Introduction

The year 2003 marked 900 years in the history of the Church of St Mary de Haura (at the harbour), New Shoreham. The church was founded by Philip de Braose, whose father, William, had fought with William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066. As a young Norman baron, Philip probably campaigned in the First Crusade (1096-99) in Jerusalem. It is recorded that he had returned to England by 1103, when he presented the church to the Abbey of St Florent, Saumur (N. France). In the 15th century, the patronage passed to Magdalen College, Oxford.

The original Norman church of c.1100 consisted of the lower stage of the tower, the transepts, a nave of unknown length (probably aisleless), and a chancel with an apsidal (semi-circular) end. Around 1130-40, the nave was enlarged by the addition of aisles. Of these works, the tower and transepts alone have survived intact, the choir having been redesigned by the end of the twelfth century and the nave falling into disrepair from the late medieval period.


Font and Crossing

The Norman font is carved with different designs on all four sides, and would have originally stood at the back of the nave.


The font today is under the tower crossing, four joined arches which support the huge weight of the tower above. Three of these form part of the original Norman church of c.1100, and are plain and without ornate carving.


The arch nearest the entrance is particularly impressive in both height and decoration, and dates to the extension of the nave, c. 1130-40.


Transepts

St Mary's was designed with two transepts, which were used as chapels in medieval times. They have small rounded windows at high level, characteristic of the Norman period. In 1947, the north transept was reordered as a Memorial Chapel. It is open daily for private prayer.


Choir

In the second half of the twelfth century, the Norman choir was taken down and replaced by the present choir. This is much larger, consisting of five bays on three levels, and built in the Transitional style between Norman (rounded arches) and Gothic (pointed arches). Both the choir and its aisles are vaulted in stone, supported by flying buttresses. These features are most unusual for a parish church.

The columns in the choir arcade are different on either side. Those on the north side are alternately round and octagonal (similar to the arrangement in Canterbury Cathedral choir), while those on the south side are of a more complex shape and uniform design. The capitals (at the top of the columns) on both sides are richly decorated with foliage, some as if blown by the wind.

On the first octagonal column on the north side is an ornate cross carved into the stone. This is thought to commemorate a visit by the Patriarch of Jerusalem or some other important person at the time of the rebuilding of the choir.
South Choir Aisle

In the vaulted ceiling of the south choir aisle there are at intervals three separate faces with branches coming out of their mouths. Known traditionally as 'Green Men', such carvings appear in medieval buildings throughout Europe and further afield, although their significance is still not fully understood.


A little further along the south choir aisle are two brasses. These full-length portraits depict a civilian and his wife in a style of clothes fashionable around 1450. Although their names are unknown, they appear to be among the wealthiest of New Shoreham's inhabitants, the man most likely having been a merchant in the town during the 15th century. They were buried in the choir where their grave was marked on the floor with these brasses.


Ruined Nave

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the town of New Shoreham diminished both in size and wealth. At this time, the sea advanced so far inland that more than half of the medieval town was swallowed up and destroyed. The River Adur was also becoming heavily silted, preventing trade vessels from arriving or departing from the port.

The ruin at the back of the churchyard is all that remains of the back wall of St Mary's Norman nave. This part of the church was used by the town's inhabitants at services, and (unlike the choir) was their financial responsibility. It would appear that in the late medieval period, there were too few townsfolk to maintain their part of the church, leaving it to fall into disrepair.


Ruined South Porch

From the ruin towards the church entrance, it is possible to trace the outline of the nave south wall – it appears as a long strip of raised ground. Halfway along this wall stood a large south porch, built in the 14th century. It most likely collapsed with the nave around the 17th century and is almost entirely invisible today (it extends under the Hospitallers' Garden). The porch was excavated in 1915, when medieval floor tiles were discovered.


Present West Front

Documents in the later 17th century record that a large part of the nave had collapsed. In 1677, emergency repair work, marked by a lead plaque, was carried out on the choir roof by the two churchwardens, Richard Herring and William Harfill.


By the early 18th century, more permanent action was taken. No longer safe for services, and with limited funds, it appears that the remaining nave was demolished and some of the surviving stone, flint, brick and tile used to 'patch up' the present entrance. The four round columns near this entrance remain in place from the c.1130-40 nave (though now outside), but the carved pointed doorway appears to have been moved from either the south porch or the original Norman west end.