St Michael and All Angels Church, Southwick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael and All Angels Church |
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The church from the southeast
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| 50°50′06″N 0°14′29″W / 50.8349°N 0.2413°W | |
| Location | Church Lane, Southwick, West Sussex BN42 4GB |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Margaret's Church |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | By 11th century |
| Dedication | Michael the Archangel |
| Dedicated | 18th century |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 19 July 1950 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Southwick, St Michael and All Angels |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Hove |
| Archdeaconry | Chichester |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Michael and All Angels Church is an Anglican church located in the town of Southwick, in West Sussex, England. This historic church has parts that date back to the Saxon era, even though it was rebuilt in the 12th and 13th centuries, and again more recently. Some historians believe a church might have stood here as early as the 10th century. Over the years, the church has faced damage from a fire and even a bomb during World War II. Despite these challenges, it is still an active parish church today. Because of its important history and architecture, English Heritage has given it a special Grade II* listing.
Contents
A Look at the Church's History
Early Beginnings
The area around Southwick was first settled by the Romans. They had a large villa here for almost 300 years, until about the 4th century. After that, not much happened until the late Saxon period. The name "Southwick" first appeared in records in 1073. At that time, it was part of a much larger estate called Kingston Buci. This estate included several nearby villages.
A church, probably made of wood, stood on this spot even earlier in the Saxon era. By the time the Domesday Book was written in 1086, there was a stone church here. Southwick was not listed separately in the Domesday Book. The church was likely managed by St Julian's Church, Kingston Buci in nearby Kingston Buci.
Later, in the 12th or 13th century, the right to choose the church's priest was given to the Knights Templar. These were special groups of knights who also looked after the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin in Sompting. Around 1365, this right was passed to another group of knights, the Knights Hospitaller. Finally, after the monasteries were closed down in the 16th century, the church became property of the King or Queen.
Changes Over Time
When the church was first built in the 11th century, it had a main hall called a nave, a special area for the altar called a chancel, and a tower at the west end. The lowest part of the tower, which includes the main entrance, is still from that very early time. While people once thought all three levels of the tower were Saxon, it's now known that the middle and top parts were built later, in the late 12th or early 13th century.
Around the same time, the rest of the church was rebuilt. The nave was updated, and a side section (an aisle) and a small chapel were added on the south side. The chancel was also changed twice. First around 1130, and then again in the 13th century when tall, narrow windows called lancet windows were put in. In the 14th century, an arch was added between the nave and chancel, along with a wooden screen. A porch was built in the early 17th century, possibly replacing the earlier aisle and chapel.
Fire and Bombing
In 1830, a fire sadly destroyed the nave and the roof of the church. Luckily, the chancel and tower were not damaged. An architect named John Garrett designed a new nave with north and south aisles. These new sections had rounded arches and groups of three lancet windows. Later in the 19th century, a vestry (a room for the clergy) and a new south chapel were built.
The churchyard was made larger in the late 1800s, and a lychgate (a covered gateway to a churchyard) was added in 1908.
During World War II, on February 21, 1941, the church was hit by a bomb. The bomb did not explode, but it went through the tower and badly damaged it. A bomb disposal team tried to find the bomb but couldn't. They ordered the tower to be taken down because it was unsafe and they needed to search a wider area. Because the tower was so old and important, each stone was carefully numbered and stored so it could be rebuilt later. In January 1943, two years after the bombing, the bomb was finally found buried under the churchyard wall. It was removed safely and even displayed inside the church for a while.
After the war ended, the tower was rebuilt. The numbered stones and wood pieces were brought back, and in 1949, John Denman carefully put all three parts of the tower and its pointed roof (called a spire) back together. He also built new vestries on both sides.
Church Design and Features
St Michael and All Angels Church is built mostly from flint stones, with stone details. Most of the flint has been replaced over time, but some original 11th-century flint can still be seen near the entrance. The roof is covered with a mix of flat and curved tiles.
The church has a three-part tower, topped with a shingled spire, at its west end. There are two rounded vestries next to the tower. The main entrance is in the lowest part of the tower. Inside, you'll find the nave with its north and south aisles. The south chapel is now used for the organ. The chancel has a restored arch that was originally built in the Norman era using clunch, a type of stone common in Sussex. In the north wall of the chancel, you can see a small cupboard from the 14th century called an aumbry.
The tower has rounded windows in its middle section and tall, narrow rounded windows in the top section. The lancet windows in the chancel were added in the 13th century and were restored in the 19th century. They feature stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe. The nave also has lancet windows, which were put in during the 1835 rebuilding. Several windows in the aisles were added as memorials during the Victorian era. The large east window is more modern, and its stained glass might be by the company Clayton and Bell. Ken Adams designed a memorial window for the north aisle around 1950, showing the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
Inside the church, there's a beautifully carved pulpit with some panels from the early 17th century. The organ was restored in the mid-1970s. There's also a large square font that is thought to be from the 13th century.
The Church Today
St Michael and All Angels Church was given its Grade II* listing by English Heritage on July 19, 1950. This means it's considered a "particularly important" building with "more than special interest." As of 2001, it was one of six Grade II* listed buildings in the Adur district.
In the mid-1970s, some changes were made inside the church. The Lady Chapel altar was removed, and the organ was moved to a new gallery at the back of the church. While the organ helps with singing, it's not as useful for larger choir performances now.
The church's website says it has a lively community of about 250 people. This is fewer than in its busiest times, when Sunday services would attract around 400 people.
The area the church serves, called its parish, is shaped like a right-angled triangle. Its longest side runs from north to south. Shoreham Harbour and the English Channel form the southern edge. The eastern side follows an old boundary between two historical areas, which is now the border between Adur district and the city of Brighton and Hove. The western boundary was set in 1848 when Kingston Lane was built.
Until 2008, there were two other Anglican churches in the parish that were managed by St Michael and All Angels Church. One was the Church of St Peter and St Mary in Fishersgate, built in 1938. This red-brick building was closed by the Diocese of Chichester in 2008 and is now used by community groups. In the north of the parish, the All Souls Centre was used for worship until the same year. It was built in 1955 but was closed and sold for new development in 2008.
See also
