St Mary and St Peter's Church, Wilmington | |
---|---|
50°49′03″N0°11′26″E / 50.8175°N 0.1906°E | |
OS grid reference | TQ 544,043 |
Location | Wilmington Street, Wilmington, East Sussex BN26 5SL |
Country | England |
Denomination | Anglican |
Churchmanship | Central Anglican |
Website | St Mary and St Peter, Wilmington |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade I |
Designated | 30 August 1966 |
Architect(s) | Paley and Austin (restoration) |
Architectural type | Church |
Style | Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Chichester |
Archdeaconry | Lewes and Hastings |
Deanery | Lewes and Seaford |
Parish | Wilmington |
Clergy | |
Rector | Revd Peter Blee |
Assistant priest(s) | Revd Andrew Stamp |
Laity | |
Churchwarden(s) | John Marshall, Julie Little, Clive Jones |
Parish administrator | Dr Martin Chilvers |
St Mary and St Peter's Church is in the village of Wilmington, East Sussex, England. It is an active Anglican parish church on the deanery of Lewes and Seaford, the archdeaconry of Lewes and Hastings, and the diocese of Chichester. [1] Founded in the late 11th century to serve villagers in a rural area at the foot of the South Downs, it also functioned as a priory church for the monks from the adjacent Wilmington Priory, to which it was physically connected. The building has "benefited from sympathetic restoration" [2] over the centuries—including a series of works by prominent architects Paley and Austin in the Victorian era, and internal renovation after a fire in the early 21st century. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. [3]
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, monks from Grestain Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Normandy, took possession of the land around the village of Wilmington. They founded Wilmington Priory to administer their territory, and two or three monks lived there. [4] It was never a large community, and no separate abbey church was ever built; the monks instead shared the chancel of village church. [2] [5] This was in existence by 1100 and served the farmers and villagers of Winelton, as it was known at the time. The church was connected to the priory by a cloister. [6] In common with other alien priories in England, Wilmington Priory was suppressed by King Henry V in 1414 and fell into ruins. Thereafter, the church functioned solely as a parish church. [7] A vast yew tree in the churchyard, scientifically dated as 1,600 years old and with a girth of 23 feet (7.0 m), suggests that the site was considered sacred to pre-Christian people. [4] The existence of a "strange ... gargoyle-like" figure known as the Wilmington Madonna—originally on the outside wall but now preserved in the chancel—may also be evidence of pagan worship in the area. [7]
During the 13th century a north chapel or transept was added towards the east end of the nave, and a two-bay south aisle was built. [8] [9] The aisle had the appearance of a transept and was separated from the body of the church by a two-bay arcade. [3] [10] In the following century the nave was rebuilt. [2] The north porch was added, and the east window was inserted, during the 15th century. [8] [10] Around the same time, diagonal buttresses were added at the east end—possibly because the insertion of new windows in the chancel had weakened the walls. [4] [10] In 1882–83 the church was restored by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. They replaced the two-bay south aisle with a full-length aisle, removed the west gallery, and added new floors, an altar with altar rails, stalls, a lectern, and a reading desk, and reseated the church. [11] They also repaired the north transept and added the "elaborate" chancel arch. [5] The restoration cost £1,790 (equivalent to £190,000 as of 2021). [9] [12] [lower-alpha 1] In 2002 the north transept, by then in use as a vestry, was severely damaged by a fire and the organ was destroyed. The damage was repaired and the church was rededicated in 2004. [8] A well-regarded stained glass window depicting British butterflies and bees, [4] badly damaged by the fire, was replaced by a new design which kept the same theme but added images of Saint Peter and a phoenix rising from a fire. [2]
The plan of the church consists of a nave with a north porch, a south aisle, a north transept, and a chancel. [3] [9] The walls are of flint with small areas of rendering, and are in good structural condition. [2] Although very thick, the window openings are splayed to allow more light in. [4] At the west end of the church is a "pretty" weatherboarded bellcote with a shingled broach spire. [3] [5] [9] The chancel is Norman, with two original round-headed windows, a carved triangular string-course and traces of a round-headed south doorway. [2] [8] [9] The nave windows are in Decorated Gothic style, and the east window is Perpendicular Gothic. There is evidence of blank arcading around some of the windows—a feature also seen at St Michael and All Angels Church in nearby Little Horsted. [5] The high chancel arch, inserted by Paley and Austin, is in 13th-century (Early English Gothic) style. [2] [5] [8] There is also a king post roof. [5]
Inside the church, the wooden pulpit is Jacobean, dating from about 1610. It has a back panel and a sounding board. [8] The "splendid" and unusual fitting contrasts with the simplicity of the surrounding Norman architecture. [4] The font dates from the 14th century, and consists of plain square bowl supported by a central column and four corner shafts. In the chancel are two square-headed aumbries, and set in the north chancel wall is a weathered piece of sculpture dating from the 11th or 13th century; this was moved from the outside of the church in 1948. On the north wall of the nave are the remains of a 17th-century painted inscription, and on the south wall is a painted panel bearing the Royal arms of Queen Victoria. [9] An Elizabethan-era monument with Classical-style details stands in the south aisle. [5] [10] An unusual feature from the church's earliest days is a set of inward-facing stone seats attached to the inner walls of the chancel. Such benches were often found in 11th-century churches, albeit usually in the nave, but in most cases they were removed during later rebuilding work. [5] [14]
St Mary and St Peter's Church was listed at Grade I on 30 August 1966. [3] Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. [15] As of February 2001, it was one of 47 Grade I listed buildings, and 2,173 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Wealden. [16]
The parish, which has a population of about 200, covers a rural area north of the South Downs. The A27 road runs west–east through the area. [17] It forms part of the united benefice of Arlington, Berwick, Selmeston-with-Alciston and Wilmington, which covers the Anglican churches in those five downland villages. [1] They are served by a rector and an assistant priest, and each church has its own churchwardens. [18]
Services, using the Book of Common Prayer in alternate weeks, are offered on Sunday mornings, and on alternate Mondays there is an Evening Prayer service. [19]
Lancaster Cathedral, also known as The Cathedral Church of St Peter and Saint Peter's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It was a Roman Catholic parish church until 1924, when it was elevated to the status of a cathedral. It started as a mission church in 1798, and the present church was built on a different site in 1857–59. It was designed by E. G. Paley in the Gothic Revival style and is a grade II* listed building. In 1901 a baptistry was added by Austin and Paley, and the east end was reordered in 1995 by Francis Roberts. The cathedral is in active use, arranging services, concerts and other events, and is open to visitors.
St Peter's Church, Bolton-le-Moors, commonly known as Bolton Parish Church, is a Church of England parish church in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The parish church, dedicated to St Peter, is an example of the Gothic Revival style. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building, having been designated in 1974. St Peter's is an active parish church in the Diocese of Manchester and is part of the Bolton deanery and Bolton archdeaconry.
St Mary's Church is in the West Bank area of Widnes, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the deanery of Widnes. Together with the churches of St Paul, Widnes, and St Mary, Hale, it forms the South Widnes Team. It has been described as "the last great church masterpiece" created by the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley.
St Mary's Church is in Knowsley Lane, Knowsley Village, Merseyside, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Liverpool and the deanery of Huyton. In the Buildings of England series, Pollard and Pevsner describe the church as being "largish" with "an intimate interior".
St Paul's Church is in Scotforth, a suburb of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and Morecambe, and the diocese of Blackburn. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described it as a "strange building" and "an anachronism, almost beyond belief".
St Mark's Church is in Buncer Lane, in the former parish of Witton, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It is a redundant Anglican church in the deanery of Blackburn with Darwen, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn. It was put up for sale in 2018. Originally a separate parish, in 2005 it combined with the parish of St Luke with St Philip to form the Parish of Christ the King. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Holy Trinity Church, Morecambe, or Morecambe Parish Church, is in Church Street, Morecambe, Lancashire, England. It is the Anglican parish church of Morecambe, in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
St Oswald's Church is an Anglican church in Preesall, a town on the Fylde coastal plain in Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. It was built 1896–1898, designed by Hubert Austin, and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
Christ Church is in Wyresdale Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster and Morecambe, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
Holy Trinity Church, is in the village of Bolton-le-Sands, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with that of St Mark, Nether Kellett. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Michael and All Angels' Church is in Leigh Road, Howe Bridge, a suburb of Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Leigh, the archdeaconry of Salford and the diocese of Manchester. Its benefice is united with those of three local churches, St John the Baptist, St George and St Philip, forming a team ministry entitled the United Benefice of Atherton and Hindsford with Howe Bridge. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Thomas' Church is in Eskrick Street, Halliwell, a residential area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bolton, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. Its benefice is united with those of five other local churches to form the Benefice of West Bolton. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Mary's Church, Westham, is an active Anglican parish church in High Street, Westham, East Sussex, England, standing to the west of Pevensey Castle. The earliest fabric in the church, in the south wall of the nave and in the transept, dates from the late 11th century. The north aisle and the tower were added to the church in the late 14th century. The chancel was either rebuilt or remodelled in about 1420. During the 1870s restorations were carried out, including one by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin in 1876–77, when the seating was increased from 297 to 403. The church is constructed in flint with stone dressings and a tiled roof. Its plan consists of a nave with a north aisle and a north porch, a south transept, a chancel with a north chapel, and a west tower.
St Mary's Church is in the town of Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with that of St Martin's Church, Bowness-on-Windermere; St Anne's Church, Ings; St Cuthbert's Church, Kentmere; St James' Church, Staveley and Jesus Church, Troutbeck. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
St Michael and All Angels with St Marks Church is in Egerton Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Preston, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with those of St Mark, Preston, and St Andrew, Ashton-on-Ribble, to form the benefice of the West Preston Team. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Matthew's Church is in Billinge Road, Highfield, Pemberton, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Wigan, the archdeaconry of Wigan & West Lancashire, and the diocese of Liverpool. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Peter's Church is in the village of Field Broughton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Mary, Allithwiate, St Mary and St Michael, Cartmel, St John the Baptist, Flookburgh, St Paul, Grange-over-Sands, Grange Fell Church, Grange-Over-Sands, and St Paul, Lindale, to form the benefice of Cartmel Peninsula. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Silas' Church is in Preston New Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Blackburn with Darwen, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St Mary Magdalene's Church is in Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Congleton, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. Dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene, it is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
St Helen's Church is in the village of Waddington, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Whalley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the Diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with that of St Catherine, West Bradford. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Notes
Citations
Bibliography