The parish church is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, but a stone church was here from a very early date as the tower shows traces of late Saxon or Norman work. The present building was completed c.1230 and the unusual dedication is post-reformation, prior to which it was simply dedicated to Our Lady St. Mary. The nave roof is covered in Horsham Stone. For many years the roof was an all over cat-slide roof, covering nave and aisles, and pictures from 1805 show that this hid the clerestory windows. These, revealed during the restoration of 1880 (under the supervision of the architect John Oldrid Scott), are of the Decorated period. In June 1965 an area of the nave roof on the south side was damaged when an area of the Horsham stone became detached and slipped off. This required the stripping and re-hanging of all the stone of this side of the roof.
A shallow Norman buttress is still perfect on the north side of the tower where it can be seen embedded into the wall of the aisle. The large butresses on the west side were added c. 1340. The northern wall is more than 12 inches off square with the other sides. Comprising two stories, the tower has a single plain round-headed light in each of the north, south and west sides in the lower stage and at the belfry level are double, wide headed, openings of original Norman overlap work. The eastern opening can now only be seen from inside the church following the raising of the nave roof in the 14th century. The spire was probably first erected in 1340 and the whole of the tower floors and spire itself are carried on an independent timber frame built inside the earlier stone walls of the tower.
The tower contains a peal of eight bells, two new ones having been added in 1949.
The Perpendicular porch is early 15th century and has a Horsham stone roof and small square-headed windows on each side. It also contains a small holy water stoup. The oak door leading into the church is 15th century and is hung on Sussex wrought iron hinges as are all the doors in the building.
To find the cache go to the published co ords were you will find a notice board
Using the phone number 07787 ABCDEF
N 50 59.(A/2) (D-1) (B)
E 000 02.(E/2)(B/2 +1)(C)
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.com.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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