St Nicholas, Arundel, Sussex

I Location

Site Location: Arundel
National Grid Reference: TQ 016 072
County: traditional: Sussex
now: West Sussex
Diocese: medieval: Chichester
now: Chichester
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Nicholas
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

Arundel church was rebuilt after 1380 in an early Perp style. The parish nave was separated from the collegiate E end by a screen which is still in place. While the W end is accessible from the High Street, the E end (Fitzalan Chapel) is accessible only from the Castle. The church is faced in knapped flint interspersed with ashlar blocks. These blocks are clearly reused building material of various dates, and include a voussoir, a mullion, columns and a length of dogtooth. They probably come from the earlier church on the site.

III Exterior Features

3. Exterior Decoration

d. Miscellaneous

(i) Voussoir

: S wall, general view.

: S wall, inserted fragment.

Located in S wall of nave to E of S porch. The voussoir has a shallow hole drilled in its centre, and is divided into four rectangular compartments, each of which is chip carved with a saltire cross.

Dimensions

h. (as set in wall)	0.115 m tapering to 0.145 m
l.	0.245 m.

VII History

VIII Comments/Opinions

The voussoir probably belonged to the earlier church on the site. It appears to date fromc.1100.

IX Bibliography

G. McHardy, 'Church of St Nicholas and Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel', Proceedings of the Summer Meeting of the Royal Archaeological Institute at Chichester in 1985, The Archaeological Journal, 1985, 66-70. (Voussoir not mentioned.)