Country Churches

No. 96. St.Mary the Virgin Fittleworth

Fittleworth lies east of Petworth on the A283 leading to Pulborough. Set on a small hill above the village this church has unusual dormer windows set in the roof of the nave, put there in the Victorian restoration of 1871. The tower however dates from 1200 and is built of sandstone as is the Early English chancel. The oldest of the 6 bells in the tower dates from 1350.

All the pews have candle-stick holders but these are only used on Christmas Eve. A quaint survival nevertheless. The font dates from the 14th century and is eight sided and carved with rosettes. A large painting of the Royal Arms of George III hangs in one aisle. The restored nave in Old Gothic style is not particularly attractive but four water colours hanging at the back of the church show the building as it was before 1871 with its gallery and box pews.

The East window of 3 lancets with its predominant blues is colourful but two modern windows are especially pleasing. One, on the north side of the chancel, illustrates the Te Deum and is in honour of George Kruger Gray who designed the coinage of George V and lived in the village. The top of the window depicts 5 apostles - Peter, Andrew, Thomas, John and James - the centre panel depicts 5 prophets - Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, Jeremiah and Isaiah - whilst the bottom panel depicts 6 martyrs of the church - Stephen, Thomas a Becket, John the Baptist, St.Eustace, St.Barbara and the Holy Innocents. A beautifully constructed window in fine detail.

The other memorable window is in the north wall of the nave and is a war memorial to two parishioners killed in the Second World War. On the left stands the figure of David commemorating David Angus Colquhoun, a lieutenant of the Scots Guards killed in action in Italy on April 5 1945. At the top is the badge of his regiment and below that of his school Loretto. The right hand glass shows the figure of Jonathan. This commemorates Richard Barrow, a lieutenant of the 3rd Caribiniers killed in Burma on 24 January 1945. Above is the badge of his regiment and below the badge of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

A small brass in the north chancel wall commemorates Stanley Lee who died in 1628. A small plaque by the south door commemorates Peckham School evacuated to Fittleworth during the war. The fine old churchyard contains a 1000 year old yew tree as well as many 18th-century tombstones. One final point of interest is that the composer Sir Edward Elgar lived for a while in the village in an isolated cottage called Brinkwells and on occasion played the church organ.

John Symonds