St Mary De Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea
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St Mary de Haura Church is an
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church in the ancient "New Shoreham" area of
Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...
in the
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
. It was founded at the end of the 11th century as a large cruciform church which, due to its original scale, has been described as a
collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...
—a reflection of the port of Shoreham's importance at the time. The former east end of that building survives to form the present church, and much 12th-century work remains. It functions as Shoreham-by-Sea's "town church" for major religious and social events, as well as serving as the town-centre parish.
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.


History

Old Shoreham was a mostly agricultural village on the east bank of the River Adur. Claims that it was founded near the place ( Cymenshore) where Ælle of Sussex—the first King of the South Saxons—came ashore in 477 have been disproved, but it had become a successful village by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, supporting a population of 76. In the decade after this, William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber or his son
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
founded a new settlement to the south, on the
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
where the Adur flowed into the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. This may have been a result of William de Braose's failure to gain control of the harbour upstream at
Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...
. The settlement, named New Shoreham, was planned on a grid pattern of streets based around the High Street. Its harbour quickly became prosperous and successful: it overcame the competition from contemporary inland Sussex ports such as Arundel and Steyning, and gained royal patronage when King John's fleet was stationed there in the early 13th century. Its importance was further enhanced by its position as the closest English Channel port to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
had granted the Rape of Bramber, one of the six Rapes (subdivisions) of Sussex, to the de Braose family in the 11th century. Shortly afterwards, they founded a new church to serve the new settlement. William de Braose died no later than 1096, which has been suggested as the date of founding, but the first documentary evidence was a
deed A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...
dated 1103, referring to Philip de Braose's return from the
First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...
. At this time, he granted the
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
of the church to an
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
in the French town of
Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
, which held it until about 1250. This abbey had an associated priory at Sele (present-day
Upper Beeding Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of . The s ...
), further up the river Adur, which became the church's patron in 1250. The patronage later transferred to
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
, and in 1948 to the
Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...
. Locally, the church had originally been administered from St Nicolas' Church in Old Shoreham, but it was given its own parish in the late 12th century. The two churches have been part of a united
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
, served by the same vicar, since 1897, however. The present building—a large edifice itself, bigger than the small-scale buildings of the town— is merely the surviving east section of a much more substantial church, which would have been
cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...
when built by the de Braoses. Although it was never more than a
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
, it may have been planned as a
priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
or
collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...
, or would have become one if the Port of Shoreham and the de Braose family had retained the power and influence they had in the 12th and 13th centuries. By 1500, however, no male heirs were left and the de Braoses' estates and holdings were broken up; and erosion and changing tidal activity made the port dangerous to sail into and had washed away parts of the grid-pattern town. New Shoreham was therefore left with a church of a much larger scale than it could support—it was described by Edward Augustus Freeman as "a parish church absolutely without a fellow in England". As originally built, the church had a tower and a
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, beyond which was a
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
with an
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
and east-facing rounded chapels at the east end; the outline of these can still be discerned. Later in the 12th century (probably from the 1170s onwards) everything beyond the nave was replaced with a tall, expansive quire with five bays, a quadripartite (four-celled)
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
, aisles with their own vaulting, a
triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...
and a
clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
. This work took several decades and was undertaken for William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber, Philip de Braose's son.
Flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...
es were added to the exterior to support the vaulted aisles soon after they were built—an early usage of this structural technique. The church had reached its greatest physical extent by about 1225, when this work was completed. Its influence was also at its highest, as it had gained administrative independence from St Nicolas' Church, the de Braoses still wielded considerable power and the Port of Shoreham was thriving: King John stationed ships there and established a
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
in 1221. New Shoreham even challenged
Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...
's long-established position as the
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
. A
vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...
was founded in 1261; it was disestablished in 1897 when the vicarages of Old and New Shoreham were combined in a united benefice. Over the following centuries, Shoreham's influence declined as its old trade routes (especially to France) were lost and the port was affected by erosion. Minor structural alterations took place, such as the construction of a porch, a
rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
and an accompanying
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
, but the fabric of the church gradually disintegrated. It worsened during the 17th century, and the original (1130s) nave collapsed in storms in about 1700, reducing the length of the church by about half. The rubble was cleared in the early 18th century, although part of one of the bays survived and has been incorporated into a porch. The quire was altered to form a new nave and chancel. During the 19th century, some work was undertaken in the interior, including Arthur Loader's replacement of some original Perpendicular Gothic-style aisle windows with Norman-style equivalents in 1876. The north transept was converted into a memorial for the war dead after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Architecture

The church is a pale stone and cobbled
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
structure with some
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
work. Tiles manufactured in
Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
of local stone cover the roof. A less durable stone was used for interior structures; some of these (for example a door at the west end) were exposed by the collapse of the original nave, and have experienced severe
weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals (as well as wood and artificial materials) through contact with water, atmospheric gases, sunlight, and biological organisms. It occurs '' in situ'' (on-site, with little or no move ...
. The earliest surviving parts of St Mary de Haura Church are the
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
s and their associated chapels, part of the tower and some of the tower arches with their large scalloped and leaved capitals; these are believed to date from 1130 at the latest, and possibly from much earlier in the 12th century. Part of one of the six bays of the original nave also remains, although it was restored in the 18th century. The tower, flanked by transepts, perches on top of the roof at the west end and was built in two stages, both in the 12th century. The lower stage, dating from about 1130, has paired two-light openings in rounded arches on each side; the upper stage has larger three-light openings in pointed arches, and was built in the 1170s. There is also a clock on each side, at the top of the upper stage.
Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...
called it a "noble composite" and drew comparisons with church towers in northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Inside, the east, north and south tower arches date from about 1130 and have scalloped capitals; the west arch may be later and is taller, and has roll-moulding and other intricate decoration. The former quire, with its five bays and low-vaulted aisles, has become the nave and chancel. The tall, four-celled vaulting extends across this space and gives the church a spacious feel. The architectural details of this area are varied, incorporating elements of late Norman and early Gothic design. For example, the alternating octagonal and round columns in the north aisle are a typical Norman feature, whereas those in the south aisle are more in the early Gothic style. The north aisle's columns have been compared to those of the contemporary
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
, although their capitals are different; and it has been described as "
long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
with Canterbury, the most continental of English churches".


The church today

St Mary de Haura Church was listed at Grade I by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
on 8 May 1950. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and of the greatest national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district. Th
parish
which was established in the late 12th century when the church became independent from St Nicolas' Church, is small—the extent of its land area is . It covers the ancient grid-pattern town centre and High Street area, as well as a small section of land on the west side of the River Adur. The main service of the week is the Sunday morning Eucharistic service at 10.00am. A Sunday evening service is also held every week; these include traditional
Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...
and
ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...
services with Shoreham-by-Sea's other churches. Although St Nicolas' Church, inland at Old Shoreham, is older, St Mary de Haura's size and central location makes it the ''de facto'' "town church" of Shoreham-by-Sea, and it is the venue for regular events such as
Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...
and the services of
Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...
and Christmas.


See also

* List of places of worship in Adur


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoreham-by-Sea, Saint Mary 11th-century church buildings in England Buildings and structures completed in 1096 Churches completed in the 1090s Church of England church buildings in West Sussex Grade I listed churches in West Sussex Adur District
Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...