| Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The church from the southeast | |
 Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin | |
| 50°50′19″N0°21′06″W / 50.8386°N 0.3518°W /50.8386; -0.3518 | |
| Location | Church Lane,Sompting,West Sussex BN15 0AZ |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | https://www.chalkspringchurches.org/st-mary-the-virgin |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Dedication | Virgin Mary |
| Dedicated | By 1442 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 12 October 1954 |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon;Norman |
| Completed | 11th century |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Chichester |
| Archdeaconry | Chichester |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Worthing |
| Parish | South Lancing and Sompting |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar | Vacancy |
| Curate(s) | Father Ben Scott SSC,CMP |
TheChurch of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, also known asSt Mary the Virgin Church andSt Mary's Church, is theChurch of England parish church ofSompting in theAdurdistrict ofWest Sussex. It stands on a rural lane north of the urban area that now surrounds the village, and retains much 11th- and 12th-century structure. Its most important architectural feature is theSaxon tower topped by aRhenish helm, a four-sided pyramid-style gabled cap that is uncommon in England.English Heritagelists the church at Grade I for its architecture and history.
Settlement of the area now covered by Sompting began in theBronze Age and continued through theIron Age and into theRoman era.[1] By the 11th century, two distinct villages had formed: Sompting, based on the main east–west trackway from the cathedral city ofChichester toBrighton, and Cokeham to the south (later subdivided into Upper Cokeham and Lower Cokeham). At the time of theDomesday Book in 1086 they were separatemanors, but were both held on behalf ofWilliam de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber.[1]
There was a church on the site of the present building by the early 11th century, and some structural elements remain from that era.[2] William de Braose held theadvowson at the time of the Domesday survey, but in 1154 his grandsonWilliam de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber passed it to theKnights Templar,[1] who made many structural changes. They widened the church by rebuilding thenave andchancel to the same width as theSaxon-era tower.[3][4] In about 1180,[4] they erected a large chapel—effectively a separate church in its own right until the 19th century, when an arch linked it to the nave and made it ade facto southtransept.[4][5][6] At the same time, they added a north transept with an aisle and two chapels.[4] They also paid for a vicar and his accommodation.[1]
After the Knights Templar wereemasculated in 1307,Pope Clement V conveyed ownership of the church to theKnights Hospitaller, anotherreligious order, in 1324.[3][6][7] They extended the nave on the northwest side—forming a chapel which had openings into the nave and the tower—[3][5][7] built a porch on the south side and carried out work on the nave walls.[1] Although the advowson later passed out of the Knights' control, it was restored to the order in 1963 by MajorG. H. Tristram. They had been dissolved in 1538 but were re-established in 1831 as theVenerable Order of Saint John and later founded theSt. John Ambulance organisation.[3][6]
The church fell into decay during the 18th century, when theliving was poor and the villages of Sompting and Cokeham still supported only a small population. Repairs in the 1720s and 1760s were not enough, and two bells had to be sold to pay for proper repairs in 1791.[1]Richard Cromwell Carpenter undertook morerestoration in 1853: this included re-roofing the church and replacing theshinglework on the spire, rebuilding the Knights Templars' chapel into a south transept, improving the aisle in the north transept and cleaning the stonework.[1]
The tower is the most important feature of the church and is known nationally and internationally as an exemplar of Saxon architecture—although recent analysis[3] suggests that its upper stage may have been renewed in earlyNorman times to an identical design.[2][3][6][8] The spire—a design known as theRhenish helm because of its prevalence in theRhineland area ofGermany—is unique in England.[2][3][5][6][8] The design comprises a cap of four shingled gables rising steeply in a pyramid formation.[2]
The church is aflint building with dressings ofCaen stone and aslate roof. The tower, at the west end, incorporates some reused Roman-era brickwork, and was built in two parts; it assumed its current appearance by the end of the 11th century.[1][5] The "elegant"[2] structure has stonepilasters at each corner, but lacksbuttresses.[2][6] The tower arch dates from the Saxon period and is offset; an altar would originally have stood next to it. The base of the tower may have served as the original entrance porch.[2][3]
The nave and chancel form a single entity: they are not demarcated by a chancel arch.[6] They were widened in the 12th century (without the addition of aisles) to the same width as the tower.[4] Masonry from the walls of the original nave is believed to have been incorporated in the rebuilt walls.[1] The north transept has an aisle of twobays, intricaterib vaulting and smallbosses. The aisle has circularpiers with squareabaci and delicatecapitals.[4] The south transept—formerly the separate chapel of the Knights Templar—is linked to the rest of the church by a 19th-century arch and doorway. The chapel, built at a lower level than the church, is rib-vaulted and has a series of foliated capitals in a style similar to theCorinthian.[4][7]
Remnants of Saxon- and Norman-era sculpture can still be seen in the church.[3][5] In the south transept, near the 12th-centuryfont, is a carvedabbot in good condition.[3][4] A 13th-centuryChrist in Majesty incorporates older decorative stonework. Somefrieze-work is visible on the chancel wall.[4]
The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin waslisted at Grade I byEnglish Heritage on 12 October 1954.[5] Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance.[9] As of February 2001, it was one of seven Grade I listed buildings, and119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district.[10] The Sompting headmistress,Harriet Finlay-Johnson, who became known for her innovative education was buried in the churchyard in 1956.[11]
Theparish covers Sompting village and the surrounding urban area, as far as the boundaries withLancing andWorthing; it also extends a long way to the north on to the southern slopes of theSouth Downs. The eastern boundary is formed by Boundstone Lane and Upper Boundstone Lane in Lancing, while the western boundary is Charmandean Lane on the edge of the Worthing built-up area. The parish covers 2,507 acres (1,015 ha).[1][12] St Peter the Apostle's Church, a modern brick building in the Lower Cokeham area of Sompting, is within the parish. It was consecrated in 1966 and serves as a multi-purpose church hall as well as a place of worship.[1]
There is a said Mass with Hymns at St. Mary's at 9 am on the third Sunday of each month, as well as a 5 pm Choral Evensong on any fifth Sundays of the month. St. Mary's is open for visitors on Tuesday mornings each week. The Church also celebrates their Patronal festival in August of each year. On the first, second and fourth Sundays of the month there is a 9 am said Mass with Hymns at the church of St. Peter's, Bowness Avenue, Sompting.[13]