Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst
Church of the Holy Sepulchre | |
---|---|
Horsham | |
Deanery | Storrington |
Parish | Thakeham with Warminghurst |
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a former
History
Warminghurst (from Old English meaning "the high wood of Wyrma's people")[3] is an ancient parish at the south of the Weald, close to where the South Downs rise. It is long from north and south, narrow and largely rural; its village, never very large, has disappeared since the medieval era. Development was always scattered rather than nucleated because the land around the church and manor house sloped steeply away on all sides.[4][5]
One of the earliest descriptions of Warminghurst was as an appurtenance of Steyning, a more significant nearby town,[6] and although the Domesday survey of 1086 mentioned two churches in the latter, one may have been at Warminghurst. A church is known to have stood in the parish by the late 12th century, when the name of the village was Werningcherch.[1]
The present church, a simple
The three-light east window, containing plain glass and with
The ecclesiastical status of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre varied over the centuries following its split from Steyning. Late 16th-century curates and rectors were also linked to the churches at Thakeham and Itchingfield; after a long period in the late 17th century when the church had a resident vicar, curates once more served the church, usually from Thakeham but later from Ashington; and from 1845 the vicar of Ashington celebrated services himself.[1] The parish was linked with that of Thakeham throughout the 18th century, until 1804; soon afterwards, until the church's first closure, it was linked to Ashington. A period of closure from about 1920 until 1933 led to damage by vandals, and repairs were carried out prior to the church's reopening.[1] More damage, this time associated with the Second World War and declining congregations,[1][3] led to the only full-scale restoration in the church's history:[9][10] John Leopold Denman of the firm Denman & Sons carried out a "very sensitive" series of works ("beautifully done" according to Nikolaus Pevsner)[9] in 1959–60, in which all parts of the building were inspected and structural defects corrected, the east window was improved and the ceiling was stripped down to reveal its original timbers.[1][9][10]
The church was officially reunited with Thakeham again in 1940; it had been served from there since its 1933 reopening.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was listed at Grade I by English Heritage on 15 March 1955.[12] Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance.[22] As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.[23]
Architecture and fittings
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has a simple layout, only slightly altered from its 13th-century origins. It consists of a long, low single cell containing nave and chancel, a porch on the south side (now blocked, and containing the original entrance door), a
The church has a "typically 18th-century" interior despite its mostly 13th-century exterior. The pale woodwork (mostly pine), large areas of plain glass and whitewashed walls give a bright appearance.[20] The best feature, with no rival in Sussex for completeness and structural condition,[15] is the late 18th-century pine box pews with Gothic Revival-style tracery at the ends.[1] Also described by one historian as the best in the county[24] is the rare three-deck pulpit, also of the 18th century.[11] The pine screen between the nave and chancel has a "splendid"[11] and "wonderfully naïve"[19] painted plasterwork Royal Arms in its tympanum, repainted in 1845.[1] Such examples, painted straight on plaster and mounted on woodwork, are unusual in Sussex.[25]
The north chapel was built in 1619 by Henry Shelley as a vault and private chapel for the Shelley family.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Southeast England
- List of places of worship in Horsham (district)
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hudson, T. P., ed. (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2: Bramber Rape (North-Western Part). Warminghurst: Church". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 57–60. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ a b Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 155.
- ^ a b c d e Pé 2006, p. 12.
- ^ Hudson, T. P., ed. (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2: Bramber Rape (North-Western Part). Warminghurst". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. pp. 49–52. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ a b Swinfen & Arscott 1984, p. 141.
- ^ Hudson, T. P., ed. (1986). "A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2: Bramber Rape (North-Western Part). Warminghurst: Local Government". Victoria County History of Sussex. British History Online. p. 57. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Coppin 2006, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Salter 2000, p. 140.
- ^ a b c d e Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 362.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Whiteman & Whiteman 1994, p. 165.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 363.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Park Lane, Warminghurst, Ashington, Horsham, West Sussex (1027448)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b Pé 2006, p. 14.
- ^ Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 56.
- ^ a b Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 35.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "Pastoral Measure 1983 (as amended by subsequent legislation including the Dioceses, Pastoral and Mission Measure 2007)" (DOC). Church of England (Pastoral and Closed Churches Department). 11 June 2008. pp. 55–56. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Protecting historic churches". Churches Conservation Trust. 2013. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b c "The Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst". Churches Conservation Trust. 2013. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ a b Vigar 1986, p. 115.
- ^ "Complete List of our Churches: West Sussex". Churches Conservation Trust. 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Listed Buildings". English Heritage. 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Vigar 1986, p. 33.
- ^ Vigar 1986, p. 63.
- ^ https://latinsaints.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/the-blessed-martyrs-of-sussex/ The Blessed Martys of Sussex
- ^ Beevers, Marks & Roles 1989, p. 109.
- ^ Vigar 1986, p. 53.
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.
- Coppin, Paul (2006). 101 Medieval Churches of West Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-306-5.
- ISBN 0-14-071028-0.
- Pé, Diana (2006). Mid Sussex Church Walks. PP (Pé Publishing). ISBN 0-9543690-2-5.
- Salter, Mike (2000). The Old Parish Churches of Sussex. Malvern: Folly Publications. ISBN 1-871731-40-2.
- Swinfen, Warden; ISBN 0-9509510-0-5.
- Vigar, John (1986). Exploring Sussex Churches. Rainham: Meresborough Books. ISBN 0-948193-09-3.
- Whiteman, Ken; Whiteman, Joyce (1994). Ancient Churches of Sussex. Seaford: S.B. Publications. ISBN 1-85770-154-2.