St John the Baptist's Church, Clayton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist's Church |
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The church from the north
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| 50°54′38″N 0°09′12″W / 50.9105°N 0.1534°W | |
| Location | Underhill Lane, Clayton, West Sussex BN6 9PJ |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 28 October 1957 |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Clayton with Keymer |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Hurst |
| Archdeaconry | Horsham |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St John the Baptist's Church is an old Church of England parish church in the village of Clayton. This village is in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The church is small and simple, built in the Anglo-Saxon style. It is famous for its "amazing" and large collection of wall paintings. These paintings are from the early 12th century and were found again more than 700 years later.
Most of the church's main structure is from the 11th century and has not changed much. The church stands in a large churchyard. It serves the small village of Clayton, which is at the foot of the South Downs. St John the Baptist's Church is part of a combined parish with the nearby village of Keymer. This arrangement has been in place for centuries. English Heritage has given the church a Grade I listing. This means it is very important for its history and architecture.
Contents
Church History: A Look Back
The old village of Clayton was around in 1086. This was when the Domesday Book survey was done. Back then, it was called Claitune or Claitona. It was located where the main road from London to Brighton met another path. This path ran east to west at the foot of the South Downs.
The church was first owned by Lewes Priory. This was a type of monastery. The priory received the church from William de Warenne in 1093. The church was originally named All Saints. This was a common name for churches during the Anglo-Saxon period.
How the Church Was Built
Anglo-Saxon churches usually had a tall main room called a nave. This room had no side aisles. It connected to a smaller, square-ended room called a chancel. A special arch, called a chancel arch, joined these two rooms. St John the Baptist's Church was built this way. The nave and chancel arch, along with parts of the chancel walls, are still from the 11th century.
On the north side of the nave, you can see small remains of a 12th-century porticus. This was a low side chapel, like a small transept. Inside, there's a blocked-up round archway. Outside, you can see where its roof used to be. A similar chapel was on the south side from the 13th century. Its remains can still be seen today.
Changes Over Time
The entrance porch on the north wall was built in the 15th century. However, the heavy oak door is much older, from the Norman period. The entrance used to be on the south side. Perhaps it was moved to avoid strong winds. Or maybe the nearby road changed its location long ago.
The short, wooden belfry at the west end of the nave is also from the 15th century. Two of the three bells inside are from this time too. The path to the porch is unusual. It's made of "ripplestone," which is Horsham Stone from a nearby riverbed.
The chancel was rebuilt in the 19th century. A vestry (a room for clergy) was added on the northwest side. Smaller repairs happened in the 20th century. An old Anglo-Saxon window was found blocked up in the north wall of the chancel. The former side chapel on the north side was discovered during digging in 1918.
The lychgate at the churchyard entrance was built in the early 1920s. It serves as Clayton's war memorial. New Stained glass was put into the west window of the nave for the Millennium. Its design was highly praised.
Amazing Wall Paintings
The most famous part of St John the Baptist's Church is its collection of old and well-kept wall paintings. These are in the nave and on the chancel arch. Monks from Lewes Priory painted them. This priory was the first of its kind in England. It had strong ties to its main monastery in France. The art styles from France greatly influenced these paintings.
Paintings from the same group, called the Lewes Group, can be seen in other nearby churches. The paintings at Clayton are called "some of the most important in the country." They are also "unique in England" because they are so complete and old. They show "the terrors of Judgment Day" very clearly. These are some of the oldest surviving wall paintings in England. Historians think they were painted between the late 11th and mid-12th centuries.
The paintings cover the chancel arch and the east, south, and north walls of the nave. They were found between 1893 and 1895 during church repairs. More were found later. Most experts agree they are frescoes. This means they were painted directly onto wet plaster. Like other Lewes Group paintings, they use only a few local colours, mainly yellow and red. This led to them being nicknamed "bacon-and-egg" paintings.
What the Paintings Show
The main topic of the paintings is the Day of Judgment. This makes them an early example of "Doom" paintings. These were common in medieval churches across England. The figures in the paintings are very tall and thin. They have small heads and strange hats.
Above the chancel arch, there is a picture of Christ in Majesty. He is in a special oval shape held by angels. Apostles are on each side. On the north wall of the nave, a procession of people, led by bishops, moves towards the Heavenly Jerusalem. Angels and saints watch them.
Scenes on the south side include angels and one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. There is also another procession, this time of people who are "damned." In this dramatic scene, "a spike-heeled devil riding a large beast separates the doomed from the blessed." An angel is also shown at each corner of the nave. This refers to the Day of Judgment, when angels will gather people from all over the Earth.
These paintings are full of meaning. They show a complete story of the Last Judgment. In medieval times, such paintings were very important. They helped tell stories to people who could not read. In 2010, it was reported that the murals were at risk of damage.
Church Design and Features
St John the Baptist's Church is a good example of a simple two-room church. It has a nave and a chancel. Many churches built before the Norman Conquest in Sussex had this design. The church has a square-ended chancel, a much taller nave, a porch on the north side, and a wooden belfry at the west end. The belfry has a roof made of shingles.
The church has "tall, thin walls" in the nave, which gives it a feeling of deep faith. It is built from flint with some sandstone blocks. Some parts are covered with cement. The roof has a mix of red tiles and Horsham Stone slabs.
Inside the Church
The "strong" and "powerful" chancel arch is the main feature inside. It is from the 11th century. On each side of the arch are two arched spaces. One of these still has some of its original plaster. These might have been "squints," allowing people to see the altar. The arch is very tall. It uses large, square stone blocks.
The arch has been compared to the one in St Nicholas' Church at Worth. That church is also an old Anglo-Saxon church in West Sussex. The three bells in the belfry are from the early 15th century, the 1470s, and 1713.
The chancel, which was rebuilt in the 19th century, is about 19.5 feet long and 13.25 feet wide. The east window has three narrow, tall windows called lancets. There are also two narrow lancet windows in the south and north walls. A blocked-up Anglo-Saxon window is on the north wall. The chancel walls are just over 2 feet thick.
The nave used to have two side chapels, but not much is left of them. However, blocked windows and parts of archways have been seen since 1918. The nave is about 43 feet long and 22.5 feet wide. Its walls are about 2.5 feet thick. The Norman doorway, moved to the north side in the 15th-century porch, has five stones of different lengths. The belfry sits on top of the roof at the west end. It has a shallow, pyramid-shaped roof.
Apart from the wall paintings, the inside of the church is simple. The ceiling has wooden panels. Walls without murals are plastered. There are some 18th-century objects used for Communion. There is also a 17-inch brass memorial to Richard Idon, a parson who died in 1523. He is shown holding a Communion wafer and chalice. Another brass, from 1508, is hidden under a carpet. It has an inscription for Thomas a Wode.
The Church Today
St John the Baptist's Church was listed as Grade I by English Heritage on 28 October 1957. Buildings with this listing are considered to be of "exceptional interest." As of February 2001, it was one of 16 Grade I listed buildings in the Mid Sussex district.
The church parish of Clayton with Keymer includes three villages. Each village has a Church of England parish church. It also covers the countryside towards Burgess Hill, Ditchling, and Hurstpierpoint. Keymer has St Cosmas and St Damian Church. This church also has Anglo-Saxon origins but was rebuilt in 1866. Hassocks is now connected to Keymer by new houses. It was served by St Cosmas and St Damian until 1975. That year, St Francis of Assisi Church was built in Hassocks. The parishes of Clayton and Keymer were officially joined on 25 July 1978.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of places of worship in Mid Sussex
