HISTORY

Until the collapse of the crossing tower in 1686, this was a large cruciform church. The rebuilding with small chancel and south tower in 1706-7, left a church of only about half its original size.

Though the church is first mentioned in Domesday Book and was a 'Minster church' with a cruciform plan, the earliest visible remains date only from the 13th century. These consist of the west wall, including the west buttresses aisle walls and the west doorway (heavily restored with much new masonry). The surviving arcades in the nave must also date to the later 13th century. Four bays of arcading survive, with the beginning of a fifth arch visible on the north side at the

east end.

No doubt as a result the founding of the new college by Archbishop Kempe in 1447, the church was rebuilt with new windows in the north aisle wall and a mostly new south side aisle wall (the aisle walls, however are on the same line as the 13th century walls, though no doubt they are higher with added creations). Buttresses were also added (or rebuilt) and a fine upper clearstorey was added to the nave with three-light windows above the arches. John Newman (BOE 505), points out that new piers were also made in the nave under the 13th century arches. New roofs were also made - shallow pitched shed roofs on the aisles (partly restored), and collar and rafter-roofs in the nave, which also have tie-beams on wall-posts. On the north side there may be traces of earlier windows below the mid 15th century three-light windows. There is also the block-up lower part of a north doorway opposite the south doorway. The south porch, with its chamber above, is also probably a 15th century addition, but it was given a new south wall and doorway (with Portland store quoins) in 1787. Otherwise no other medieval masonry survives above ground except the 15th century font.

With the college of the crossing-tower eastwards in 1686, little was done until 15 years later work started on building a smaller new chancel, with apsidal east end, and a massive but not very tall tower with diagonal buttresses. There is reused perp. mouldings for the south doorway, but brick windows in the bell-chamber above, which contains a new peal of 8 bells made in 1774.

Much reused masonry is visible in the lower external walls of the tower, as well as various date-stones of the rebuilding in 1706-7. The new early 18th century chancel still contains some of its original fittings (reredos + panelling), though a north doorway and window have been blocked (the latter covered by 19th century monuments internally). Still open in Petrie's 1808 view. An 18th century west window in the nave was replaced by a new 'perpendicular' one in 1878, which was in turn restored after bomb damage (1943) in the last war. The west faces of the west-facing buttresses also have early 18th century Portland stone facings. The 18th century galleries in the nave (along the S + W walls) were removed in 1878, and new pews were put in, and a new 'perp' window in Bath stone was put into the east end of the north aisle (vestry). The organ in the west gallery was moved to the chancel.

A major restoration after War Damage was carried out in 1950, and many other changes have taken place in the internal fittings over the last few decades. The organ is now at the east end of the north aisle.

Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in 1845 when a c. 13th century north doorway was still visible. It is also shown beneath a shorter 15th century 3-light window in H. Petrie's 1808 view from the N.E.

The medieval rubble walling is of flint and local ironstone, with Ragstone quoins, jambs etc., some small knapped flint in the 15th century rebuilding, and reused Ragstone and Caenstone (with occasional Reigate stone and Purbeck marble shafts) in the rebuilt eastern arm. Also some tile and brick. Port and stone quoins, etc., also used in the later 18th century and Bath stone in the 19th century.