St Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary de Haura Church |
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The church from the northeast
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| 50°49′58″N 0°16′27″W / 50.8329°N 0.2742°W | |
| Location | Church Street, New Shoreham, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5DQ |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | www.stmarydehaura.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | c. 1096 |
| Founder(s) | William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber |
| Dedication | St Mary de Haura (St Mary at the Harbour) |
| Dedicated | c. 1096 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 8 May 1950 |
| Style | Norman |
| Administration | |
| Parish | New Shoreham: St Mary de Haura |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Hove |
| Archdeaconry | Chichester |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary de Haura Church is an Anglican church located in the old "New Shoreham" area of Shoreham-by-Sea. This town is in West Sussex, England. The church was built around the end of the 11th century. It was originally a very large church shaped like a cross, which shows how important the port of Shoreham was back then.
Today, the eastern part of that original building is what we see as the church. Many parts from the 12th century are still there. St Mary de Haura is Shoreham-by-Sea's main church for big religious and community events. It also serves the local area in the town centre. Because of its amazing architecture and history, English Heritage has given it a special "Grade I" listing. This means it's considered very important.
Contents
History of the Church
Old Shoreham was a farming village near the River Adur. Around 1086, it was a successful village. About ten years later, William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber (or his son Philip) started a new town called New Shoreham. This new town was built closer to the sea, where the River Adur met the English Channel.
Building New Shoreham
New Shoreham was carefully planned with streets laid out in a grid. Its harbour quickly became very busy and successful. It even became a favourite port for kings, like King John, who kept his ships there in the early 1200s. New Shoreham was also important because it was the closest English Channel port to London.
Founding the Church
The de Braose family, who owned the area, decided to build a new church for this growing town. William de Braose died around 1096, which might be when the church was started. The first official paper about the church is from 1103. It talks about Philip de Braose returning from the Crusades. He gave the right to choose the church's priest to an abbey in France.
Later, this right was passed to a priory (a smaller monastery) nearby. Eventually, it went to Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1948, it was given to the Bishop of Chichester. At first, St Mary de Haura was looked after by St Nicolas Church, Shoreham-by-Sea in Old Shoreham. But by the late 1100s, it got its own parish (its own local area to serve). Since 1897, both churches have shared the same vicar.
A Grand Design
The church building we see today is very large. But it's actually only the eastern part of a much bigger church that the de Braose family first built. It was designed to be shaped like a cross. Even though it was always a local parish church, it might have been planned to be a larger, more important church, like a priory. This would have happened if Shoreham's port and the de Braose family had stayed as powerful as they were in the 12th and 13th centuries.
However, by the 1500s, the de Braose family no longer had male heirs, and their lands were divided up. Also, the sea started to erode the coastline, making the port dangerous. This washed away parts of the town. So, New Shoreham was left with a church that was much bigger than the town could really support.
Changes Over Time
When first built, the church had a tower and a main hall called a nave. Beyond that was a chancel with a rounded end and small chapels. You can still see where these parts were. Later in the 12th century, the area beyond the nave was rebuilt. This new part became a tall, wide quire (the area where the choir sits) with five sections. It had a special arched ceiling called a rib vault, and side aisles with their own vaults. It also had upper levels for windows and walkways.
This rebuilding took many years and was done for William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber. Soon after, Flying buttresses were added to the outside walls. These are supports that help hold up the heavy vaulted ceilings. This was one of the first times flying buttresses were used!
The church reached its biggest size around 1225. At this time, its influence was also at its peak. It had become independent from St Nicolas' Church, the de Braoses were still powerful, and Shoreham's port was doing very well. King John even kept ships there and built a prison in 1221. New Shoreham was so important that it even challenged Chichester's role as the main town of the county.
Decline and Collapse
Over the next few centuries, Shoreham's importance faded. Its old trade routes, especially to France, were lost. The port was also damaged by erosion. Some small changes were made to the church, like adding a porch and a screen, but the building slowly started to fall apart.
Things got worse in the 1600s. Around 1700, the original nave (the main hall) collapsed during storms. This made the church about half its original length. The broken parts were cleared away in the early 1700s. However, part of one section of the nave survived and was used in a new porch. The quire area was then changed to become the new nave and chancel.
In the 1800s, some repairs and changes were made inside. For example, some old windows were replaced with new ones in the Norman style. After World War II, the north transept (one of the cross-shaped arms of the church) was turned into a memorial for those who died in the war.
Church Architecture
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St Mary de Haura Church is built from light-coloured stone and flint (a type of stone). Some parts use finely cut stone called ashlar. The roof is covered with tiles made from local stone. Inside, a softer stone was used. Some of these parts, like a door at the west end, were exposed when the original nave collapsed. Because of this, they have been badly worn by the weather.
Oldest Parts of the Church
The oldest parts of the church that are still standing are the transepts (the arms of the cross shape) and their chapels. Parts of the tower and its large arched openings with decorative tops (called capitals) also remain. These parts are thought to be from around 1130 or even earlier in the 12th century. A small part of the original nave also remains, though it was repaired in the 1700s.
The Tower
The tower sits on top of the roof at the west end of the church. It was built in two stages, both in the 12th century. The lower part, from about 1130, has two small arched windows on each side. The upper part, built in the 1170s, has larger arched windows with three lights. There is also a clock on each side of the top part.
Nikolaus Pevsner, a famous expert on buildings, called it a "noble composite" and said it looked like church towers in northern France. Inside, the arches under the tower on the east, north, and south sides are from about 1130 and have decorative capitals. The west arch might be newer and is taller, with fancy carvings.
The Quire and Aisles
The former quire, with its five sections and low-vaulted side aisles, now serves as the church's nave and chancel. The tall, four-part vaulted ceiling in this area makes the church feel very open and spacious. The details of this part of the church show a mix of late Norman and early Gothic styles.
For example, the columns in the north aisle switch between eight-sided and round shapes, which is typical of Norman style. But the columns in the south aisle look more like early Gothic design. The columns in the north aisle have been compared to those in Canterbury Cathedral, another famous church. St Mary de Haura has been called "the most continental of English churches" because of its design.
The Church Today
St Mary de Haura Church was given a "Grade I" listing by English Heritage on May 8, 1950. This means it is considered to be of "exceptional interest" and very important to the country. As of 2001, it was one of only seven Grade I listed buildings in the Adur district.
The church's parish (its local area) is quite small, covering about 116 acres. It includes the old grid-pattern town centre and High Street, plus a small piece of land on the west side of the River Adur.
The main service each week is a Sunday morning service at 10:00 am. There is also a Sunday evening service every week. These include traditional evening prayers and services with other churches in Shoreham-by-Sea. Even though St Nicolas' Church in Old Shoreham is older, St Mary de Haura's size and central location make it the main "town church" for Shoreham-by-Sea. It hosts important events like Remembrance Sunday and services during Holy Week and Christmas.
See also
