Chunky

[poliphilo]

St Andrew's Fairlight was demolished and completely rebuilt in the 1840s. The old church was (a) too small and (b) falling down- or so the Victorians said, and since the old building has totally gone we have to take their word for it. An amateur painting of c 1820 shows a very small, heavily buttressed Norman building- which seems quaint and loveable- things the new church ain't. The new church was built with a very tall tower- to serve as a landmark for ships at sea- and also for German bombers in World War II.

The only things surviving from before 1840 are a number of 17th and 18th century grave markers- including these chunky rustic tombstones...







I think the curious device on the middle stone is a winged hourglass, but I can't explain why the two bulbs are heart-shaped.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Wellington's medieval church went in the late eighteenth century just before Patrick Bronte arrived as curate.

They blamed the civil war- no doubt it was also used to stable horses..........

[poliphilo]

Old Basing church- which I visited last week- took a terrible hammering during the Civil War, but the people chose to repair the ruin rather than start again from scratch.