St Nicolas Church Itchingfield
St Nicolas church can be found in Itchingfield, near Christs Hospital. The church was built around 1125, and two of the walls and several of the windows are from the original building.
There are a number of other interesting features at this church, there is a 12th century Aumbry (a cabinet in a wall used to store chalices and other vessels), and a 15th century tower.
The bell tower is made of oak, and stands alongside the church, it is not actually attached to the church building. The original medieval staircase still remains, but is no longer used.
Over the years the church has been extended a few times. Evidence of this can be seen with carvings in some stones with the initials of the Rector and his family.
In 1865 Sir Gilbert Scott directed a major extension of the church, and during this work a Norman altar stone was discovered. This was restored to the altar in the church, and it is still in use today.
In the churchyard there is a wonderful little house, known as The Priest House, which was built in the early 16th century, probably for a paid Cleric. The house has not been lived in since the 1860's and it was originally outside the churchyard, but with the extensions, it is now inside.
Another cottage was built on the west end and used as and almshouse (charitable housing to enable people to live in a particular community) and it had a garden where the residents could grow produce, and they also had the nearby woodlands which supplied the residents with firewood, rushes for lighting and rabbits and birds to eat.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
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