St Michael and All Angels Church, Southwick

Last updated

St Michael and All Angels Church
St Michael and All Angels Church, Church Lane, Southwick (NHLE Code 1353751) (July 2020) (21).JPG
The church from the southeast
St Michael and All Angels Church, Southwick
50°50′06″N0°14′29″W / 50.8349°N 0.2413°W / 50.8349; -0.2413 Coordinates: 50°50′06″N0°14′29″W / 50.8349°N 0.2413°W / 50.8349; -0.2413
LocationChurch Lane, Southwick, West Sussex BN42 4GB
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
History
Former name(s)St Margaret's Church
Status Parish church
FoundedBy 11th century
Dedication Michael the Archangel
Dedicated18th century
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated19 July 1950
Administration
Parish Southwick, St Michael and All Angels
Deanery Rural Deanery of Hove
Archdeaconry Chichester
Diocese Chichester
Province Canterbury
Clergy
Rector Rev. Jonathan French

St Michael and All Angels Church is an Anglican church in the town of Southwick in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Some Saxon-era structural work is still visible despite rebuilding work in the 12th and 13th centuries and in more recent times; and a church may have existed on the site as early as the 10th century—before the ancient settlement of Southwick even took that name. The church has been damaged by fire and bombing, but is still in active use as the area's parish church. English Heritage has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.

Contents

History

The Romans settled in the area now known as Southwick: a large villa was in use for nearly 300 years until the 4th century, [1] but no more development took place until the late Saxon era. The earliest record of the name "Southwick" came in 1073, when it was part of the large manor of Kingston Buci estate to the west. [1] This covered several nearby settlements as well as the village of Kingston Buci, and may have been founded as a Celtic estate. [2]

A church from earlier in the Saxon era—probably a wooden structure—stood on the site of the present building earlier in the Saxon era, [3] but by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 a stone structure was in place. [1] [3] Southwick was not identified as a separate entity in the Domesday Book, and the church was almost certainly controlled by St Julian's Church in Kingston Buci. [1] In the late 12th century [1] or 1225 [4] [5] (sources differ), the advowson was conveyed to the Knights Templar, who by this time were also patrons of the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin in nearby Sompting. [6] It was then transferred to another religious order, the Knights Hospitaller, in around 1365 [5] before becoming Crown property after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. [1] [5]

As built in the 11th century, the church had a nave, chancel and tower at the west end. The lowest level of the tower, incorporating the entrance doorway, remains from that era. [7] All three stages of the tower were originally thought to have been Saxon, [7] but later analysis has determined that the middle and upper stages date from the late 12th or early 13th century. [1] [4] [7]

Around the same time, the rest of the church was rebuilt. [3] [8] The nave was renewed and had an aisle and chapel added on the south side, [1] and the chancel was remodelled twice (first in about 1130, and again in the 13th century when lancet windows were added). [4] [9] A chancel arch and wooden chancel screen followed in the 14th century. [1] [10] A porch was in place in the early 17th century, and may have replaced the aisle and chapel on that side. [1]

A fire destroyed the nave and roof in 1830, although the chancel and tower were undamaged. [3] Architect John Garrett designed a new four-bay nave with north and south aisles in a lean-to style, rounded arches and lancet windows in groups of three. [4] [8] [11] A vestry and a replacement for the old south chapel were built later in the 19th century. [1] [12]

The churchyard was extended in the late 19th century, and a lychgate was added in 1908. [13]

The church was hit by a bomb during a Second World War bombing raid on 21 February 1941. Although it did not explode, it travelled through the tower and wrecked it. A bomb disposal unit failed to find the bomb despite extensive digging, and ordered the tower to be demolished because it was structurally unsound and they needed to widen their search area. [3] [14] Because of the tower's historical and architectural value, it was taken down stone by stone and stored so it could be restored and re-erected later. In January 1943, two years after the bombing, the bomb disposal team found the device embedded under the churchyard by the outside wall of the north aisle. [14] It was removed, defused and put on display inside the church for a time. [14]

After the war ended, the War Damage Commission paid for the tower to be rebuilt. [14] The individually numbered stones and timbers were retrieved, and in 1949 John Denman executed a precise rebuilding of all three stages and the broached spire. He also built vestries on both sides. [4] [8]

Architecture

The east window of the north aisle, designed by Louis Davis Southwick stained glass 4.jpg
The east window of the north aisle, designed by Louis Davis

St Michael and All Angels Church is a flint-built structure with dressings of stone. Most of the flint has been renewed, although there is still some 11th-century work around the entrance door. [7] [8] [13] The roof is laid with a combination of flat tiles and pantiles. [8]

The three-stage tower, topped with its shingled spire, stands at the west end between two vestries with rounded walls. [8] The entrance is in the lowest stage of the tower; above it the roofline of the original 11th-century church can be discerned. [7] Inside is the nave with its north and south aisles and south chapel (now used to house the organ), [12] and the chancel with a restored chancel arch (originally built in the Norman era using clunch, a common building material in Sussex). [8] [9] In the north wall of the chancel, a 14th-century aumbry can be discerned. [1] [15]

The tower has rounded-headed windows in its middle stage and tall, much narrower rounded lancets in the upper stage. [4] [8] The lancet windows in the chancel, inserted in the 13th century, underwent 19th-century restoration [4] and have stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe. [15] The nave also has lancets, put in during the 1835 rebuilding, [4] and several windows in the aisles were installed as memorials during the Victorian era. [9] The east window is contemporary, and its stained glass may be by the Clayton and Bell firm. [15] Ken Adams of the Cox & Barnard firm of Hove designed a memorial window for the north aisle in about 1950, showing the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. [16]

Internal fittings include an elaborately carved pulpit with some early 17th-century panels, [17] an organ restored in the mid-1970s [15] and a substantial square font which is believed to date from the 13th century. [12]

The church today

St Michael and All Angels Church was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage on 19 July 1950. [8] Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". [18] As of February 2001, it was one of six Grade II* listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district. [19]

The mid 70s saw changes to the interior. The Lady chapel altar was removed, and the organ was moved from its location in the south transept to a purpose built gallery at the rear of the church. Regrettably rather than extend the tonal range of the instrument, electric action allowed octave couplers, and some of the original stops were renamed but not revoiced. The instrument supports congregational singing, but is no longer useful for accompanying choral works.

Memorial plaques were removed from the original oak case and not re-sited. Choir numbers dwindled as did the number of services they sing at.

The current website for the church states that it is a vibrant community of about 250. This reflects much reduced attendance from its heyday, when Sunday Eucharist would attract congregations of 400.

The parish is shaped like a right-angled triangle whose longest side runs from north to south. Shoreham Harbour and the English Channel form the southern boundary; the eastern side corresponds with the ancient boundary between the Rapes of Bramber and Lewes (now the boundary between Adur district and the city of Brighton and Hove, and also between West Sussex and East Sussex); and the western boundary was created in 1848 when Kingston Lane was built to form the eastern limit of Kingston Buci parish. [1] [20]

Until 2008, there were two other active Anglican churches in the parish, both of which were administered from St Michael and All Angels Church. In Fishersgate—a mostly early 20th-century residential and industrial area in the far southeast of the parish—the Church of St Peter and St Mary was built in 1938 to replace a mission chapel of 1881. [1] The Romanesque red-brick building had a squat tower and spire. [21] The Diocese of Chichester declared it redundant in 2008, and has been converted into a facility for use by community groups. [22] In the north of the parish, the All Souls Centre was in use for Anglican worship until the same year. It was built in 1955, but the Church Army had a presence on the site earlier. [1] In 2008, it was closed and sold for redevelopment. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kingston by Sea, also known as Kingston Buci, Kingston Bucii or simply Kingston, is a small area in the Adur district of West Sussex, England. Although it is now part of a continuous urban area, its origins lay in an ancient village and parish church between Southwick to the east, Shoreham-by-Sea to the west and the mouth of the River Adur to the south. St Julian's Church survives, and its parish perpetuates the ancient "Kingston Buci" name.

St Marys Church, Broadwater

St. Mary's Church, Broadwater, is a Church of England parish church in the Worthing Deanery of the Diocese of Chichester. It serves the ecclesiastical parish of Broadwater, West Sussex and is named after St. Mary. St Mary's is one of several sites in this benefice along with Queen Street and St. Stephen's.

St Nicolas Church, Portslade Church

St Nicolas Church is an Anglican church in the Portslade area of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has 12th-century origins, and serves the old village of Portslade, inland from the mostly 19th-century Portslade-by-Sea area.

St Margarets Church, Ifield Church

St Margaret's Church is an Anglican church in the Ifield neighbourhood of Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is the ancient parish church of the village of Ifield; the medieval settlement was expanded to form one of the New Town of Crawley's 13 neighbourhoods, and the church's modern parish now serves several other neighbourhoods as well.

Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Sompting Church in West Sussex , United Kingdom

The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, also known as St Mary the Virgin Church and St Mary's Church, is the Church of England parish church of Sompting in the Adur district of West Sussex. It stands on a rural lane north of the urban area that now surrounds the village, and retains much 11th- and 12th-century structure. Its most important architectural feature is the Saxon tower topped by a Rhenish helm, a four-sided pyramid-style gabled cap that is uncommon in England. English Heritage lists the church at Grade I for its architecture and history.

St Julians Church, Kingston Buci Church in West Sussex , England

St Julian's Church is an Anglican church in Kingston Buci in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Kingston Buci was a Saxon-era village near the English Channel coast between Southwick and Shoreham-by-Sea; little remains from that period, and modern residential development has obscured the old boundaries between the settlements, but the church retains its mostly 13th-century appearance and serves a parish which retains the ancient Kingston Buci name. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

St Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea Church in West Sussex , England

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. It was founded at the end of the 11th century as a large cruciform church which, due to its original scale, has been described as a collegiate church—a reflection of the port of Shoreham's importance at the time. The former east end of that building survives to form the present church, and much 12th-century work remains. It functions as Shoreham-by-Sea's "town church" for major religious and social events, as well as serving as the town-centre parish. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

St Nicolas Church, Shoreham-by-Sea Church in West Sussex , England

St Nicolas Church is an Anglican church in Old Shoreham, an ancient inland settlement that is now part of the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It was founded on a riverside site by Anglo-Saxons at the start of the 10th century, possibly on the site of a 5th-century predecessor. Some Saxon-era structural elements remain despite 12th-century additions made when Shoreham became prosperous, further extension in the 14th century and a Victorian restoration. The cruciform structure, with its solid central tower, features some unusual Norman-era carving. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

Erringham chapel Historic site in West Sussex, United Kingdom

Erringham chapel is a former place of worship in the deserted medieval village of Old Erringham, north of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Founded in the 11th century as a chapel of ease to St Nicolas' Church in the Saxon riverside village of Old Shoreham, it was in use for several centuries until depopulation caused Old Erringham to become unviable as a settlement. The chapel fell into ruin, and its remains have been incorporated into a barn on the farm which now occupies the site of the village. English Heritage has listed the remaining structure at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

Coombes Church Church in West Sussex , England

Coombes Church is a Church of England parish church in the rural hamlet of Coombes in the Adur District of West Sussex, England. It has served the rural parish, northwest of Shoreham-by-Sea and next to the River Adur, since the 11th century. Despite several re-buildings, some structural elements remain from that period. An important series of wall paintings, dating from the 12th to the 18th century, were uncovered in 1949. English Heritage has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

St James the Less Church, Lancing Church in West Sussex , United Kingdom

St James the Less Church is the Anglican parish church of Lancing, an ancient village which has been absorbed into the modern town of Lancing in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It was founded in the 12th century in the most northerly of the three settlements in Lancing parish, which has Saxon origins. The present building is mostly 13th-century in appearance, and structural work has been carried out several times since—particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the church was restored from a ruinous condition. English Heritage has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

St Marys Church, Walberton Church in West Sussex , England

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Walberton in the district of Arun, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Its 11th-century origins are now mostly hidden behind the results of extensive restoration work undertaken since the 18th century; but some Saxon-era fragments remain, and reused Roman building materials can still be seen in the walls. The extensive collection of 18th-century gravestones in the churchyard includes some especially macabre examples. The church is protected as a Grade I Listed building.

St Georges Church, Worthing Church in West Sussex , England

St George's Church is an Anglican church in the East Worthing area of the borough of Worthing, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Built in 1867–68 to serve new residential development in the southeast of the town, the Decorated Gothic-style structure was extended later in the 19th century, and expanded its reach further by founding three mission halls elsewhere in Worthing. English Heritage has listed it at Grade C for its architectural and historical importance.

St Marys Church, Slaugham Church in West Sussex , England

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Slaugham in Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The 12th- and 13th-century church, restored in the Victorian era, serves a large rural area of the Sussex Weald, covering three villages as well as the ancient settlement of Slaugham. It also controlled the church in the market town of Crawley—now one of the area's largest towns—for the first few centuries of its existence. A locally important family built a private chapel in the church in the 17th century, and a series of memorials to deceased family members are considered to be excellent examples of their type. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.

All Saints Church, Buncton Church in West Sussex , United Kingdom

All Saints Church is an Anglican church in the hamlet of Buncton in the district of Horsham, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Built in the 11th or 12th century as a small chapel of ease to a nearby parish church, and hardly changed or restored since, the stone chapel stands behind a "delightful ... wooded ravine" beneath the South Downs and has been called "a real piece of hidden Sussex". The chancel arch, between the nave and chancel which made up the simple two-room building, had a bizarre 12th-century carving of a person of indeterminate sex exposing their genitalia—until 2004, when an unknown vandal destroyed it with a chisel. The church is still used for Christian worship, and English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance. The church is also known as Buncton Chapel.

St Mary Magdalenes Church, St Leonards-on-Sea Church in East Sussex , United Kingdom

St Mary Magdalene's Church is a Greek Orthodox place of worship in St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. Dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene and built in 1852 for Anglican worshippers in the growing new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, a seaside resort which had been laid out from the 1820s, the church's prominent position on the skyline overlooking the town was enhanced in 1872 by the addition of a tower. No longer required by the Anglican community in the 1980s, it was quickly bought by the Greek Orthodox Church and converted into a place of worship in accordance with their requirements. The alterations were minimal, though, and the building retains many of its original fittings and its "archaeologically correct Gothic" exterior which reflected architectural norms of the early Victorian era. English Heritage has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

St Botolphs Church, Botolphs Church in West Sussex, United Kingdom

The Grade I listed Saxon church of St Botolph's at Botolphs, West Sussex, England, is situated in the valley of the River Adur and is now part of the Church of England parish of Beeding and Bramber with Botolphs. An earlier dedication to St Peter de Vetere Ponte is now lost, like the bridge over the Adur from which it took this ancient name. The church serves the mostly depopulated hamlet of Botolphs in the Horsham district of West Sussex. The church has fragments of medieval wall paintings. Architectural historian Ian Nairn comments that the Jacobean pulpit is "notable in a county which is poor in 17th century fittings".

St Margarets Church, West Hoathly Church in West Sussex , United Kingdom

St Margaret's Church is an Anglican church in the village of West Hoathly in Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. By the late 11th century, a simple single-room stone building existed on the high, open ridge upon which the village developed. A series of medieval expansions doubled its size by the 15th century, and the present building has changed little since then—despite a Victorian restoration overseen by architect R. H. Carpenter. A major addition was the heavily buttressed Perpendicular Gothic west tower, topped with a tall broach spire and containing a peal of ancient bells. The large, steeply terraced churchyard also serves as a public cemetery and has far-reaching views across the Weald. The original dedication to Saint Margaret of Antioch fell out of use for many centuries until a researcher rediscovered it. The church serves a large rural parish which was reduced in size in 1882 when two residents of the hamlet of Highbrook paid for an additional church to be built there. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

St Peters Church, Henfield Church in West Sussex, United Kingdom

St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in the large village of Henfield, West Sussex. Placed on the site of an 8th-century Saxon church also dedicated to St Peter, it was built in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, but was heavily restored and partially rebuilt in the 19th century. English Heritage has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance. Services for the parish continue and also cover the parishes of St Giles', Shermanbury and St. Peter's, Woodmancote, which form its united benefice.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Hudson, T. P., ed. (1980). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1 – Bramber Rape (Southern Part). Southwick". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 173–183. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  2. ↑ Hudson, T. P., ed. (1980). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 1 – Bramber Rape (Southern Part). Kingston by Sea". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 132–138. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Parish 2002 , p. 1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nairn & Pevsner 1965 , p. 334.
  5. 1 2 3 Parish 2002 , p. 11.
  6. ↑ Nairn & Pevsner 1965 , p. 331.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Parish 2002 , p. 3.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic England (2007). "Church of St Michael, Church Lane (south side), Shoreham by Sea, Adur, West Sussex (1353751)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 Parish 2002 , p. 7.
  10. ↑ Nairn & Pevsner 1965 , p. 335.
  11. ↑ Parish 2002 , p. 4.
  12. 1 2 3 Parish 2002 , p. 5.
  13. 1 2 Parish 2002 , p. 9.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Parish 2002 , p. 2.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Parish 2002 , p. 8.
  16. ↑ Eberhard, Robert (September 2011). "Stained Glass Windows at St. Michael & All Angels, Southwick, Sussex". Stained Glass Records website. Robert Eberhard. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  17. ↑ Parish 2002 , p. 6.
  18. ↑ "Listed Buildings". English Heritage. 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "Images of England — Statistics by County (West Sussex)". Images of England . English Heritage. 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "Southwick". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  21. ↑ Elleray 2004 , p. 51.
  22. ↑ "St Peter & St Mary, Fishersgate". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  23. ↑ "Application Details (ADC/0021/09)". Adur District Council planning application. Adur District Council/CAPS Solutions Ltd. 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2009.[ permanent dead link ]

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.