Greatham Church
Encyclopedia
Greatham Church is the Anglican
parish church
of the hamlet of Greatham
in the district of Horsham
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex
. The tiny single-room building has been described variously as "delightful" and "one of the most appealing churches in Sussex". The unrestored
12th-century stone church serves a rural area near the River Arun
and sits apart from the hamlet next to the ancient manor house
. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
and Amberley
. The hamlet was an agricultural community from the Saxon era
, and shepherds would have formed the bulk of the early congregation. The Amberley Wild Brooks
Site of Special Scientific Interest
is nearby. Rubble and brickwork from nearby Roman sites was incorporated in the walls, which are aligned at odd angles and do not match in length or thickness.
The original east window was blocked later, and two lancet window
s were inserted in its place in the 13th century. Similar windows were added to the north and south walls at the same time. The 12th-century entrance in the north wall was also bricked up, but its stone jambs are still visible.
Minimal restoration
was performed in the 19th century, in contrast to many other Sussex churches, although the original bell-turret
was replaced by one topped with a spire
. A new entrance, set in a porch, was added on the south side, and a vestry
was built on to the north wall—although this was removed in the mid-20th century. Most of the internal fittings are early 19th-century. When the vestry was being built, five soldiers were found buried next to the church wall: they had been killed at the Battle of Greatham Bridge during the English Civil War
.
was giving way to the Norman style
. The writer Arthur Mee
was once told not to mistake the church for a haystack: set in the middle of fields and on its own apart from the manor house
, it has an extremely basic and modest feel—amplified by its lack of electricity and piped water. The walls, of unequal length and thickness, are principally of ironstone
with some chalk, flint, Roman-era masonry and rubble, local (Pulborough) sandstone
and Horsham Stone
. Ian Nairn
described them as having "a wonderful texture". At one corner, the Pulborough sandstone quoins
have a set of roughly carved crosses. These are believed to be consecration crosses, which were blessed when the church was completed and consecrated. The building has a single room with no division between the nave
and chancel
. There is also a slate-hung bell-turret with a small spire. The windows, inserted in the 13th century, are Early English-style lancets. The roof is an old, but not original, king post
structure.
Interior fittings include a "rustic" altar rail
with a crenellated
upper surface, dating from the 17th century. A good example of a Gothic Revival-style
two-decker pulpit
, in dark wood and built in the early 19th century (possibly around 1820), also survives, as do box pew
s of the same era. The porch houses a slab of local marble which may have formed part of the original altar. The walls are whitewashed.
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. 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.
Priests serving two or more churches is a common practice in modern times, but in the Middle Ages it was very unusual; nevertheless Greatham and Wiggonholt were united in this way from 1443. The church now has its own parish again: it covers the hamlet of Greatham and its rural surroundings as far as the railway line
between Pulborough
and Amberley
. It is part of a larger benefice which includes the churches at Amberley, Parham and Wiggonholt and the former St Mary the Virgin's Church
(now redundant
) at North Stoke
.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the hamlet of Greatham
Greatham, West Sussex
Greatham is a small village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Coldwaltham to Storrington road 1.8 miles south of Pulborough.-History:...
in the district of Horsham
Horsham (district)
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. The tiny single-room building has been described variously as "delightful" and "one of the most appealing churches in Sussex". The unrestored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
12th-century stone church serves a rural area near the River Arun
River Arun
The Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
and sits apart from the hamlet next to the ancient manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Like nearby Wiggonholt Church, which it resembles, Greatham Church was erected in about 1100 to serve the sparsely populated marshlands next to the River Arun between PulboroughPulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
and Amberley
Amberley, West Sussex
Amberley is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England.Amberley is situated at the foot of the South Downs. Its neighbours are Storrington, West Chiltington and Arundel. The village is noted for its many thatched cottages...
. The hamlet was an agricultural community from the Saxon era
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
, and shepherds would have formed the bulk of the early congregation. The Amberley Wild Brooks
Amberley Wild Brooks
Amberley Wild Brooks is a wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest in the flood plain of the River Arun, just north of the village of Amberley, West Sussex, England...
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
is nearby. Rubble and brickwork from nearby Roman sites was incorporated in the walls, which are aligned at odd angles and do not match in length or thickness.
The original east window was blocked later, and two lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s were inserted in its place in the 13th century. Similar windows were added to the north and south walls at the same time. The 12th-century entrance in the north wall was also bricked up, but its stone jambs are still visible.
Minimal restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was performed in the 19th century, in contrast to many other Sussex churches, although the original bell-turret
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
was replaced by one topped with a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
. A new entrance, set in a porch, was added on the south side, and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was built on to the north wall—although this was removed in the mid-20th century. Most of the internal fittings are early 19th-century. When the vestry was being built, five soldiers were found buried next to the church wall: they had been killed at the Battle of Greatham Bridge during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Architecture
Greatham Church is a tiny, primitive, unrestored building dating from the "Saxo-Norman overlap" period when Anglo-Saxon architectureAnglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
was giving way to the Norman style
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. The writer Arthur Mee
Arthur Mee
Arthur Henry Mee was a British writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for The Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopaedia, The Children's Newspaper, and The King's England...
was once told not to mistake the church for a haystack: set in the middle of fields and on its own apart from the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, it has an extremely basic and modest feel—amplified by its lack of electricity and piped water. The walls, of unequal length and thickness, are principally of ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
with some chalk, flint, Roman-era masonry and rubble, local (Pulborough) sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone is a type of calcerous, flaggy sandstone containing millions of minute sand grains. It is also high in mica and quartz. The rock extends in an arc-like formation for several kilometres around the West Sussex town of Horsham from which it bears its name and lies just below the Wealden...
. Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
described them as having "a wonderful texture". At one corner, the Pulborough sandstone quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
have a set of roughly carved crosses. These are believed to be consecration crosses, which were blessed when the church was completed and consecrated. The building has a single room with no division between the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. There is also a slate-hung bell-turret with a small spire. The windows, inserted in the 13th century, are Early English-style lancets. The roof is an old, but not original, king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
structure.
Interior fittings include a "rustic" altar rail
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
with a crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
upper surface, dating from the 17th century. A good example of a Gothic Revival-style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
two-decker pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, in dark wood and built in the early 19th century (possibly around 1820), also survives, as do box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s of the same era. The porch houses a slab of local marble which may have formed part of the original altar. The walls are whitewashed.
The church today
The church was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. 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.
Priests serving two or more churches is a common practice in modern times, but in the Middle Ages it was very unusual; nevertheless Greatham and Wiggonholt were united in this way from 1443. The church now has its own parish again: it covers the hamlet of Greatham and its rural surroundings as far as the railway line
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
between Pulborough
Pulborough railway station
Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :...
and Amberley
Amberley railway station
Amberley railway station is a railway station in West Sussex, England. It serves the village of Amberley, about half a mile away, and was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
. It is part of a larger benefice which includes the churches at Amberley, Parham and Wiggonholt and the former St Mary the Virgin's Church
St Mary the Virgin's Church, North Stoke
North Stoke Church, rededicated in 2007 to St Mary the Virgin after its medieval dedication was unexpectedly rediscovered, is a former Church of England parish church in the riverside hamlet of North Stoke in the Horsham District of West Sussex...
(now redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
) at North Stoke
North Stoke, West Sussex
North Stoke is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is just over north of Arundel and south of Amberley railway station, and is at the end of a no through road from the station....
.