Diameter: 16.88" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by G Mears & Co 1863
Dove Bell ID: 54881 Tower ID: 20607 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Hangleton: St Helen
Diocese of Chichester
Church, 610083
http://www.sthelensandstrichards.orgOverview
Grid reference: TQ 267 72
A small medieval church occupying a commanding position at the top of a steep slope. It is first mentioned around 1093 in a Charter of Lewes Priory, which held the patronage till the Reformation, though after the population dwindled for centuries it was restored multiple times in the 19th and 20th centuries. St Helen's is a very simple building, the short crenellated tower is narrower than the nave, it has quoined corners, one of Quorr, one of Caen stone.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Three-bay nave, west tower, chancel, north-west porch and vestry in one.
Dimensions:
Nave estimated to be c 12m (40ft) x 5m (16ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 171 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Hangleton is recorded in Domesday, but the church is first mentioned around 1093 in a Charter of Lewes Priory, which held the patronage till the Reformation. All that remains above ground of medieval Hangleton, as so often, is the parish church, Hangleton manor house dates to the 16th century. Excavations by the Sussex Archaeological Society in the 1950s to the north of the church, including for the church hall, identified parts of the deserted medieval village (DMV). The population had so dwindled by the 17th century that only the parsonage and manor house remained, however the church never became a ruin as did Aldrington St Leonard. St Helen’s has remained in continuous use, possibly because of its attractive setting which attracted the wealthy of the area, and has a typically complex history and archaeology for a church of this antiquity. The nave is 12th century, the tower and the chancel were added perhaps just before 1300 (pointed lancets in the tower, pointed west door from the nave, plate tracery east window). It was restored in 1870 and then again in the 1920s.
When the expansion of Hove enveloped the church it was again restored and re-opened for regular worship, and in 1961 the north porch and adjoining vestry were added. The wall paintings on the north wall were discovered at this time but not restored until 1969. At this time the church was re-roofed and the battlements were restored to the tower. Apart from this, few of the original furnishings and fittings, and none of the moveables, has survived. The reredos, screen and panelling in the chancel were introduced in 1927, the altar is of 1962, and the benches in the nave, the pulpit and the font belong to the late 19th century.
Exterior Description
This ancient church is utterly compelling, both in its external simplicity and the rough and ready feel of the interior. It could not lay claim to beauty, but it has an atmosphere of simple and unsophisticated homeliness and tranquility.
The short crenellated tower is narrower than the nave, it has quoined corners, one of Quorr, one of Caen stone. There are two corbels, one carved with an animal’s head, one with a human, reset into the parapet. The tower is of two stages, the west façade pierced by two lancets, one above the other, the north and south facades are blind. There is a pyramid roof to the tower behind the crenellated parapet, the former a recent addition.
The fenestration of the south wall of the nave is irregular, as is the attractive herring-bone flint coursing reflecting the antiquity of this part of the church. The south-west corner is rebuilt in brick, probably in the early 20th century. There is a pointed lancet to the west of the south doorway, this window is not shown in prints of 1782 and 1847 and indeed looks relatively recent. The round-arch headed doorway is plain, apparently there is a scratch dial on one of the jambs, not noticed during the visit. To the east of the doorway and high in the wall is a tiny round-headed window, the arch cut out of a single block. This is mirrored in the north wall, and there are traces suggesting that a pair of such windows existed further west. East of this is a tall pointed lancet, again set high in the wall, the head under the eaves.
The chancel is narrower and lower, the roof of a similar pitch, the fenestration of the south wall pierced by two irregularly spaced pointed lancets, the western cusped, the eastern again cusped and high in the wall. The east window is a 3-light window, which looks certain to be a Victorian replacement. A print of 1847 shows a 3-light with plate tracery. The chancel north wall is also pierced by two lancets. The east end of the north nave wall has a further lancet, the two western bays are taken up by the porch and vestry under a single cat-slide roof, an example for modern architects of how to handle such a small extension. The porch entrance is a round arch-headed doorway with double doors and upper lights. The vestry is lit by a rectangular window in the north wall and a pointed lancet in the west.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
12th century
Chancel
13th century
Tower (component)
13th century west
Porch
20th century
Vestry
20th century
Building Materials
Flint
12th century nave: coursed pebble facing, laid in herringbone pattern
Stone
12th century Caen and Quarr quoins
Clay
20th century roof tiles
Brick
20th century repairs
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is extremely charming and attractive, and full of interesting features. The uneven, indeed lumpy walls of the nave are whitewashed, imparting an almost archaic atmosphere, as does the red brick floor, a rare survival, sloping with the lie of the land to the east. Fragmentary wall paintings on the south wall date from the 13th century, with well-preserved trefoil scrollwork in the north-east nave lancet window splay; and of the 14th and 15th centuries, these latter including what appear to be two phases of paintings of St Nicholas picked out in red and ochre tones. There is a late 14th-century piscina with ogee head in the south-east corner of the nave, and the remains of a stoup in the middle of the wall. A picture of 1907 appears to show box pews in the south-east corner of the nave.
Both nave and chancel preserve what would appear to be ancient timber roofs. The nave is partially ceiled in and its interface with the chancel roof is awkward, and one might assume different dates for the two, but they still have the same “witches hat” profile suggestive of the 13th century. The roof is a waggon construction with tie-beams and could be at least partly medieval. The chancel arch has been removed at some point, taking its place is an open tracery 7-bay wooden screen in the Decorated style. This was donated in 1925 in memory of William Nevett.
The wall-plate of the chancel roof sits on the top of the wall where the arch must have been. It has collars, and the eastern of the tie-beams cuts across the east window. The chancel floor has encaustic tiles, ornate within the sanctuary which is one step up from the chancel. The panelling and reredos were also donated in memory of Nevett. Choir stalls on each side have open cusped tracery fronts, these may be of somewhat earlier date. A carved Romanesque ram’s head, probably a corbel, sits loose in the window sill.
A picture of 1907 shows painted decoration on the east wall and a simple altar, and what appeared to be the frame of a rood screen. It would be a mistake, therefore, to think of the interior as unchanged, rather it is the product of a series of refurbishments.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
20th century Oak table.
Reredos
20th century Tripartite oak neo-Georgian reredos.
Pulpit
19th century The pulpit is of oak, hexagonal with carved open quatrefoil panels. From St Leonards, Aldrington, probably late 19th century.
Lectern
20th century Wooden lectern.
Font (component)
20th century Stone font, simple octagonal bowl and stem with wooden cover.
Stained Glass (window)
20th century The stained glass in the east window (1910) Christ in Majesty flanked by St Helen and St Clement, and window on the north side of the nave (c 1918) , both probably by Burlison and Grylls. The latter depicts St George and is a World War I memorial to men of the parish.
Tomb (component)
16th century On the south wall of the chancel is what looks like the side of a table tomb. It is carved with the figures of Richard Bellingham of Hangleton Manor (died 1597) and his wife and children (nine living and five who died in infancy, represented by coffins).
Rail
20th century Oak rail.
Plaque (component)
20th century Memorial brass plaque recording the dead of both World Wars.
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers date from 1666, and are held at the West Sussex County Record Office.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 267 72
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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