SOUTHWICK. CHURCH : ST MARY

I made my first ever trip to Southwick on a showery Sunday morning in late February, and arrived at this picturesque village just as the Sun decided to hide itself behind a large bank of cloud! The church was closed, but I fell lucky as a very nice, pleasant, and helpful lady arrived to open the church up for a service later on that morning, and she was happy to let me inside to take some photos.

  The church itself is in a lovely setting, surrounded by trees, the sign said just a mile and a half betweem nearby Glapthorne and Southwick, but it failed to mention the very steep hill between the two!!!

  Nice church this one, and unusual in that, carved in several places on the tower, are shields bearing the coat of arms of the Knyvet family and the Basset family of Weldon.

  Inside the church, the chancel has a fine monument dedicated to George Lynn of Southwick Hall, who passed away in 1758. This fine monument was the last work of French sculptor Louis Roubiliac, and it was commissioned for the princely sum of £500! The monument depicts Ann Bellamy, who also commissioned the work, looking up at the profile of her deceased husband.

  There were some very fine stone heads to be found at this church, both inside and out. Some of the best that I have seen.

  The churchyard is interesting as it occupies ground that was used by the Romans to extract Ironstone.

  Coming out of the church, it was a little brighter but a huge bank of dark clouds looked distinctly threatening, and as I had just dried off from the previous downpour and was about 12 miles from home, I decided to abandon my travels for the day and head towards home.

  Southwick is a very nice place tio visit, perhaps in the Summer, when the nearby Southwick Hall is open, it might have seemed more appetising still.

I attended Glapthorn church on a Sunday morning in late February. Weather conditions were extremely bright on reaching the village, but the Sun was only to make a fleeting appearance, and by the time that I had reached nearby Southwick, just about a mile away, the Sun had given up for the day!

  Nice looking church from the outside, but nothing remarkable to catch the eye. There was a service on when I visited, so exterior shots only from myself. However, Chris Stafford did the same trip (albeit, I daresay he was a little drier as he was in the car!!) prior to my visit, and the photograph of the interior is by Chris.

  Attempts to take a full length shot of the tower at this church from the rear of the spacious and well kept church grounds were ended after seeing a row of bright red gas cylinders lined up at the base of the tower. Reminded me of a day late last Autumn when I took several photographs of a church without realising that there was a wheelie bin in each of the shots!