The church of St.Nicholas stands near the old wooden bridge of shoreham
on the Steyning Road. Close inspection bears the marks of time and much of
the stone work suffers from erosion and acid rains. This picture on the right
is of the tower above roof level with its Norman arch work.
Here the Norman arches sit in rows on the tower faces overseeing the changing
history of Shoreham
The great pride of Old Shoreham is the four superb arches of it's tower,
all deeply moulded and supported by fine capitals and carvings. You can see
in the picture below, two of the carved heads and part of the arch mouldings.
Two of the carved heads on the tower bases. The moulding on the arches can
be seen here
In the churchyard is a grave with a neat figure sculptured in a niche of
blue tessellated tiles. It is the grave of a princess who who married an Englishman
and died in the autumn of 1921. She is described as the youngest of four great
actresses of her generation, who devoted a noble heart, lofty mind, and burning
soul to the worship of beauty and the cause of freedom.
This remarkable woman was the daughter of a Russian police officer who made
a reputation as an actress in the old capital of the Tzars. Known as Lydia
Yavorsha, she attracted much attention in London and Paris, where she staged
Russian plays and acted in them.
During most of the war she remained in Russia, narrowly escaping imprisonment
by the Bolsheviks, and managing to leave the country a few hours before she
was to have been arrested. Her first husband was Prince Bariatinsky, and after
the war she married Mr John Pollock, appearing in one of his plays in London.
Part of the churchyard to the west of the church
Here you can see the over-painted roof which extends over the whole of the
chancel roof
The glass of the east window was shown in the Great Exhibition of 1851,
and has figures of the Madonna and three saints, one of St.Nicholas saving
the three children from the tub. In the sanctuary is a tablet to two brothers,
one going down in the Titanic and one dying on Gallipoli.
A view of the capitals at the arch base
Other points to note are the old benches with their curiously carved heads,
a lovely painted beam in the chancel roof, a rare 13th century oak screen,
and a memorial brass to Richard Poole who commanded a ship in which he sailed
from Shoreham against the Armada.
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