History

 

As far as is known, there have been three buildings on the present site. The first was Fulk Bassett's 13th century building and of this, only a single window remains. It was moved in 1871 to the southeast corner and is now twinned with a 19th century reproduction of its ‘decorated’ style. However, when Mr. Horn wrote his 1960 guidebook, there were still residents whose parents had described for them the demolition of the 15th century tower and finding within it marks of an earlier and lower tower, corresponding to contemporary descriptions of the 13th century building as a chantry with a tower'.

 

Despite the Victorian demolition work, we have far more surviving of the 15th century church. This consisted of the present south and centre aisles of the nave and chancel, with the porch and parvis and a low (40ft.) tower. There are pictures of it extant and from these we can confirm that the south wall of the nave with its four windows, the porch, parvis and stairs to the no-longer-extant Rood Loft, are still as they were built in 1470. In addition, the octagonal capital on one of the pillars probably belongs to the 1470 church and was reused in 1869/71.

 

Like all 15th century churches, this one was designed to reflect the centrality of the Sacraments in worship. The Reformation introduced no change of emphasis or new style of worship; only foreign allegiance was being discarded. It was the later generations who introduced Lutheran and Calvinistic doctrines in a movement that lead to Puritanism and the supremacy of Word over Sacrament.

 

By 1710, it was necessary to remodel the Church interior to reflect the new emphasis. Under the vicar, Lawrence Hyde, the Rood Screen was removed and a heavy oak screen installed to divide (or conceal?) the Chancel from the nave. The altar was moved to a central position on the east wall (where pillars obscured it!) and all the pews turned to face the pulpit on the south wall by the main door. A gallery was added at the west end and, as its stairs blocked off the internal entrance to the Parvis, an external Parvis stairs were made. This was the only external work and has since been demolished. The only good feature of this remodelling was the ribbed wooden ceiling installed under the roof and painted with stars.

 

Further clean up and re-arrangement was done in 1823, perhaps in anticipation of a new East Gallery, which did not materialise until 1838. During this work, there came to light an old wall painting of the martyrdom of St Thomas a Beckett, on the south wall just beyond the porch. This had been plastered over and an associated representation of the coat of arms of King Charles I, also plastered over, this makes Cromwell's men the probable culprits. The painting became a showpiece, but some objected to it as a ‘popish’ relic and in 1856, the incumbent allowed its destruction, by the installation of a monument on top of it. That too has gone and today the site sports a notice board.

 

In 1869/71, the trustees of Sir Henry Meux underwrote (to the tune of some £7,000!) a major rebuilding and extension programme, which accounts for most of the rest of the extant Church. It was less unhappy than some Victorian reconstructions as the architect, George Street, under the influence of the Oxford movement, produced a church more in keeping with its 13th and 15th century predecessors than with the 18th century re-ordering. The North wall was demolished and a new North Aisle and Sacristy added. A taller tower was also built. The altar was placed at the head of the central aisle, the box pews and galleries removed, and the font placed in a baptistery under the Tower. During this work, the coffin of Henry Hyde, Earl of Clarendon & Rochester (died 1753) was accidentally unearthed, and was reburied at the southeast corner of the church under the 13th century window. This window had been moved there during the reconstruction, re-glazed and re-dedicated as the Clarendon Window in 1871, in memory of Henry Hyde.

 

In 1921, the area under the tower became a Choir Vestry by dividing it from the church with a wooden screen, which would constitute a memorial for the dead of the 1914/18 war.

 

The font was moved to its present position, next to the main door, and the pews around it were broken up and the good oak used to make robe cupboards in the Vestry and Sacristy.

 

In 1949, the east end of the South Aisle became a Lady Chapel; the reredos painted for this by Erridge is now on the West Wall. In 1982 a screen was obtained from a redundant church to enhance the privacy of the Lady Chapel and at the same time the heavy oak pews were replaced by chairs to give some flexibility in the way that the chapel was used.

 

The interior of the church was repainted in 1977, but in 1979, the architect's quinquennial inspection revealed serious water and beetle damage in the roof. After much heart searching about the enormous cost entailed, the roof was restored, the ceiling repainted and the decor put back into good order to give the church its present appearance.