Piddinghoe church entrance. At the rear of the church the ground slopes down
to the river
This small parish lies on the western bank of the Ouse with Telscombe, Southease
and Newhaven around it. The church stands on it's own over looking the river
and consists of nave and chancel, both with aisles on either side. The tower
is rounded with a shingle octagonal spire and large vane in the form of a
trout. When Kipling wrote about this fish, in his famous praises of Sussex
it was a dolphin and shone with gold; Alas, now it is more like a mackeral
and is green with age.
The nave and tower date from the early 12th century. Early in the 13th century
the chancel was rebuilt with north and south aisles. These were later removed
and not replaced until the major restoration of 1882. The nave arches were
cut through the walls of the original nave, the northern arcade in three bays
with semi-circular Norman arches and the later southern arcade with four pointed
gothic arches.
One of the outstanding features of the interior is the finely proportioned
and lofty chancel arch. The north wall of the nave and the east wall of the
chancel are the oldest parts of the church, the latter with three deeply recessed
lancets and an oculus in the gable. In the churchyard are the village stocks
(See photo below). The stone is original but the wood has been replaced in
the past. The large quantities of smuggled rum which used to be hidden in
pits in this neighbourhood gave rise to the local saying;
'At Pidd'n'oo they dig for moon-shine'.
Piddinghoe stocks
Unfortunately the church was locked on our visit so I have no internal photo's
to show you of the interior. Another visit is planned next year and we may
have more luck then.
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