Church Of St Mary

This large cruciform parish church is one of the largest of its type in England. Its oldest visible fabric, the lower part of the crossing tower, dates from around 1150 to 1160. The upper stage of the tower and the transepts were added in the late 12th century. The chancel, nave and aisles were rebuilt in the 13th century. A north porch was added in the 14th century, and the nave underwent internal alterations and was refenestrated along with the aisles in the 15th century. The church was altered in 1819 and 1825 to 1827 by Edward Hide of Worthing, with further alterations in the 1850s (before 1855) and 1862 to 1864 by Charles Hide, Edward's son. The west front was rebuilt in 1887 with the addition of a new porch.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records a church at Broadwater, and a Saxon doorway was reportedly uncovered during 1930s repairs. The village lay centrally between the settlements of Worthing, Offington and Little Broadwater, and the church's considerable size suggests it was intended to serve a relatively large population.

Materials and Construction

The church is built of flint, mainly undressed, with Caen stone, local sandstone and 19th-century Bath stone dressings. There are areas of rendering, and the belfry stage of the tower is faced in Caen stone ashlar. The roofs are of clay tiles with 19th-century pierced ridge tiles to the nave and transepts, and stone slate roofs to the aisles. Internally, Caen stone and local sandstone are used.

Plan and Development

The church has a cruciform plan with a long clerestoried four-bay nave flanked by lean-to aisles, a central crossing tower with transepts, and a long four-bay chancel. A gabled 19th-century vestry projects from the east wall of the south transept. The transepts may be rebuildings of earlier two-storey transepts, as evidenced by a blocked door and possible window opening at high level. Each transept originally had three small apsidal chapels on its east side, the openings of which can be seen internally.

Exterior

The west elevation is flanked by large offset buttresses. The gabled porch, dated 1887, is built in a style similar to the 14th-century north porch but with flint and stone chequerwork and hollow-chamfered quoins inset with tiny ball-flowers. Above the porch is a window with reticulated tracery. The west ends of the aisles have been rebuilt in knapped flint. The buttressed aisles have small two-light windows in square-headed surrounds, while the clerestory has two-light windows with segmental hood moulds. The south side preserves one lancet window.

The north porch is faced in knapped flint with stone quoins and a recessed pointed arch. There is a circular opening on its west side. The transepts have angle buttresses. The north transept has three west lancets and one in the north wall, while the south transept has lancets on the west side and one on the south.

The low crossing tower's belfry stage has pointed arches with nook shafts enclosing round arches. The crenellated parapet dates from around 1830 but was rebuilt in 1989. The north and south walls of the chancel have 19th-century lancets. The east wall is buttressed and features a triple-lancet east window from the 1850s, which replaced a 14th-century four-light window but was probably set within the same opening. A single lancet sits in the gable.

Interior

The nave arcades have Transitional circular columns with 15th-century bases, moulded octagonal capitals and double-chamfered arches. The nave and transept roofs, featuring tie-beam and crown-post trusses, date from the mid-19th-century restoration, as do the aisle roofs. Corbels and traces of steps to a rood loft are visible at the east end. The ceiling of the crossing tower has large cross beams supporting planks of irregular widths and may be late medieval.

The crossing tower arches are of exceptional quality. The west arch was reconstructed in the 14th century to form a lower, smaller-span pointed arch, thought to be part of strengthening measures when the tower became unstable. Despite this reconstruction, it preserves late-Norman rich decoration of zigzags and tiny beakheads, including carving on the soffit—an unusual feature. The original arch position can be seen above. The original round-headed east arch is also carved on the soffit and preserves its nook shafts and richly carved capitals.

Low, stout 15th-century gates to the chancel with blind tracery appear to have been the lower section of a screen. The choir arrangement may date from the 1825 to 1827 restoration by Edward Hide. Returns on the west wall each have three late-medieval stalls with misericords carved on the underside with roses and faces alternately. A pre-1850s painting in the church shows that there were more stalls, at least along the south wall; one survives modified as a chair in the chancel. The choir has a blind-traceried dado with carved frontals, the ends with poppyhead finials, and additional later 19th-century open-traceried frontals in front.

The chancel has a fine quadripartite rib vault on short shafts with moulded capitals and bases and hooked finials to the ribs. The bases are part of a late 12th-century decorated string course at cill level which extends all around the chancel. The east window is set in a carved frame with stained glass by E Willement.

The 1860s sanctuary embellishment in Early English style includes a three-bay reredos with trefoil-headed openings framing panels of the Lord's Prayer and Creed. The openings are carried on black marble shafts with good-quality 19th-century stiff-leaf capitals. Blind arcading on the east wall frames a panel with the text of the Commandments and returns down the north and south walls. The arcading is finely carved with slender shafts and has decorative tiling behind. The open arcaded altar table is probably also from the 1850s to 1860s and of similar design to the sanctuary rails. The floor has encaustic tiles.

Fittings and Monuments

The nave has simple benches with square ends. The square Caen stone pulpit has carved sides and canted corners decorated with marble shafts, both from the 1860s restoration. The octagonal late 15th-century style stone font is a modern reproduction.

The church contains numerous monuments including brasses, most notably a very fine brass of John Mapilton, Rector of Broadwater (died 1432), in the chancel floor. It depicts a coped figure standing under a canopy. There are also numerous wall tablets.

On the north wall of the chancel is a richly carved stone canopied tomb to Thomas, 5th Earl de la Warre (died 1524). It comprises a three-part canopy with crocketed ogee heads and heavy pendants, incorporating Renaissance motifs. The east wall of the south transept has a stone tomb to Thomas, son of the above (died 1554). This substantial monument comprises a slightly projecting table of three panels, each of which originally had a carved figure, and a retable of three panels with figures of the Virgin and Child to the left and St George to the right. The central panel is obliterated but may have depicted Christ in Majesty. The monument is surmounted by a canopy with a coved frieze carved with shields and coats of arms. While defaced, this is a fine and rare example of a tomb from the reign of Queen Mary. Though incorporating Renaissance motifs, it is predominantly late-Gothic in its style and religious imagery.

Historical Development

The earliest part of the present church, the lower part of the crossing tower, dates from around 1150 to 1160. The tower was heightened in the late 12th century, at which time the transepts were probably added. Each transept had three small absidal chapels on the east side. The chancel and nave were rebuilt, probably on a larger scale, in the next hundred years.

The church subsequently underwent relatively minor alterations until the early 19th century. A west gallery was installed in 1819, and in 1825 to 1827 further alterations were made under the local architect Edward Hide of Worthing, including removal of the short shingled spire, demolition of the south transept chapels, addition of aisle galleries, and reseating with box pews. The choir fittings may also date from this time; they are shown on Hide's drawings of the proposed works and predate Victorian restoration work.

The church underwent two phases of restoration under Charles Hide, son of Edward Hide. In the 1850s (before 1855) the galleries were removed and the pews replaced with benches, and the 14th-century four-light window was replaced with triple lancets. In 1862 to 1866 the chancel was strengthened and the sanctuary embellished, and the two-light windows were replaced with lancets. It is unclear when the north transept chapels were removed. The west front was rebuilt in 1887 with the addition of a new porch.

The church is designated at Grade I for its outstanding interest in the extent, quality and decorative liveliness of the mid to late 12th-century fabric, and for substantial survival of 13th-century and later medieval work. Interior features of interest include the early 19th-century choir fittings incorporating late-medieval misericords, and several monuments, three of which—the Mapilton brass and the two 16th-century de la Warre tombs—are outstanding. The mid-19th-century work in the sanctuary is well designed.