Welcome to the Easter (April) 2000 On-Line Edition of

St George's News

Waterlooville's Parish Magazine

COUNTRY CHURCHES

37. St Mary Magdalene, Tortington

St Mary Magdalene, Tortington

St Mary Magdalene, Tortington

This small but attractive church lies a few miles south of Arundel, just west of the Arun river. It is not easy to find being hidden by trees and a farmhouse. Built in 1140 to serve the lay tenants of Tortington Priory, it was sadly declared redundant in 1978 and is now in the care of the Redundant Churches Fund. Fortunately it remains well furnished and in a good state of preservation.

The walls are faced in grey and white flint strengthened by Caen stone around the windows and angles. The roof consists of red clay tiles. An attractive white weatherboarded bellcote dating from 1904 is at the west end. Another outstanding feature is the semi-circular Norman south doorway which is finely carved.

Once inside, the eye is immediately drawn to the great Norman chancel arch with its axe cut decorations, consisting of strange faces, sprouting leaves and peculiar long beaked birds heads believed to be of Scandinavian origin. High above are placed two funeral hatchments to William and Richard Leeves who died in the 1780's.

The East Window

The East Window

The small East Window portrays the Lamb of God, the Holy Trinity and the Four Evangelists in attractive green, red and blue colours. Two windows in the north wall show St Richard of Chichester and St Mary Magdalene. Above, the black roof timbers are probably medieval.

The font at the west end is Norman, its rare cup shape having a decorated rim. The sides have miniature Norman arches with carved honeysuckle flowers carved between. The oak pulpit dates from the 17th century but the red and black tiling of the nave floor is Victorian. The walls are lime-washed.

The rare cup-shaped font

The rare cup-shaped font

On one of the nave arcades a tablet commemorates Edward Harvey de la Feld, Count of the Holy Roman Empire, who died in 1837 'cut off in the prime of life and in the flower of his age' aged 34. More interesting perhaps is the brass plate on the chancel arch in memory of Roger Gratwyth, Lord of the Manor and patron of the living who died in July 1591. It reads:

'Behold and see a Friend most deare
The Lorde hath taken him awaye.
Amend your lives whilst you be here
For flesh and bludd must needs decay.'

There are two other memorials in the church. One is to George Coote who died in 1892 having been churchwarden for 50 years and who helped rebuild the south aisle. The other is a 19th century plaque in black marble to the Leeves family with trails of leaves along the sides and crossed sprigs of oak and palms underneath.

Sad that this lovely old country church is no longer a place of worship but at least it is being properly preserved, unlike the old East Wittering church which has disgracefully been allowed to become a World War II museum.

John Symonds

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page last updated 1 APRIL 2000