The Parish Church Of St Michael And All Angels

The Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels

This parish church combines work from several periods, with a nave dating from around 1100 or slightly later, a tower built around 1200 and altered in the 14th century, a chancel rebuilt in the 13th century, and a south porch of 16th or 17th century date. The church underwent substantial restoration in 1866–7 by an architect whose name is not currently known. This restoration included new nave windows in 14th-century style, rebuilding of the east wall, boarding of the nave roof, and replacement of the chancel arch. A vestry and organ chamber were added in 1886, and in 1929 J L Denman restored the roof and porch, with further repairs to the chancel arch in 1932.

The walls are constructed of flint with some Sussex marble, particularly to the south side of the tower, with sandstone dressings. The porch is of brick. The roofs are tiled, except for Horsham stone slabs to the lower part of the north side of the nave and south porch, and a shingled spire roof.

The building consists of a three-bay nave with a lower two-bay chancel, a west tower of two stages, a south porch, and a north-east vestry.

The west tower is of two stages topped with a broached shingled spire. The west wall displays a 14th-century window with two ogee-headed trefoiled lights under a chamfered label, together with a late 14th-century equilateral-arched doorway with wide chamfered head and jambs and a segmental rear arch. Angled buttresses with three chamfered stages rise from a plinth. The upper or bell stage has a small round-headed window of around 1200. The south wall of the tower contains no openings.

The nave's south wall is windowless except where a buttress aligned with the chancel arch displays restored quoins incorporating two carved stones: a 13th-century consecration stone showing a floriated cross in a circle on the west face, and a floriated shield (part of the Bardolf family crest) dated around 1275 on the south face. A south doorway of around 1200 has a plain semi-circular head with projecting impost blocks, a modern rear arch, and brick jambs. The gabled south porch is of flint and brick.

The north wall of the nave has a modern buttress at the north-east angle, a sloping buttress in tile and brick between the two westernmost windows, and a three-stage buttress aligned with the west nave wall. West of the easternmost of three 1867 traceried windows with earlier rear arches stands a round-headed window of around 1100.

The 13th-century chancel south wall, which has been refaced, contains two restored lancets and a stepped buttress. Its north wall, also 13th century, has a chamfered lancet window with splayed jambs, cill, and segmental-pointed rear arch. The north-east vestry of 1886 has lancet windows facing east and a gable facing north with an oculus and a circular chimneystack. The east wall of the chancel displays triple lancets and two stepped buttresses.

Internally, the tower bell stage contains an all-wooden bell frame of 13th-century date, though one timber has been dated to 1120. It comprises three bays with central jowled posts bearing collars, curved downbraces and raking struts that pierce the downbraces and clasp purlins. The central bay contains a wooden wheel for ringing the bell, which dates to 1639 and was cast by Brian Eldridge.

The nave roof retains three original tiebeams, chamfered crownposts and four original struts, though it was boarded in the 19th century. The south wall preserves the rare survival of painted decoration within the Norman window recess. Wall paintings uncovered in 1955 and 1964 depict Christ in the Heavenly City in a structure with low arcading, presenting keys to St Peter and a book to St Paul. The lower wall retains remains of the Flight to Egypt, with only a horse or donkey recognisable. These wall paintings belong to the Lewes group, comparable to those at Clayton, Coombes, Westmeston (destroyed) and Hardham. A blocked 12th-century door arch lies between two windows. The south nave wall bears three painted biblical texts of 16th or 17th-century date. The west wall displays 18th-century prescription tablets combined with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. The font of around 1200 has an octagonal base with angle shafts; its plain square bowl is older than the 1710 graffito scratched upon it. A 19th-century pulpit is present.

The chancel contains a 16th-century tie beam, purlins and collar beam. Its north wall has a wall tablet with armorial shield above to the Reverend William Hampton (died 1770). The south wall bears a marble wall tablet of 1670 and a stone tablet to Anthony Springett, Rector of Westmeston (died 1735). The choir stall panels may be Jacobean, though the bench ends are 19th century. There are 19th-century wooden altar rails. The east window of 1874, signed by Mayer and Co, depicts the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension.