Welcome to St. Mary's
Friston
Normally all services are as
follows;
(all weekly services start at 9-45am)
1st Sunday - Family worship. An informal service for all
ages.
2nd Sunday - Holy Communion (said) (BCP)
3rd Sunday - Morning Prayer
4th Sunday - Holy Communion (Common Worship)
On the 5th Sunday, there is a Benifice service of Holy
Communion held, in turn, in each of the churches in the
Benifice.
Friston church is open daily from 9am until
5pm
CHURCH OF ST MARY THE
VIRGIN
THE CHURCH IN ITS RURAL ENVIRONMENT
Friston has always been a rural environment with its businesses
serving the community employed primarily in agriculture.
The Church physically dominates the village, standing on a hill
overlooking the village green, and whilst in line with local
trends, those employed locally have declined, and there are a high
number of holiday and weekend homes, it provides a quiet spiritual
haven for the community and offers a reassuring presence.
The Church stands in its churchyard with a farm to the east, a
road to the north, the village hall and housing to the west and
open land to the south.
The Church retains the charm and simplicity of a building built
and supported by a small Christian community. The many memorials
within the Church and the Churchyard form a lasting microcosm of
the history of the community.
THE CHURCH BUILDING
It comprises an unusual western square Tower, a Nave and
Chancel, now under one roof, and a South Porch. The Chancel ceiling
and walls have painted decoration, assumed to be 19th
century but not mentioned by either Pevsner or Munro Cautley.
Pevsner (1961)
The surprising West Tower can only be the result of various
restorations, especially that of 1899-1900, although Cautley
believes its odd 14th century motifs to be possibly
original. Nave and Chancel in one. Nothing of interest except the S
doorway, which is transitional with its one order of shafts and its
sharply pointed arch with two slight chamfers. The pulpit is
Jacobean and the Royal Arms – James I – is a spectacular piece of
wood carving, well reassembled by Cautley.
H Munro Cautley (5th edition 1982)
The 14th century Western Tower has niches in the
upper stages of the angle buttresses and three more high up on the
western face. Probably all of these are original but a very dubious
restoration of this Tower and parapet took place 40 years ago. The
12th century south door has engaged columns to jambs and
consecration crosses. The font is modern bur the base is old and
looks as if it might be the old bowl upside down. A simple
arch-braced Nave roof, Stuart pulpit and holy table. The features
of this Church are the magnificent set of James I arms, carved in
wood nearly 5” thick and the interesting old 16th
century Bible binding, embellished with brass work.
Listing Description
Remains of 11th century structure in north wall; some
12th century work; main body of the Church 14th and
15th century; post-Reformation additions of several
dates, detailed below; restorations and redecorations of the late
19th and early 20th century concentrated at the west and
east ends respectively. Flint with cement rendering; brick porch
and buttresses; roof of tile with lower verge of slate. Chancel of
three irregularly spaced bays; Nave of seven bays; West Tower of
three stages with broad, setback angle buttresses; west organ loft
of wood. The Chancel is not set off from the Nave by an arch, being
demarcated by a single step to the choir area; this level change as
well as the painted decorations in the Chancel date to 1913 and
are, according to a brass fixed to the single lancet in the south
side of the Chancel, a memorial to Emily Sophia Hills; the timber
framing to the roof appears to date from this refurbishment.
Chancel with three-light window, curvilinear tracery is late
19th century and is filled with memorial glass dated
1895. Arched timber principals to the Nave, the area above the
collar plastered, like the underside of the roof; wall plate
moulded. The mouldings on the roof suggest a late 15th
century date; there is also some suggestion that the timbers may
have been re-used from another structure, perhaps in the late
medieval period. Pair of two-light 15th century styled
windows to north wall of Nave; lancet with ‘Y’ tracery on the line
between Chancel and Nave to south; two-light perpendicular window
to side of entrance porch and two-light decorated window to the
other side. Entrance to south of the Nave dates to the
12th century. Segmented pointed arch to the Tower.
Interior fixtures and fittings include: benches to Nave of mid to
late 19th century; choir stalls of same date partly
removed; octagonal font at west end, centre of aisle; sacrarium
enclosed by a wood and metal rail and elevated; painted wood
Reredos dating to early 20th century. Fine wood coat of
arms of James I to the north Nave wall; early 17th
century pulpit mounted on a 19th or 20th century base,
may perhaps be a married piece; holy table by main door; in 1988
new window installed by Mrs Vernon Wentworth of the Blackheath
Mansion, Friston. Excavations in 1983 and 1988 have revealed two
new features of note: in the north Nave wall a round-arched door
evidently of 11th century date; to the east of the south
door a staircase dating probably to the 14th century. No
evidence for the latter visible from outside or from within; the
former left exposed but blocked. Exterior features of note: South
Porch of brick with wood top stage, an unusual feature; two-light
bell louvres to each of remaining top stages of Tower. The Nave is
noteworthy for having been very little restored in the
19th century.
THE CHURCHYARD
Around the Church the burial ground has been in use for hundreds
of years, and the memorials give an interesting picture of village
history. Among the notable memorials are the three headstones of
members of the Bowater family, all of whom had been Lord Mayors of
London. There is a line of tombstones of Hamblings and Hammonds,
tenants of Friston Hall in the 19th century. Because of
its prominence every effort is expended in trying to maintain the
churchyard, with areas dedicated to sustaining local flora and
wildlife.