardman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todenham</span> Human settlement in England

Todenham is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is significant for its Grade I listed 14th-century parish church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Rolleston on Dove</span> Church in Staffordshire, England

St Mary's Church is a parish church of the Church of England in Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire. Parts of the structure date to 1130, though it was extensively renovated in 1892. It is unusual in having the main entrance door on the north side, with the southern entrance reserved for members of the Mosley family, local landowners and key donors to the church. The church features stained glass windows dating to the medieval period and others by Victorian designer Charles Eamer Kempe. The tower houses eight bells, one dating to 1586. The church is grade I listed and there are associated grade II listings for churchyard railings, a memorial, the lychgate and a former church grammar school. The lychgate, by Lincolnshire architect Cecil Greenwood Hare, also functions as a war memorial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin Church, Hayes, Hillingdon</span> Church in Hayes, United Kingdom

St Mary the Virgin Church is a partly medieval Grade II* listed flint church on Church Road in Hayes, Hillingdon. The central portion of the church, the chancel and the nave, was built in the 13th century, the north aisle in the 15th century, and the south aisle in the 16th century, along with the lychgate and the south porch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints' Church, Grayswood</span> Church

All Saints' Church is an active parish church in the village of Grayswood, Surrey, England. The church stands in the centre of the village and was built between 1900 and 1902. Designed by the Swedish artist Axel Haig, who lived in the village and is buried in the graveyard, the church is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1248610)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Charlwood, St Nicholas in the Upper Mole Group of Churches". Upper Mole Group of Churches. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  3. Crook 1981a
  4. Crook 1981a , p. 226
  5. Historic England (7 April 1983). "Stone causeway in churchyard of St Nicholas> (Grade II) (1248622)". National Heritage List for England .
  6. Historic England (7 April 198). "Lychgate (Grade II) (1277824)". National Heritage List for England .
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 H.E. Malden, ed. (1911). "Parishes: Charlwood". A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  8. "St Nicholas' Church' Charlwood, Surrey". www.stnicholaschurchcharlwood.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2024.

Bibliography