St Nicolas 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 Old Shoreham, an ancient inland settlement that is now part of the town of
Shoreham-by-Sea 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 on a riverside site by
Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
at the start of the 10th century, possibly on the site of a 5th-century predecessor. Some Saxon-era structural elements remain despite 12th-century additions made when Shoreham became prosperous, further extension in the 14th century and a
Victorian restoration. The
cruciform structure, with its solid central tower, features some unusual
Norman-era carving.
English Heritage has
listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
According to the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'',
Ælle, an Anglo-Saxon
bretwalda (overlord), came ashore at a place called ''
Cymenes ora'' on 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 ...
coast in 477. He defeated the
native inhabitants and became the first king of the
South Saxons. The location of the landing place is not known for certain, and historic claims that it was near Shoreham are now considered unlikely,
but a church may have been founded inland next to the
River Adur in 481.
Later in the
Saxon era, a large church was definitely built on the site. It had a prominent tower and was more than long.
Most sources date its construction to 900 or slightly earlier.
William de Braose, a
Norman nobleman who participated in the
Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, was awarded large areas of land in Sussex, including the
Rape of Bramber, in 1073.
This area included the Saxon church and its surrounding village, which at the time was mostly agricultural (although prosperous, as indicated by the size of the church).
In about 1080, he granted the
advowson to an abbey in the French town of
Saumur which was linked to a locally important priory in Sele (near modern-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. Sele Priory became the church's patron in its own right in the early 13th century; it then passed into the control of
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 ...
before being transferred 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 ...
in 1948.
The church was significantly altered in about 1140, but parts of the Saxon structure were retained: the west and north walls of the nave are distinguished from the
Norman-era work by their thickness, and there is a blocked doorway.
Otherwise, the nave was rebuilt, the old tower was removed and a new central tower replaced it, north and south
transepts were added (each incorporating a chapel), and 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 ...
and
apse were built at the east end.
The main entrance moved to the south transept, where an ornate doorway was provided.
The tower was provided with a substantial
crossing and arches with carvings of bizarre faces: these include
King Stephen (the monarch at the time) and
his wife Matilda, a cat, an elf and another human figure, conjectured to be the
stonemason responsible for the carvings.
All of these characters have "sad or angry expressions";
other faces elsewhere are said to have an "elongated, very French look".
The chancel was altered again in the 14th century: it was given a
tie-beamed roof,
and was extended to form two
bays and its apsidal east end was replaced with a straight wall with a new window.
The chapel in the north transept was also extended at this time,
and a
trefoil
A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture, Pagan and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with f ...
-headed
rood screen was installed. This survives, although not in its original condition.
The next significant work was carried out between 1839 and 1840 by
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale (24 January 1818 – 6 August 1866) was an English Anglican priest, scholar, and hymnwriter. He worked on and wrote a wide range of holy Christian texts, including obscure medieval hymns, both Western and Eastern. Among his mo ...
who opened out the interior, rebuilt the transepts (the north transept and its chapel, in particular, were ruinous at that time) and added a new arch, built
vestries and replaced most of the windows.
At the same time
J.C. Buckler restored the chancel.
The changes gave the church a more Norman appearance than it originally had, according to
Ian Nairn.
Benjamin Ingelow made further changes in 1895–96.
Architecture
St Nicolas Church is a large
cruciform building with a central tower. This is a common plan in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
: central towers are often seen, and the cruciform layout (nave to the west, chancel to the east and transepts to the north and south) is commoner than the linear alternative without transepts.
The main building material is
flint rubble-work; some walls have stone dressings.
These are the most common structural materials used for ancient churches in Sussex.
The roof is tiled with slabs of
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 ...
stone—
another common feature in the area.
The nave is of three bays, and incorporates flintwork from the original 10th-century church, a blocked Saxon doorway on the north side and another on the south side dating from the 12th-century reconstruction. The two-bay chancel is in the
Early English style; its east window has an example of reticulated (grid-pattern)
tracery.
The Norman tower has three arches on each face—the central one open and slightly larger, flanked by two closed arches—below paired
oeils-de-boeuf.
Inside, the large
crossing and tower arches dominate. Each arch features well-preserved Norman carving, as do the arches of the transepts: as well as the royal figures, the cat and the elf, there are other human faces, shells,
rosettes and
chevron patterns.
The church today
St Nicolas Church was
listed at Grade I by
English Heritage on 8 May 1950.
Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than 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
parishof St Nicolas, which covers nearly , is smaller now than when it was established.
St Mary de Haura Church, founded in the 11th century when the new Port of Shoreham was established on 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 ...
coast, was part of the parish until about 1250, when it gained independence and its own parish. In the 20th century, land was taken from the east of the parish to form a new parish for St Giles' Church, newly built in neighbouring
Kingston by Sea.
The western boundary of the present-day parish is formed by the
River Adur, and the northern boundary cuts across the lower slopes of the
South Downs; Parkside, Eastern Avenue, Ham Road and Mill Lane form the urban boundaries.
See also
*
List of places of worship in Adur
References
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoreham-By-Sea, Saint Nicholas
10th-century church buildings in England
Church of England church buildings in West Sussex
Grade I listed churches in West Sussex
Adur District
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...