St Mary's Church, Walberton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church
The church from the north
50°50′35″N 0°37′18″W / 50.8430°N 0.6216°W / 50.8430; -0.6216
Location	Church Lane, Walberton, West Sussex BN18 0UD
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	11th century
Dedication	Mary, mother of Jesus
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	5 June 1958
Style	Late Saxon/Norman
Administration
Parish	Walberton
Deanery	Rural Deanery of Arundel and Bognor
Archdeaconry	Chichester
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church located in the village of Walberton, which is in West Sussex, England. This church has roots going back to the 11th century. While much of its original look is now hidden by many repairs and changes over the years, you can still find some very old parts from the Saxon era. You can even spot building materials that were reused from Roman times!

The churchyard around St Mary's has a large collection of old gravestones from the 1700s. Some of these gravestones have very interesting and sometimes spooky carvings. St Mary's Church is considered a very important historical building and is protected as a Grade I Listed building.

A Look at the Church's Past

The area around Walberton, including Fontwell and Avisford, was once a large parish covering over 1,750 acres. This land was mostly flat and gravelly. Walberton village grew up southwest of the main roads, including an old Roman road that is now the A27 road.

When Was the Church First Built?

Records from the Domesday Book in 1086 show that a church already existed in Walberton. It even had its own priest, which meant it was an important place back then. The first church was a simple building with two main parts: a nave (the main area where people sit) and a chancel (the area near the altar).

The west wall of the nave was built using stones and rubble saved from nearby Roman-era sites. It even had brick corners. In 1105, the local lord gave control of the church to an abbey in France. Later, a nearby priory, Boxgrove Priory, managed the church until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.

Changes Over the Centuries

The church saw its first big changes in the 12th century. New sections, called aisles, were added to the north and south sides of the nave. These aisles look a bit different from each other, suggesting they were built over a long time, possibly even into the 13th century.

In the 13th century, the chancel was rebuilt and made wider than the nave. Lancet windows, which are tall, narrow windows with pointed tops, were added. A porch was also built on the north side of the church during this time. This north porch is quite rare because it also has lancet windows.

Later, in the 14th century, the arch connecting the nave and chancel was replaced. A new roof was put on the nave in the 15th century. This roof covered both the nave and its aisles smoothly. A new window was also added at the west end of the church, along with other windows.

Repairs and Restorations

The church faced some tough times in the 1600s and 1700s, needing many repairs, especially to its roof and south aisle. In the 1800s, more parts like the porch and belfry were changed. The old Saxon entrance door on the west side was even blocked up.

By the early 1900s, the church needed even more major work. The nave was in danger of falling down! People donated money to pay for a big restoration project. An architect named Richard Creed led this work. His changes were very extensive and removed almost all the parts that were older than the Norman period. Some people thought his work was a bit "clumsy" because it changed so much of the original church.

Charles Cook's macabre gravestone, showing him crushed by a tree in 1767.

Stories in Stone: The Churchyard

The churchyard is quite large and has many interesting gravestones. Some of these are from the 1700s and have carvings that tell stories, sometimes even showing how people died.

One famous example is the gravestone of Charles Cook, who died in 1767. This white stone shows him being crushed by a falling tree. A laughing skeleton, a man with an axe, and Father Time (who carries a scythe and hourglass) watch him. Above, trumpet-playing angels are shown. These kinds of pictures were common on old gravestones because not everyone could read.

Also buried in the churchyard is the 1st Earl of Woolton. He was the Minister of Food during World War II. The famous wartime vegetarian dish, Woolton pie, was named after him! He used to live in Walberton House, the old manor house.

In 1834, a large stone coffin was found near the north porch. It might be from the Saxon period. Today, you can see it displayed inside the church. A lychgate (a covered gateway to a churchyard) was added in the 1900s.

What the Church Looks Like

St Mary's Church is mostly built from flint stones, with some smoother ashlar stones and bricks. It has a chancel, a nave with aisles on both sides, a porch, and a tiled roof. A shingled spire sits on top of the weatherboarded belfry (bell tower). Part of the nave has been changed into a vestry and other rooms.

The entrance door at the west end is the only place where you can still see very old stone work from before the Norman period. The chancel still has its original 13th-century lancet windows. However, many other windows in the church have been replaced over time. The windows in the north porch have special trefoil (three-leaf shape) openings at the top.

The belfry and its frame are typical for churches in the Chichester area. It holds six bells. Three of these were added in 1903, and the others were recast (melted down and reshaped) during the 1903 restoration. Inside the church, you can see the Saxon stone coffin under the west window. There's also an ancient stone font that was found in a field. Another interesting feature is a memorial stone for a past vicar, carved by the famous Sussex sculptor Eric Gill.

The Church Today

St Mary's Church was officially named a Grade I Listed building on June 5, 1958. This means it's a very important historical building that needs to be protected.

The church's parish (the area it serves) today is a bit different from the old one. It includes Walberton village and smaller places like Fontwell, Avisford, and Slindon Common. Since 1929, St Mary's Church has worked closely with St Mary's Church in the nearby village of Binsted.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
• List of places of worship in Arun