All Saints Church, Buncton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church |
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The church from the northwest
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| 50°54′48″N 0°22′21″W / 50.9133°N 0.3726°W | |
| Location | Water Lane, Buncton, West Sussex BN44 3DD |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | Late 11th century |
| Founder(s) | Monks of Sele Priory (attr.) |
| Dedication | All Saints |
| Dedicated | By 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 15 March 1955 |
| Style | Norman |
| Groundbreaking | Late 11th century |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wiston with Buncton |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Storrington |
| Archdeaconry | Horsham |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
All Saints Church is an Anglican church. It is found in the small area called Buncton in West Sussex, England. This church was built a very long time ago, either in the 11th or 12th century. It started as a small chapel. A chapel of ease is a smaller church built for people who live far from the main parish church.
All Saints Church is special because it has not changed much over hundreds of years. It stands in a beautiful, quiet spot near the South Downs. People often call it "a real piece of hidden Sussex." The church is still used for Christian worship today. It is also very important for its history and design. Because of this, English Heritage has given it a special "Grade I" listing. This means it is a building of great national importance.
Contents
History of All Saints Church
Buncton was a settlement even in 1086. This was when the Domesday Book survey was done. The survey was a big record of land and property in England. Buncton was then called Bongetune. It was part of a large estate, or manor. The old manor house is gone, but a house from the 1600s stands there now.
When Was the Church Built?
The church was built in a lovely countryside spot. Most experts think it was built in the late 11th or early 12th century. This was during the Norman period. Some even suggest it was built around 1070. This early date would make it a mix of Saxon and Norman styles. Monks from Sele Priory might have built it.
How the Church Was Designed
The church has two main parts: a chancel and a nave. The chancel is the area near the altar. The nave is the main part where people sit. There is an arch between them called the chancel arch. This simple "two-cell" design was common for small churches in Sussex back then. The walls are quite tall for a small church.
Builders used some old materials when they made the church. They used rubble and tiles from a nearby Roman building. A Roman road, the Sussex Greensand Way, passed close by. A large Roman villa (a fancy house) was also nearby. Its heating system, called a hypocaust, was found in 1848.
Changes Over Time
The chancel was changed in the 1200s. Then, in the 1300s, the east end was made shorter. A new window was added in the Decorated Gothic style. The church also got an aumbry and a piscina. An aumbry is a small cupboard for sacred items. A piscina is a basin used for washing sacred vessels.
Some fancy Norman stone arches were added to the outside walls. They came from another building, possibly Sele Priory. The only major change was a bellcote added in the 1800s. A bellcote is a small structure on the roof that holds a bell. Compared to many old churches, All Saints has stayed "delightfully unrestored." This means it looks much like it did hundreds of years ago.
Church Status Changes
All Saints Church has had many changes in how it is managed. For most of its history, it was a smaller church linked to a larger parish. A parish is an area served by a church. In 1323, it was recorded as a main parish church. But in the 1400s, it became a chapel of ease again. It was linked to St Peter and St Paul's Church in Ashington.
Later, in 1977, the parishes of Ashington with Buncton and Washington with Wiston joined together. Today, All Saints is part of the parish of St Mary's Church in Wiston.
Architecture of All Saints Church
All Saints Church is a small, simple building. It looks tall and narrow. It is mostly built from flint, which is a common stone in Sussex. You can also see some stone rubble and recycled Roman tiles. Some people say it looks "a little like a stone barn." It stands alone in a field, which makes it feel very peaceful.
Outside Features
On the outside north wall of the chancel, there are two Romanesque-style arches. Romanesque is an old European style of architecture. These arches are blocked, meaning they are filled in. They are very decorative. One has shapes that look like "beakheads." The other has fancy patterns and carvings. These arches were added in the 1300s just for decoration.
The chancel is about 14.5 feet by 20 feet. It is shorter than the nave. The nave has original Norman doorways. The one on the south side is blocked up. The doorway on the north side is still in good condition. It has a flat arch made of wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs. Three original windows are still in the nave. They are placed high up on the walls. The chancel's windows are lancet windows. These are tall, narrow windows. The large east window is in the Decorated Gothic style from the 1300s.
Inside Features
The chancel arch is large and from the same time as the nave. It has square bases that support columns. These columns have unusual tops called capitals. The parts above the capitals, called abaci, are almost round. The stone carvings on the arch show typical Norman designs, like squares and herringbone patterns. The chancel arch is about 14.8 feet tall.
Inside, you can also see a piscina from the 1300s. It is small but has a lot of character.
All Saints Church Today
All Saints Church was given its special "Grade I" listing by English Heritage on March 15, 1955. This means it is a building of "exceptional interest" and is very important to the country. In 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings in the Horsham area.
Church services here have usually been held about once a month for centuries. This was true in the 1700s and 1800s. Sometimes, no services were held in winter. People would go to Ashington instead. Today, services are still held monthly. There is a Eucharistic service on the third Sunday of each month.
The church's parish is called Wiston with Buncton. It includes these two villages and a large countryside area.
See also
Images for kids
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The mysterious carving on the chancel arch, pictured shortly before its destruction in 2004
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The 14th-century piscina
