Church in the Wood, Hollington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church in the Wood |
|
|---|---|
| St Leonard's Church | |
.jpg)
The church from the south
|
|
| 50°52′27″N 0°32′17″E / 50.8743°N 0.5380°E | |
| Location | Church in the Wood Lane, Hollington, Hastings, East Sussex TN38 9PB |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | www.stleonardsandstannes.org.uk |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Rumbold's Church |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Dedication | St Leonard |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 19 January 1951 |
| Style | Early English Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Hollington: St Leonard and St Anne |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Hastings |
| Archdeaconry | Hastings |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Church in the Wood, also known as St Leonard's Church, is an Anglican church located in the Hollington area of Hastings, East Sussex. Even though Hollington is now a large suburb with many homes, this church has stood alone in an old wood for centuries. It was first built in the 13th century, likely replacing an even older chapel from the 11th century.
Over the years, especially during the Victorian era, the church was repaired and updated. This gave it its current look, which is in the Early English Gothic style. However, some parts of the original medieval building still remain. Many interesting stories and even miracles are linked to the church. Its quiet, hidden location has been admired by famous writers like Charles Lamb. Today, the church is a Grade II Listed building, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
History of the Church
The area where the church stands, called Hollington, was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. This book was a survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. At that time, the land was owned by different lords before it passed to Robert, Count of Eu. Hollington was a spread-out, mostly rural settlement about 4 kilometers northwest of Hastings.
Early Beginnings
No church was mentioned in the Domesday survey, but a document from 1139 suggests a chapel was on this spot as early as 1090. This means it might even have existed before the Normans arrived in England. There were other places of worship nearby, but they disappeared over time. The chapel at Hollington remained, even though it was far from any houses for a long time. It's thought that the owner of the land moved away, leaving the chapel as the only building still in use, and a wood grew up around it.
.jpg)
By the mid-13th century, the chapel was replaced by a proper church. The first known vicar (church leader) was John de Levenyngton in 1344.
Changing Names
The church's dedication to St Leonard happened by mistake over many years. In 1291, there was another St Leonard's Church in Hastings, but it was lost in the early 1400s. After that, people from that old church started coming to Hollington to worship.
The Church in the Wood was originally dedicated to St Rumbold in 1562. But slowly, over the next 150 years, people started calling it "St Leonard's Church." The name "Church in the Wood" became popular in the mid-1800s, especially after new St Leonard's churches were built in the area.
.jpg)
Repairs and Growth
Despite its quiet location, the church continued to serve the community. However, by the mid-1800s, it was in poor condition. Some people wanted to close it and build a new church closer to town. But the local people insisted on repairing the old church.
Work began in 1847 and continued for nearly 20 years. The church closed for repairs in 1861, and then a full restoration was paid for in 1865. This renovation was so big that the church looked mostly Victorian afterward, with only a few parts remaining from the original Norman times.
In 1870, the church's parish (the area it serves) became smaller when a new church, St John the Evangelist's, was built. Hollington became part of Hastings in 1897. Later, a lychgate (a covered gateway to the churchyard) was added in 1937, and a modern room for the parish was built in 1977. The churchyard is very old, with burials recorded since 1606, and it's the last private burial ground in Hastings.
Hollington grew a lot in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially with new housing. Even so, the ancient woodland around the church has been protected. It is now one of six nature reserves in Hastings.
Church Architecture
.jpg)
The church's current look is mostly due to the repairs and changes made in the 1800s. Only a few parts from the medieval period remain, like some stone walls, wooden beams, and an old bell in the tower. The church is built from local stone, and its roof is tiled. The pyramid-shaped top of the tower is also covered in tiles. The bell, made between 1371 and 1392, is the oldest in Hastings and one of the oldest in all of Sussex.
The church has a main area called the nave, a chancel (the part where the altar is), a low bell tower at the west end, a small room called a vestry, a porch, and a modern parish hall. The stone used is mostly local "bluestone," with some decorative parts made from Bath and Caen stone.
The style of the building is Early English Gothic. The window at the east end has three tall, narrow windows with decorative stone patterns, a style called Decorated Gothic. A beautiful stained glass window showing the Resurrection was added in 1873 by Jean-Baptiste Capronnier. Other windows show Faith, Hope, and Charity, likely made by the firm Clayton and Bell.
Legends and Stories
.jpg)
The unusual location of Church in the Wood has led to a famous local story. It's said that when builders first tried to build the church, their work was destroyed every night, and the materials disappeared. A voice claimed the spot belonged to the Devil and demanded the church be built elsewhere. So, the church was successfully rebuilt on a new site, and a wood grew around it to hide it. This legend probably comes from the Middle Ages.
Another story tells of a miracle that happened to a former vicar of the church in 1488. He was attacked and injured by three men on his way to a service. But it is said that he miraculously recovered his senses just in time to identify the attackers and help bring them to justice.
Many writers have been fascinated by the quiet beauty of Church in the Wood. In 1777, someone wrote that even though the churchyard had many monuments, it still felt like a hidden place in the middle of a wood. In 1845, Diplock's Hastings Guidebook said that its unique location, more than the building itself, attracted visitors. It looked "as if having been forsaken by all human visitants, a thicket had grown up and enclosed it like the Castle of the Sleeping Beauty in the old fairy tale."
The famous London writer Charles Lamb visited in 1823 and wrote a well-known description:
The best thing I hit upon was a small country Church (by whom or when built unknown), standing bare and single in the midst of a grove, with no house or appearance of habitation within a quarter of a mile, only passages diverging from it through beautiful woods, to so many farm houses. There it stands, like the first idea of a Church, before parishioners were thought of, nothing but birds for its congregation...
—Charles Lamb, 1823
The Church Today
Church in the Wood was officially recognized as a Grade II Listed building on January 19, 1951. This means it's a building of special historical or architectural interest.
The parish of St Leonard also includes a second Anglican church, the modern St Anne's Church. This church was built starting in 1956 to serve the growing number of homes in the area.
Today, there is a service every Sunday at 10:30 AM at Church in the Wood. St Anne's Church has a service at 9:30 AM every Sunday. In months with five Sundays, the two churches hold a combined service together.
See also
