CHURCHES of SUSSEX
Tortington Church Arch
It has in its safe and worthy keeping one of the treasures left us by the
Conqueror's men, the impressive chancel arch they fashioned out of chalk.
It must be one of the finest pieces of work ever carried out in chalk, and
it has resisted time and change for quite 850 years. It has two depths of
moulding, one plain and one filled with curious faces, sprays of foliage,
and the queer shapes we called cats' heads or beak heads, looking rather like
pelicans or wise owls.
We must imagine that a guild of Norman masons travelled about the country
doing this kind of work, for it is rare in Sussex and would demand a craftsman
of some genius.
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