Bishop's Sutton is located just E of New Alresford, 8 miles E of Winchester. Bishop Henry of Blois built the church, and a palace to its N, c.1140-50. The church has flint rubble facings and red tile roofs. It comprises a chancel, a nave with a S porch and N vestry, and a W bell turret. A chapel on the N side of the chancel has been demolished. The nave is lit by four simple 12thc. windows, two on each side, flanking opposing doorways.

The Domesday Survey of 1086 records that Sutton had a church and was held by Count Eustace III of Boulogne. Through the Count's granddaughter Maud, who married King Stephen, the property passed to the Crown. In 1136 the King made an exchange of land with his brother Bishop Henry of Blois, swapping Bishop's Sutton for Steeple Morden in Hertfordshire. Bishop's Sutton remained with the diocese until 1551.

Bishop Henry rebuilt the existing church and erected a palace to its N. Historians have speculated that the palace was destroyed during the Civil War.

The nave of Bishop Henry's church survives, but the chancel was rebuilt in the 13thc. The building was restored in 1891-93 by G. C. Awdry and in 1961-62 by Potter & Hare.

The church is thought to have been rebuilt by Henry of Blois c.1150 (Bullen et al., 2010, 185). The chancel arch, unusually wide for the mid-12thc., seems to have been enlarged at a later date, reusing the original jambs. This may have happened in the 13thc., when the chancel was rebuilt. The capitals are of the same type as the doorways, although the impost blocks differ. On balance, the chancel arch and doorways are probably contemporary, having been built shortly after Bishop Henry took possession of the land, c.1140-50.

The clasping motif on the N doorway, sometimes described as clasping billet, has been interpreted as uncut beakhead (Bullen et al., 2010, 185). This seems unlikely.

We would like to thank Martin Henderson, who kindly gave us access to the vestry to record the N doorway.