The Church of St Nicholas - Arundel

Following on from my previous post where the 12th Earl surrendered the collegiate chapel to King Henry VIII, subsequential purchasing it back and being required to provide an annual rent to the King :

The Church of St Nicholas - Arundel

The Church of St Nicholas - Arundel

The nave [of the church] continued as the parish church of Arundel. As the effects of the Reformation took hold the church was rapidly transformed from a temple to a school-room. Altars dedicated to the saints, statues, stained glass and wall paintings were all removed, smashed or painted over, and over time row upon row of pews filled the church.

During the Civil War (16-1651) the Roundheads hoisted cannon onto the church roof to bombard the Royalists holed up in the adjacent castle. They also used the church as their barracks and the Fitzalan Chapel to stable their horses.*

The Church of St Nicholas - Arundel

In the 19th century the Church of England rediscovered its catholic identity and a sense of the beauty of holiness once more entered our churches. In St Nicholas’ this led to the introduction of the high altar and reredos, choir stalls and stained glass windows. *

*From a Church of St Nicholas Arundel leaflet

14 Comments CherryPie on Feb 19th 2019

14 Responses to “The Church of St Nicholas – Arundel”

  1. Ginnie says:

    Sometimes it’s hard to read about this kind of history for a church, Cherry, but at least it was a place of refuge! Hopefully it still is.

    • CherryPie says:

      We had a warm welcome when we visited the church. Those we talked to were full of joy that the Catholic and Anglican faiths were joined together in worship in this unique building.

  2. Astrid says:

    This church has quite the history. I so love the tile floors, the golden glow is amazing. The church itself looks very robust.

  3. The Yum List says:

    You sure are getting some beautiful weather over there.

  4. What a beautiful church and your photos are just stunning.

  5. wendee says:

    Wow! I love the interior decor of the church, so beautiful!
    The Glossychic
    Wonder Cottage

  6. ....peter says:

    it’s a lovely church Cherie… i like the way you framed these capturing the soft golden glow….peter:)

  7. Ayush says:

    i am astounded by the lovely floor in the third shot, CP. and it is a bit of a disbelief that the roof was used to engage in warfare.

    • CherryPie says:

      Within Arundel Castle there are some paintings showing the church building when the contents had been destroyed and the building was being employed for other uses. It is remarkable that it has been restored.