The Exterior of St.Mary
This view is from the south looking north and the tower is plainly visible
even from this distance. There are Roman stones incorporated into the fabric
of the tower which were probably taken from some Roman house.
As outstanding a piece of architecture you will find anywhere in the county.
Sompting parish church still has it's original pyramid cap of wood atop the
late pre-conquest tower. It is the only surviving English example in this
style which is known as 'Rhenish Helms'. The tower rises to a height of a
hundred feet.
Another Late Saxon feature are the Pilaster Strips (Similar to timber-framed
buildings), one on each face, with thickened central capitals.The windows,
four of which are triangular, and four have the double light divided by a
baluster-shaft.
This is the present main entrance
Above right you can see a close-up of the pilaster strips which run up the
center of each face of the tower. The plan of the church is cruciform, consisting
of chancel, aisleless nave, north and south transepts with east aisles and
west tower.
The round interior tower-arch opening to the nave has a triple abacus and
elaborate, though rudely carved capitals. It is not centrally placed, perhaps
to accommodate an altar in the tower. The decoration of voluted lobes has
much in common with foliage of the Ringerike style.
On this photograph above, you can see the detail of the roof more clearly
and the shape of the four gable ends are easy to inspect here. The windows
too are discernable as are the pilaster strips central to each face.
The weathering of the stonework, especially around the windows is quite
marked, but for the amount of time this tower has stood in this spot it is
wearing very well. The greenish strip to the right face of the tower shown
here is a copper conductive strip to channel any lightning strike to earth.
External - Inernal 1
- Internal 2 - Other Points
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