A short tour
It is possible that there may have been a small church in Newick in Saxon times, perhaps of wood, close to the house of the Thane (or Squire).
Records reveal
that there certainly was a church in Newick at the end of the 11th
century. The oldest part which can now be seen is the South Wall, on
either side of the porch, extending from the tower to the first
buttress. Near the roof of the south porch is the only remaining Norman
window.
The
porch dates from about 1400. The remains of the 'cattle
chain' may be seen on the back of the front arch on the left side as
you enter.
The tower was built in the early 15th century, almost certainly from stone quarried from Founthill. The parapet was added about a century later. The west door and window above are Tudor. The clock is early 18th century, reconstructed by Edward Funnell of Brighton 1867.
The bells are a ring of six. The tenor or largest cast in 1867, weighs over five cwt.
Left to right: Two windows in the south wall; the window by the organ: "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord"; and the infant Jesus: "Born of the Virgin Mary".
The nave was originally quite short with four narrow windows which in Norman times were unglazed. In the 13th century, when the chancel was built, these windows were replaced by larger ones. The church was substantially unaltered from the 13th century until the year 1836, when a north aisle was built (half the length of the present one). The aisle was lengthened fifty years later. The church was enlarged in 1886/87. The chancel was taken down from its original position and rebuilt, about its own length to the East. The nave was lengthened to meet it, the north aisle was extended and the organ chamber, choir and clergy vestries built.
The pulpit is Jacobean (early 17th century). The sounding board is said to have been used for some time as a table top.
Parish registers go back to 1558, the year in which Elizabeth I acceded to the throne, with the first twenty years or so in Latin.
Left to right: Elijah and Elisha; a section of the Millennium window; church interior.
The Barn is a grade 2 listed building and dates from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. It was known as the Norman Barn because a barn had stood on the site since Norman times. The barn and adjacent cart lodge were purchased and converted between 1981 and 1986, providing a useful facility for the church and village.
Please click here to see more pictures of the windows.
This material was taken from "St. Mary's Church, Newick - History and Guide" which contains a much fuller account of the church, inside and out. Copies are available in the church for a small fee.