All Saints Church, Patcham
All Saints, Patcham | |
---|---|
Open Evangelical | |
Website | www.allsaintspatcham.org.uk |
History | |
Dedication | All Saints |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Chichester |
Archdeaconry | Chichester |
Deanery | Brighton |
Parish | Patcham, All Saints |
All Saints Church is the Anglican parish church of Patcham, an ancient Sussex village which is now part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. A place of worship has existed on the hilltop site for about 1,000 years, but the present building has Norman internal features and a 13th-century exterior. Several rounds of restoration in the Victorian era included some structural additions. A wide range of monuments and wall paintings survive inside, including one commemorating Richard Shelley—owner of nearby Patcham Place and one of the most important noblemen in the early history of Brighton. The church, which is Grade II* listed, continues to serve as the Anglican place of worship for residents of Patcham, which 20th-century residential development has transformed from a vast rural parish into a large outer suburb of Brighton.
Patcham's first church served a large rural area north of the fishing village of Brighthelmston—the ancient predecessor of Brighton. A
History
The
The Saxon church was rebuilt in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the only feature which may survive from that era is a blocked doorway. It was reset in the north aisle when that was built in 1898.[6] The doorway has been described as "Norman or possibly earlier",[7] "pre-[Norman] Conquest"[8] and "could be Saxon"[9] by various sources. The Victoria County History of Sussex goes further by stating it was originally in the north wall of the nave, but identifies it as 12th-century.[3] The chancel arch, a "plain" structure,[10] was inserted between the chancel and the nave in the 12th century, and the nave is of the same period.[8] The 12th-century chancel was added to in the following 200 years; its Decorated Gothic windows are 14th-century.[7] Similar windows were inserted in the nave at the same time.[9]
Having stood for more than 600 years with little alteration, the church was completely changed by four reconstructions and restorations in a 74-year period in the 19th century.[5][12] The last of these, in 1898, was the most substantial: it added a north aisle, much larger and taller than the rest of the building, and a vestry.[5] In the early 19th century, the building had been in better structural condition than many in Sussex—a survey in 1825 by Sir Stephen Glynn of the Ecclesiological Society noted that it was "decently fitted up"[13]—but rebuilding ancient churches was fashionable in the Victorian era,[14] and the condition of a surviving medieval corbel suggests that the exterior walls were in poor condition.[9] The three earlier periods of restoration were 1824–25, 1856 and 1880–83.[5][12] During the third of these, a 13th-century wall painting of Christ in Judgement was discovered above the chancel arch, hidden under 30 layers of whitewash and the remains of two later paintings;[11] it may be one of the oldest such murals in England,[9] but it was repainted after its rediscovery.[6][10] In 1898, at the same time as the north-side extension, the outside walls of the west, east and south sides were coated with grey cement, probably to improve their structural condition; although this has been described as "unsightly"[11] and "kill[ing] the exterior stone dead",[5] one historian has argued that because many medieval churches were rendered in this way, rather than having uncovered flint walls, it gives the impression of what a typical church of that era may look like.[9]
Patcham's proximity to the ever-growing resort of Brighton—it is 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the
Another round of restoration took place in 1989. The interior was redesigned, and a reredos was made out of old choir stalls which had been removed.[3]
Memorials
The church contains several memorials, of which the oldest is a wall tablet commemorating Richard Shelley, one of the earliest owners of
Elsewhere in the church, three generations of the Paine family are commemorated by tablets in the chancel; John Paine of the second generation rebuilt Patcham Place in 1764. He was the uncle by marriage of
Outside, there are seven nearly identical chest-tombs, all of which are several centuries old and appear to belong to members of the Scrase family.[9] Together with two unrelated tombs nearby, which are 18th- or early 19th-century, they were listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 26 August 1999.[23] On the north side of the churchyard, which is traditionally used for burials of criminals and those who committed suicide, a memorial survives to "a smuggler, unfortunately shot".[7][9]
The churchyard contains 16 Commonwealth war graves, comprising two British Army soldiers of World War I buried in the south part, and eight Royal Air Force personnel, five soldiers and a WREN of World War II who are all buried in the churchyard extension.[24]
Architecture and fittings
The plan of All Saints Church comprises a west tower with heavy buttresses and a
The nave and chancel are separated by an ancient chancel arch which has recesses for a
There are
The blocked doorway in the modern north aisle is the oldest surviving part of the church.[8] Its lintel is 10 inches (25 cm) thick and sits below 11 voussoirs, each about 8 inches (20 cm) across. Below the lintel, the former opening is 6.8 feet (2.1 m) high and 2.75 feet (0.84 m) wide; gradual settling into the ground has masked its original 7.5-foot (2.3 m) height.[8] The jambs are made up of five stones of equal height, but the uppermost is wider because it served as an impost. Inside the church, the jambs and arch are visible, but there is no lintel.[25]
The wall of the chancel retains a trefoil-arched piscina added during the 14th-century restoration work.[3] The font—a "rather florid circular" example—dates from 1864,[5] and the church possesses Eucharistic objects dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as a chalice of 1568 and a paten dating from 1666.[3][10] The west wall has a wide range of old carved prayer and commandment boards, which are a common feature of Sussex churches.[7][9] Ancient examples of graffiti, consisting of etched crosses and dates, also survives inside; such "curious carvings" are also common in Sussex.[26]
Current status
All Saints' Church was
All Saints is the church in the
Following a review by the
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b Fines 2002, p. 7.
- ^ Fines 2002, pp. 7–9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Salzman, L. F., ed. (1940). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 7 – The Rape of Lewes. Parishes: Patcham". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 216–220. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Collis 2010, p. 236.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dale 1989, p. 201.
- ^ a b c d e f g Salter 2000, p. 54.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Whiteman & Whiteman 1998, p. 118.
- ^ a b c d e Fisher 1970, p. 162.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Coppin 2001, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 458.
- ^ a b c d e Brighton Polytechnic. School of Architecture and Interior Design 1987, p. 109.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Historic England. "Church of All Saints, Church Hill (east side), Patcham, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex (Grade II*) (1380264)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 67.
- ^ a b Collis 2010, p. 366.
- ^ Collis 2010, pp. 237–238.
- ^ a b Collis 2010, p. 238.
- ^ Carder 1990, §122.
- ^ Carder 1990, §2.
- ^ Brighton Polytechnic. School of Architecture and Interior Design 1987, pp. 109–110.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 202.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 203.
- ^ Historic England. "Tombs in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Church Hill (east side), Patcham, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex (Grade II) (1380265)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ "All Saints' Churchyard, Patcham, with list of casualties". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ a b Fisher 1970, p. 163.
- ^ Vigar 1986, p. 79.
- ^ "All Saints Church, Patcham". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ "A Church Near You: Find a church in your area". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ "Patcham". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ Brighton and Hove Deaneries Pastoral Strategy Review Group (2005). Towards Revitalisation of the Church of England Deaneries of Brighton and Hove: The Next Steps (Second Report) (Report). The Bishop’s Council of the Diocese of Chichester.
- ^ "The Church of England Statistics & Information: Lists (by diocese) of closed church buildings. Diocese of Chichester" (PDF). Church of England. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ Collis 2010, p. 144.
- ^ "Our History". Immanuel Family Church. 2010. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ Collis 2010, p. 253.
- ^ "Planning Register: Application BH2007/02325". Brighton & Hove City Council planning application. Brighton & Hove City Council. 15 June 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
Bibliography
- Beevers, David; Marks, Richard; Roles, John (1989). Sussex Churches and Chapels. Brighton: The Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery and Museums. ISBN 0-948723-11-4.
- Brighton Polytechnic. School of Architecture and Interior Design (1987). A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton. Macclesfield: McMillan Martin. ISBN 1-869865-03-0.
- Carder, Timothy (1990). The Encyclopaedia of Brighton. Lewes: East Sussex County Libraries. ISBN 0-86147-315-9.
- Collis, Rose (2010). The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton. (based on the original by Tim Carder) (1st ed.). Brighton: Brighton & Hove Libraries. ISBN 978-0-9564664-0-2.
- Coppin, Paul (2001). 101 Medieval Churches of East Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-238-7.
- Dale, Antony (1989). Brighton Churches. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-00863-8.
- Fines, Ken (2002). A History of Brighton & Hove. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 1-86077-231-5.
- Fisher, E.A. (1970). The Saxon Churches of Sussex. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4946-5.
- ISBN 0-14-071028-0.
- Salter, Mike (2000). The Old Parish Churches of Sussex. Malvern: Folly Publications. ISBN 1-871731-40-2.
- Vigar, John (1986). Exploring Sussex Churches. Rainham: Meresborough Books. ISBN 0-948193-09-3.
- Whiteman, Ken; Whiteman, Joyce (1998). Ancient Churches of Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-154-2.