Description

TQ 3024 SW CUCKFIELD CHURCH STREET
8/12 Parish Church of Holy
10.9.51 Trinity
GV I
Parish Church. Built on foundations of C12 church. c1250. South aisle and arcade
built and some alteration of chancel and west tower up to bell chamber. 1330-40,
lengthening of the nave by 1 bay to east, additions of north aisle of 4 bays and
enlargement of chancel with North and South chapels to match width of nave aisles
and raising of clerestory above nave. Bell chamber of West tower probably added
1330-40. c1460 chancel and nave given new roof and ceiling and chapel and aisle
walls heightened. Late C16 or early C17 Sergison chapel added. Restored mid C19
and few of the windows retain ancient masonry. Built of Sussex sandstone rubble
on plinth. Roofs covered with Horsham stone slabs. Shingled spire to west tower,
comprises chancel with North and South chapels and Sergison chapel to North vestry,
4 bay nave with North and South aisles, North and South porches (very unusual)and
west tower with spire. Chancel: C13 and C14. C14 arcades on North and South of
2 bays with hexagonal pillars with responds to match, mainly moulded capitals and
bases and 2 centred arches. 2 blocked doorways East of the arcade. C13 piscina
in South wall, with trefoiled head to inner order, carried on shafted jambs with
moulded braces and capitals. Cill has remains of basin of 12 foils. Stone shelf
behind the capitals. Mid C19 East window of 5 lights and tracery of late C13
character. North Chapel: c1330-40. C14 restored east window of 3 trefoiled lights
and vertical tracery in 2 centred head with external hood-mould and hollow-chamfered
four centred rear arch. C16 doorway into vestry with depressed Tudor arch.
Sergison Chapel: Late C16 or early C17. Walls of rubble with ashlar dressings and
chamfered plinth. Doorway with C15 moulded jambs reset and modern Tudor arch and
old 4 centred chamfered rear arch. Mid C19 windows. South Chapel: c1330-40.
Piscina in square-headed recess with plain round basin. Mid C19 windows. Reredos
of c1910 and pavement of white and serpentine marble. Nave: Mid C13 and C14.
C14 north arcade of 4 bays with hexagonal pillars. 3 western bays of south arcade
are mid C13 and have cylindrical pillars with plain capitals and moulded abaci and
bases. Pointed arches of 2 orders with small chamfers and voussoirs. Above the
arcades are original C14 clerestory windows (now blocked by aisle roofs on outside),
quatrefoils with inner splays and segmental-pointed rere-arch. In south wall, east
of main south doorway, is a mutilated holy-water stoup with round-headed niche and
another in south porch. North Aisle: Mid C14. Mainly C19 windows but 3rd window
west of doorway is of 3 elliptically headed lights, probably early C16, partially
restored. South Aisle: mid C14. Mainly C19 windows. South doorway of 2 chamfered
orders and 2 centred head, reset except for outer order of the jambs. West Tower:
Mid C13 and mid C14. Sandstone rubble in one unbroken stage up to string-course
below bell chamber. Above this of squared rough ashlar with corbel table of
trefoiled arches and embattled parapet. At 2 west angles are C15 diagonal buttresses
of 3 stages of rough squared ashlar with plain offsets and chamfered plinths. West
wall has C19 buttresses and south side a modern stair turret. C14 archway to nave
has semi-octagonal responds of small courses with moulded bases and capitals and
a pointed head of 2 chamfered orders of small voussoirs. West doorway of 2 chamfered
orders with base stops and pointed head. Impost moulding now mainly decayed.
Lancet windows. Broached shingled spire. North Porch: C19 except for middle tie-
beam which may be C15. Structural timber-framing with carved bargeboards having
Tudor rose emblem. Cinquefoil-headed lights and pointed entrance. South Porch:
Late C19 except for C15 truss with cambered tie-beam and curved braces. Restored
by Kempe who built one of the Lychgates. Base of sandstone, structural timber-
framing with cusped heads and quatrefoil motifs, wavy bargeboards. Roofs of Nave
and Chancel: Erected by Edward Neville, Lord Bergavenny, c1460. Chancel divided
into 3 bays by 2 intermediate tie-beams and the nave into 4 bays with 5 tie-beams,
one at each end and 3 between. Tie-beam moulded and embattled and supported by
moulded wall posts and curved brackets. Spandrels filled with varying tracery,
some with red rose centres. Roofs of trussed rafter and collar-beam type. 5 sided
ceilings divided into panels by moulded ribs with bosses at inter-sections,
variously carved. Nave has similar bosses. Panels covered by C19 painting and
corbels have C19 angels holding shields. Roofs of Chapels and Aisles: Modern
boarded soffits. Some corbels and short posts are original. Furnishings: Font
probably C13 having round bowl which has been patched and relined with lead, carried
on modern shafts. Monumental Brasses: (1) Gerald Borell d. 1509, Archdeacon of
Chichester and Vicar of Cuckfield. Inscription with shield. South wall of South
chapel. (2) Milicent, wife of John Michel (d. 1524). Inscription north wall of
north aisle. (3) Standing effigy of bearded man in Elizabethan armour, Henry
Bowyer. Mouth scroll bearing words 'O Prais (Sic) the Lord'. (4) Henry Bowyer
and Elizabeth his wife d. 1589. On a panel flanked by Ionic shafts of black marble
and alabaster, with a moulded shaft and entablature, the effigies of a man in
Elizabethan armour and his wife kneeling at a Prayer Desk with 3 sons and 3
daughters. North wall of south chapel. Mural Monuments and Tablets: Many,
including Ninian Burrell (d. 1629) in south chapel, a kneeling effigy in recess
with curtains held open by standing angels; Charles Sergison Commissioner of the
Navy (d. 1732) on north side of sanctuary, a sarcophagus with seated figure of truth
holding a plaque carved with his portrait, also supported by a cherub by Thomas
Adey; wall tablet to Mary Ann Sergison (d. 1804) on north wall of north aisle, a Neo-
Classical nymph mourning against an urn by Westmacott; also Sir Walter Headley
(d. 1675), Percy Burrell d. 1807 by J Bacon and Francis Warden d. 1785. (See
V C H Sussex, Vol VII (pp 160-163) Pevsner, Buildings of England, Sussex (pp 477
and 478).

Listing NGR: TQ3035624474

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield at Wikipedia
• Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield official website
• Wikidata Q5886490

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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