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Leisure and tourism in Adur
Historic churches to visit in Adur
Adur's churches are amongst its most striking features and nine are listed here as of special interest :
- Coombes Church, Coombes
- St. Julian's, Kingston Bucii
- Sompting Church, Sompting
- St. Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea
- Church of St Nicolas, Shoreham
- Lancing College Chapel
- St. Michael and All Angels, Southwick
- Church of St. James the Less, North Lancing
- Church of the Good Shepherd, Shoreham Beach
Note : Please check the details and opening times before travelling to visit any of these historic churches. Adur District Council cannot be held responsible for any errors or inaccuracies in the information on this page.
For more information on historical Adur and its churches contact :
- The Shoreham Society, Tel : (01273) 885994
- Sussex Archaeological society, Tel : (01273) 462994
at the Marlipins Museum.
Coombes Church, Coombes
The
parish church at Coombes dates from the Saxon/Norman period and is famed
for its beautiful 12th century murals which were uncovered in 1949.
Coombes Church, Situated at Church Farm, Coombes on Coombes Road off A27, North of Shoreham Airport Church Farm, Coombes Road, Lancing
website : www.saintjamesthelesslancing.co.uk
website : www.coombes.co.uk/coombesfarmhome/church.htm
St. Julian's, Kingston Bucii
The
church dating from 1050 has a fascinating anchorite cell once home to a hermit
who lived sealed in the wall and was fed by passers-by.
A small window into the church itself would have allowed the hermit to take part in church services.
St. Julian's Church,
St. Julian's Lane, Shoreham-by-Sea
Tel : (01273) 593775
website : www.achurchnearyou.com/kingston-buci-st-julian
St. Mary's Church, Sompting
St.
Mary's at Sompting was built around 1000.
The church is Saxon in origin and features a fine Saxon tower with a Rhenish Helm, the last of its kind remaining in the country.
St. Mary's the Virgin Church,
Church Lane, Sompting
Tel : (01903) 234511
Vicarage, West Street Sompting
websites :
St. Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea
This
magnificent church was founded by the Normans in c. 1103 and so celebrated
its 900th anniversary in 2003. It was built on a grand scale for a parish
church, with a six-bay nave, five-bay choir, transepts and central tower,
but the nave subsequently collapsed or was taken down, apart from the easternmost
bay, which now forms the entrance to the church. Fortunately, the finest
architecture survived, and the present church is still very impressive.
The lower stage of the tower and, inside, the 'crossing' and the transepts, are excellent examples of late Norman architecture, while the superb choir and upper stage of the tower, which date from towards the end of the twelfth century, are 'Transitional' between Norman and Gothic in style. As an example of this phase of the development of English architecture the Choir, with its arcade, triforium, clerestory, vaulted ceiling and flying buttresses, has been described as 'unsurpassed in the country'. Remarkably, the style varies between the north and south sides of the choir, displaying two phases of 'Transitional' architecture in a single building. There is much fine carving throughout.
St. Mary's is open all the year round between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, but there are gates at the entrance to the Choir from the 'crossing' under the tower which are usually locked This arrangement allows a good general view of the church's interior, but for those wanting to make a more detailed study of the architectural features it is often necessary to arrange for someone to be in attendance and open the gates (please telephone 01273-452109 in advance of your visit). During the summer months stewards are usually on duty for at least two hours in the middle of the day on weekdays.
Shoreham-by-Sea is easily reached by bus and train, and lies just off the A27 between Brighton and Worthing. Access to St. Mary's is from Church Street/St. Mary's Road/East Street, in the town centre, close to the railway station and shops.
(Ordnance Survey grid reference TQ 216 052)
website : www.stmarydehaura.org.uk
Church of St. Nicolas, Shoreham
Situated
in north Shoreham, this sturdy cruciform church is recorded in the Domesday
Book (1086), but it was probably founded before 900.
There is surviving Saxon work in the nave walls, and a later Gothic choir and wooden chancel screen, but the church's glory is the fine mid twelfth-century stone carving at the 'crossing' under the beautiful Norman tower and in the north transept. The ornamentation includes chevron with pellets, cable with beads, billet, stud, lozenge and rose, wheel studs, and limpet. There is also a cat's face, and human faces, including two which are thought to be those of King Stephen and his Queen, Adelicia of Louvaine, and a carved wooden beam at the east end of the Nave, which may be unique. The painted ceiling in the Choir is Victorian.
St. Nicolas' Church is open all the year round between 9.00 am and 5.30 pm (later in the summer), and is accessible by wheelchairs. Access is from St. Nicolas' Lane, off Upper Shoreham Road.
(Ordnance Survey grid reference TQ 208 060)
website : www.achurchnearyou.com/old-shoreham-st-nicolas
Lancing College Chapel
Lancing
chapel dominates the landscape to the north of the A27. Begun in 1868, it
is a stunning example of Gothic revival with its soaring upward lines and
great simplicity.
The Rose Window, consisting of 30,000 pieces of stained glass and with a diameter of 32 feet, is one of the largest in England.
The chapel is open to visitors : Monday to Saturday : 10:00am - 4:00pm and Sunday and Bank Holidays : noon - 4:00pm
For party bookings please telephone the Verger on (01273) 452213.
Lancing College, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 0RW, Tel : (01273) 452213 (Switchboard)
website : Lancing College : www.lancingcollege.co.uk
St. Michael's / St. Michael & All Angels Church, Southwick
The
parish church was built in the 12th century with money provided by the De
Braose family and features a lovely lychgate.
St. Michael's Church (C of E)
Church Lane, Southwick
Tel : (01273) 592389
website :
www.communigate.co.uk/sussex/
southwickstmichaels/index.phtml
website : www.achurchnearyou.com/southwick-st-michael-all-angels
Church of St. James the Less, North Lancing
The
church is to be found in North Lancing and like Kingston Buci and Old Shoreham
contains Saxon work and a fine late Norman entrance doorway.
St. James the Less,
Manor Road,
North Lancing
Tel : (01903) 753212
website : www.saintjamesthelesslancing.co.uk
website : www.achurchnearyou.com/saint-james-the-less
Church of the Good Shepherd, Shoreham Beach
Built
in 1913 this church had strong links with the artistic community of Bungalow
Town, and the early film makers who made movies in the nearby 'glasshouse
studio' (destroyed by fire in 1922). A blue 'Cinema 100' plaque now marks
its filmic history.
Church of the Good Shepherd,
West Beach Road, Shoreham-by-Sea
Tel : (01273) 453768
website : www.shorehambysea.com/thegoodshepherd
website : www.achurchnearyou.com/good-shepherd-shoreham-beach
Photos above (except for Good Shepherd) : Mr Keith Whitcomb
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