As this church has so many fine qualities about it, I shall display the
information over a few pages. This is so the pages do not take an age to load
in with all the images
North side of the church with the entrance to the Nave just visible. The path
runs through the churchyard and is very busy.
Situated in the centre of Shoreham, surrounded by dwellings and shops, this
church is at the heart of town life. The churchyard is always busy with town
folk and visitors alike as it's main path leads directly through the yard
right past the church itself.
This beautiful church is only exceeded in grandeur by Winchelsea and considering
this was never a monastic building it must always have had a reputation as
being one of the finest in the county. The construction of this church to
it's architectural peak is no doubt due to the patronage of the de Braose
family. Shoreham became the chief port of the Rape of Bramber which was bestowed
on the powerful de Braose family by William the Conqueror.
View from the north-east showing the marvellous flying buttresses - two
on each side of the choir. Above the three lancet windows on the east side
is the wheel window, see below for more detail and information.
The original church was begun early in the Norman period and consisted of
an east arm, central tower and transepts probably with semicircular east apses,
and nave. The nave has disappeared except for the east bay, which closed
by a wall, now forms the west wall of the present church. You can easily
see the former extension from the small pieces of wall tracing the area once
enclosed.
The present west doorway has a pointed arch and was re-built in the early
1700's from a round Norman arch from interior stone which has suffered terribly
during the last 280 years
The west door showing signs of weathering
The beakhead moulding on the doorway is very unusual for Sussex and it is
getting difficult to pick out the details of the work due to the advanced
weathering of the stonework.
Detail of the splendid wheel window which is only visible from the outside
of the church as it lights the ten foot high area between the vaulted ceiling
and the outside roof
St.Mary's, along with St.Nicholas in Old Shoreham, were built by the de
Braose family and given to the monks of Saumur Abbey, on the Loire in France.
Record's of St.Mary's go back to 1103 when it was mentioned in a deed drawn
up by Philip de Braose on his return from the first crusade, but most of what
is now standing is dated slightly later than this.
View of the magnificent tower which stands over 80 feet in height. It is open
to the public once a year in the summer and the views over the town are remarkable.
The tower was built in two stages, the first stage built between 1100 -
1130, and the completed tower finished between 1180 -1225. There are eight
bells in all, with the heaviest, the tenor, weighting in at a hefty fourteen
hundredweight - nearly ¾ ton.
Memorial tablet on the west wall of the south transept with knights helmet at the top and a
skull at the bottom. The inscription long since gone.
St.Mary's 1 - St.Mary's
2 - St.Mary's 3 - St.Mary's
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