St Helen, Hangleton, Sussex

I Location

Site Location
Hangleton
National Grid Reference
TQ 267 074
County
traditional: Sussex
now: East Sussex
Diocese
medieval: Chichester
now: Chichester
Dedication
medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Helen
Type of building/monument
Parish church

II General Description

Hangleton church has a 13thc. W tower, an early Norman nave with opposing N and S doorways, a N porch and vestry, and a square-ended 14thc. chancel, separated from the nave by a screen. There is a small Norman window in the S wall of the nave, and another in the N. Two reset corbels and one loose corbel may be 12thc. in date.

III Exterior Features

3. Exterior Decoration

c. Corbel tables, corbels

W tower, parapet, view from S.

W tower, parapet, view from S.

(i) Animal head

Reset in crenellated parapet of W tower, S side.

(ii) Human head

Reset in crenellated parapet of W tower, S side.

VI Loose Sculpture

(i) Corbel

Corbel, ram's head.

Corbel, ram's head.

Corbel, ram's head.

Corbel, ram's head.

Corbel, ram's head.

Corbel, ram's head.

Located on window sill on N side of chancel, carved with a ram's head.

Dimensions

h. 0.11 m
w. 0.18 m
d. 0.15 m

VII History

Hangleton, now a suburb of Brighton, is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but no church.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The reset heads and loose corbel may have been removed from the W tower when the parapet was built.

IX Bibliography

  • J. Morris and J. Mothersill (ed.), Domesday Book: Sussex. Chichester 1976, 12.23.
  • I. Nairn and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Sussex. Harmondsworth 1965, 457-58.
  • Victoria County History: Sussex. 3 (City of Chichester). 1935, 281.