Church Of St Cosmas And St Damian

Church of St Cosmas and St Damian, Keymer

This is a parish church with roots reaching back to the Norman period. The chancel is Norman in origin, and parts of the north and south walls probably contain medieval fabric dating from the same era. The church underwent substantial restoration and enlargement around 1864, when the Brighton architect Edmund Scott redesigned it in Early English style, adding a south aisle and completely rebuilding the tower. Further extensions followed: a north aisle and vestry were constructed in 1889–90, the chancel arch was replaced at the same time, and a south porch was added in 1909.

The building is constructed of flint with stone dressings and a tiled roof.

The plan comprises a three-bay nave with an apsidal-ended chancel, a south aisle with a south-west tower at its western end, a north aisle with a vestry at the east end, and a south porch.

The south-west tower rises in two stages with buttresses to the lower stage and paired lancet windows to the upper stage. It is topped by a squat broached spire containing a bell chamber with decorative wooden louvres. The west end of the nave is gabled and features an arched trefoil-headed window and an arched doorcase. The north aisle is a scaled-down replica of the south aisle but without the doorcase. The south aisle contains two double trefoil windows, and a large projecting gabled south porch with an arched doorcase. The east end of the south aisle has a double trefoil window with a small trefoil window above it. The north aisle displays, from west to east, a lancet window, two large arched windows with double trefoils and a quatrefoil above, and a double cinquefoil-headed window. The vestry features a tall chimney, a doorcase with a Caernarvon arch, and a trefoil-headed window. The east end has a trefoil window in the gable and a one-storey section with a hipped roof. The chancel is apsidal-ended with early medieval flintwork and trefoil-headed windows.

Internally, the church retains substantial 19th-century features. A pointed arched stone arcade with octagonal columns separates the south aisle from the nave, while circular columns define the north aisle. The nave roof is canted with chamfered crownposts and tiebeams. A west organ loft is supported on wooden columns, and its gallery displays a Royal Coat of Arms. The font dates to the 19th century and consists of a bulbous stone bowl on a circular central column surrounded by four red marble columns, with a bracketed wooden font cover. The pulpit has a splayed stone base and a splayed carved wooden superstructure. The south aisle has a boarded and ribbed roof, while the north aisle has a simple canted roof. Original 19th-century pews survive throughout. A large pointed arched chancel arch with semi-circular colonnettes separates the nave from the chancel. The chancel apse has a ribbed and boarded roof with a wooden reredos.

The church contains numerous stained-glass windows of 19th and 20th-century date. Several windows are by Hardman and Co of Birmingham: the east-facing window in the south aisle depicting the Annunciation was given by the Turner family; the large south window in the south aisle showing the Adoration of the Three Kings was given by Hugh and Ruth Saunders in 1865 in memory of their sons; a smaller south window depicts the Nativity; and the lower stage of the tower contains a window of the Flight from Egypt. The north aisle holds a window depicting a Sussex shepherd in a smock with his flock of sheep, signed GHB 1883–1961 and donated in memory of Philip and Martha Jenner. The north-west wall has a window of the Miraculous Draught of Fishes in memory of the Reverend Edmund Clay (died 1872). The west window of the north aisle contains early 20th-century stained glass with the Hand of God, birds' nests and daffodils, while the west window of the nave displays early 20th-century stained glass depicting musical instruments. The south wall of the south aisle bears two wooden wall monuments commemorating parishioners killed in the First and Second World Wars.

A church at Keymer is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086. In 1095 Ralph de Kayneto, Lord of the Manor, presented Keymer church to the Cluniac monastery of St Pancras at Lewes. The church was dedicated to St Mary in 1186, and a chapel at Keymer is mentioned in 1291 in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas. The Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 severed Keymer's connection with Lewes Priory; the right to appoint priests then passed through Thomas Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth, before being taken up by local families. By the early 18th century the steeple had become decayed and cracked by ivy. A bishop's report of 1726 urged the rector, Laurence Price, to repair the chancel. In 1826 Sir Stephen Glynne described the church as consisting of a nave and chancel without aisles, built of flint with a western tower of Early English work and small lancet windows, crowned by a heavy low spire of two stages. He noted that the font was no longer in use and was much mutilated. A sketch from 1846 shows the interior with a Norman chancel arch and medieval wall paintings above it.

In spring 1864 the decision was made to enlarge the church by building north and south transepts and to rebuild the tower. Edmund Scott of Brighton prepared plans that also included a transept, but the costs proved prohibitive. In the event, only a new south aisle and the tower rebuilding were undertaken. The builders were also from Brighton: the chancel was repaired by Mr Norman of Burgess Hill, Mr Robertson of Hurstpierpoint undertook work to the roof, Mr Pepper of Brighton carved the seats, and stained glass was provided by Hardman of Birmingham. In 1889–90 the north aisle and vestry at the east end were built and the chancel arch was replaced. The south porch was added in 1909. An early Ordnance Survey map names the church as St John's, but by 1895 it was known by the dedication to St Cosmas and St Damian.