Friday, June 19, 2009
St George's Church West Grinstead Sussex.
The final part of our day took us to the old church at West Grinstead (Church of England).
It is the church where the parents of Percy Bysshe Shelley (poet) were married.
The church, dedicated to St George, is hardly part of a village settlement now. There are some grand houses close by, but nothing for the peasants.
It is situated close to the upper reaches of the River Adur - which reaches the sea at Shoreham.
This spot was once navigable and the Knights Templar went off to the Crusades in boats from here.
I would imagine that the village declined as the river was allowed to grow over and narrow when shipping no longer came this far inland.
The path to the river was a laid path of Horsham stone - showing the need to keep the path strong in earlier times.
The remains of an old bridge.
The plaque by the church told us history of the area.
Picnic in the church yard.
The only seat was not big enough for the 3 of us!
The church was unusual in having its spire in the middle. The roof is of Horsham stone.
The church was unusual in having its spire in the middle. The roof is of Horsham stone.
The backs of the pews had the names of the many farms in the parish.
There was a large map on the wall showing just how wide the parish reaches.
There were lots of things of interest, but I got talking to a man that came in to do things. I never knew his role within the church but he did offer snippets of information and pointed ou things to look at.
This included the Queen's signature in the visitor's book (that page is framed and on the wall). This was in 1950 and my man said she had been there for a christening.
This picture is for Roger - obviously this little church, tucked away now, is renowned for bell ringing.
This picture is for Roger - obviously this little church, tucked away now, is renowned for bell ringing.
