Last updated on August 23rd, 2023 at 11:05 am
The tiny, downland, Church of Coombes is one of the most extraordinary English churches I have ever seen. There are thousands of medieval churches in Britain, each one illuminating parts of our nation’s story. Though not a religious man, I am a long-standing member of the “Oh Look, There’s a Church, Let’s Go in” Club (the OLTAC-LUGICs, pronounced Oltac-Loogics). Rarely is a church visit premeditated. However, Son and Daughter in Law of Britain (SADILOB, pronounced Sadeelob) knew Coombes and highly recommended it; so off we set, with a song on our lips and all that stuff.
Our destination was (and still is) located in West Sussex near England’s south coast, in the South Downs, just north of Shoreham and slightly to the west of the River Adur. The name sounded Celtic to me, meaning ‘deep or dry valley’ – perhaps one of the few pre-Roman place names left in southern England, I wondered. The Key to English Place Names – an invaluable resource run by my old university – yielded up, “ ‘cumb’ (Old English) a coomb, a valley. Possibly derived from Welsh ‘cumm’; but possibly derived from OE ‘cumb’ a vessel, cup, a small measure.” Welsh means ancient Celtic, Old English means Anglo-Saxon. Other sources mention a Celtic origin, akin to the Welsh cwm valley. That’s good enough, I suppose. It is thought provoking that we don’t know what our long-ago ancestors called places, or themselves.
Coombes is a one-street hamlet with a large, old, farm and just a few houses. The road heads up a slight rise, then curves to the right, leading to more farm buildings. Beyond the bend is a meadow and, beyond that, the church. There is no road to the church now, though there once was, and other roads too, some of which survive now as farm tracks onto the downland. Despite its small size, this is an ancient community, at least one thousand years old. We know this because it is listed in the Domesday survey of 1086, which recorded ownership at the time of the Conquest twenty years before; and it is safe to assume the community was established sometime before then. In 1066, Earl Gurth held the manor of Cumbe – was this a brother of the English King Harold’s, who perished with his sibling at the Battle of Hastings? By the time of Domesday, the manor was held by a William Fitz Norman (possibly a kinsman of the Conqueror) and consisted of 27 villani (villagers who owed labour service to the lord, but also farmed on their own account), 4 bordars (unfree peasants) and 2 serfs. The population peaked at 99 in 1931 and, according to the Coombe Farm website, was back down to 32 in 2021.
For centuries, the good folk of Coombes went about their business. The vast majority worked on the land, with salt panning taking place along the river. Who knows, maybe a little smuggling supplemented incomes in the 18th century. Relatively large farms have long been a feature of this part of the world, according to Roy Armstrong, historian and founder of the wonderful Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. Armstrong suggested that villages hereabouts were single agricultural units, differing little from Roman estate farms of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The tides of big events – plague, war, religious conflict and so forth – must have washed over the community, but don’t appear to have left any obvious mark – except at the church. You knew we’d get to the church eventually, didn’t you?
Any dedication Coombes Church once had has been lost in time; it is simply known as ‘Coombes Church’. It is tiny, simple, Saxon, dates at least from at least the 11th century and set into the side of the hill, its western end about 7 feet below ground level, the end of its chancel about 2 feet above. The chancel is more recent than the nave – or has been refurbished – you can see the difference in masonry and window styles. As with most churches, it has features from most centuries, from foundation to modern day, but has benefited from not being remodelled by the Victorians. Most of the dressings are of Caen stone – the same material William I used to build the White Tower. A vestry once stood on the north side and there was a bell tower on the west end, which fell down in the 18th century. A handwritten note next to a bell rope inside the church now tells you there is an 11th century bell at the other end and urges you not to touch. I wondered whether this could be to avoid damaging the bell, or to prevent it falling on your head. The porch is 16th century. Another note asks visitors not to close the inner door to avoid disturbing a wren nesting in the lock recess. All in all, the ambience and setting of the place exudes antiquity and charm.
Access from the field to the churchyard was until recently through a tapsel gate, a device peculiar to Sussex. It is a gate with a central pivot that restricts the width of the opening to keep animals out, but still allows coffins to be carried through. There is a fine example at the Church of the Transfiguration in nearby Pyecombe (see photo). Sadly, the one at Coombes has disappeared and has been replaced with a squeeze gate, an opening that tapers to being very narrow at ground level, inhibiting livestock but allowing humans to pass through – provided they do not have unfortunately wide lower legs.
The real treasures of Coombes Church are its stunning wall paintings. These date from c1130 to 1753 and were discovered when repairs were being carried out in 1949. This is where history certainly made its mark, because the medieval paintings must have been covered over during the Reformation of the 16th century. Paintings were common in medieval churches. They told stories from the scriptures to a largely illiterate community. Even now, the work is quite astonishing – imagine how it must have looked hundreds of years ago and how colourful it would have been. The effect would have been literally awesome. It would be laborious to describe all of the images, but I would like to highlight a particularly striking one on the soffit of the chancel arch, which features a grimacing figure supporting a beam and is (apparently) in Byzantine style. And you don’t see much of that in English parish churches. The chancel arch is interesting; not only is it very thick and substantial, on the east face are two pointed recesses either side of the arch. They suggest there might once have been a triple arch, but apparently that was never the case. So what are they? While we’re at that end, there is an ancient oak sill set into the floor beneath the chancel arch, suggesting there was once a screen – perhaps a gate – separating the nave and chancel.
The font at the west end deserves a bit of a mention. It is very plain, an old lead-lined bowl set into what looks like concrete-covered brick, mounted onto a brick base. Some sources say it is 11th century; if it is, I suggest it has been much repaired.
One more thing before you leave. Take a look across the field to the south east of the church. There you will see the old rectory, a wonderful pre-reformation 15th century timber-framed house. You can’t go in, but it is a lovely building.
Of course, other churches with stunning medieval wall paintings are available. Just up the road is St Botolph’s and, a little farther afield, Clayton. Sounds like a couple of premeditated visits sometime to me. One of my all-time favourites, close to where I grew up, is St Hubert’s, Idsworth.
Coombes Farm has a nice website, by the way.
19 March – what an auspicious date to post. The date and charming picture drew me in. Looking at what remains of the frescos/wall paintings – (I googled and there is a difference) I can’t help wondering whether that wouldn’t be a project for research, working out what the missing parts would/could have looked like. I am guessing the paintings could be dated from the word fragments that remain and the font used etc. I am also guessing that if anyone did any such research and came to any conclusion there would be something on display and you would have mentioned it.
Tally ho.
Indeed, a reminder that everyone is special at least once a year, if not all year round 🙂 It is a fascinating place – reminded me a little of St Hubert’s at Idsworth. I’m pretty sure that someone makes it their job to map out what the wall paintings would have looked like originally. Must be something like watching paint dry. Apologies for the delay!
Hi Mike – I loved this … I’ve been trying to get there for a while – but now I’ll make a plan. Thanks for such a good write up – cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary. Sorry for the slow response – hope you make it there – lovely part of the world and not too far from you, I think.
Well, I finally got here and I’m so glad I did. This is a gem and I can see why you were enamored by it. Those paintings are remarkable. And the entire church so very interesting. I really appreciate your depth of history here and sharing it with us. You’ve done some wonderful homework! And thanks, too, for the cumb/commbe derivation. I’ve seen that often (and been to a few) and never knew what that meant. You bring out the importance of driving in Britain (something Rick just does NOT want to do!). You can go places where there isn’t a bus, taxi or uber and just a church and really see things off the grid that are fascinating and lovely. He’s perfectly happy to discover all these things on his bike — but not in a car!
Thanks, Jeanie. There are more ‘combes’ in the west, I’m not sure about this one. Do you or Rick not drive? As you say, you can see more if take a car.
Hi Mike, a fascinating post about this church. I’ve not seen painting’s quite like these before.
Thanks, Robbie – it’s a lovely little place.
Just wow – those wall paintings are absolutely incredible!! It looks like such an incredible place, and that old rectory is also an absolute gem. Imagine that being your clergy provided house!
Yes, it’s lovely Han. The house is far grander than the church, is it not?!
It’s amazing how wall pictures can be covered up for so long and not get destroyed with the uncovering process, what a treasure in that tiny church. Also intriguing how a little place can stay small without actually disappearing or being swallowed up in a bigger village or town.
Yes, I’ve often wondered about both of those things. I guess the answer to the second one depends on circumstances, but buildings need money to survive.
I really enjoy these gems that you find Mike. They’re priceless.
Thanks, Malc. To be fair, someone else found this one – I’d never heard of it, despite it not being that far from where I used to live.
But we are lucky to have so many lovely gems like this, aren’t we?
We most certainly are.
I would definitely sign up to be part of the OLTAC-LUGIC club! Beautiful area to follow along with today 🙂
Now I’m thinking this could be a real commercial opportunity!
Wonderful treasures and an interesting observation of how, as religion declines, our need for the wealth of this history does not.
True.
I enjoy your site so much. It offers a pleasant reprieve from my home base, the United States. My deep roots are in England– Somerset, Dorchester and Devon for the most part. Your coverage of England soothes the longing. Thank you.
That is such a lovely comment, Pamela; thank you so very much!
What a little stunner. I’ve put it on my list of local(ish) places to visit this year.
Loads of others to see nearby, too… (as you probably know). 🙂
I do. As soon as it stops raining …
It sounds and looks like a fascinating place, steeped in history without being “in your face” about it. For a small community like Coombe, it seems a solid, rather large church, but maybe people from surrounding farms went there to worship, too.
By the way, I am another OLTAC-LUGIC, and find it always slightly disappointing when a church is locked and I can not explore it properly.
I reckon they could get about 50 people in Coombes. As you say, they undoubtedly have a wide catchment area – but there are several other churches not that far away. I guess churches are mostly locked due to fear of theft of vandalism – which is sad – but it is irritating! Mind you, I’ve also learned that doors that seem locked sometimes just need a good push.
The frescoes are fascinating.
Yes – intriguing, aren’t they?!
Well it looks like you need to get those badges made for us club members. Churches are my favorite. I love that there are so many little out of the way places like that, that haven’t been bulldozed under for profit of some sort. Thank you for this post and photos. Byzantine. Hmm. That’s so interesting!
On a very serious note, congregations are falling away as far as I can see, certainly in England. The CofE seems to leave the parish to fund church running costs and major repairs and they are hideously expensive places to look after. Some church buildings, fallen out of use, are looked after by charities; some even offer a form of B&B. But I see some tough decisions ahead.
Such an interesting post, thank you. I like that this ancient building is still in use today and hasn’t become a small museum and I love that the door is or was left open for the nesting wren.
I know exactly what you mean.
Great stuff! The pre-Reformation rectory looks very grand. I wonder if the parish population was much bigger when the rectory was built, or perhaps the rectory served multiple purposes eg accommodating visiting church dignitaries.
Hels
Someone must have had some cash to splash. I think it’s private now.
Another OLTAC member here this one is a fab find!
Badge being designed. Don’t try this yourself at home!
What a super find!
The atmosphere comes over in the photographs.
I know what you mean; that old ancient slightly moist church smell!
A beautiful church, Mike.
It is, William. And small. 🙂
A place I would just love to explore. That church has so much history, if those walls could talk! I am also a member of OLTAC-LUGIC. We should have badges made.
I think the badge idea is excellent. I shall look into it. And membership cards, of course. And maybe little uniforms..?
Marvellous post Mike, and what a great place to visit. The farm is certainly trying very hard to make as much of a successful ongoing business as they possibly can. They seem to be doing a grand job!
Thanks, Peter. Yes, the farm seems to be into everything – they were showing lambing when SADILOB took me there.
Wow, I would LOVE to visit this ancient church, Mike! It is cute and quaint and has incredible history. Thank you for the tour! ❤️
Thanks, John. Reckon you should put it on the list for your UK Tour!
Yes!
An awesome post about what looks like a nice place
Thanks, Joanne – hope you got the right view.
Okay, how cool is the OLTAC-LUGIC club!! What a great post, and what a wonderful, old church. Thanks for the history and the photos, Mike.
I knew I could rely on you to be a OLTAC-LUGIC supporter, Jennie x
Yes, I am! Thank you, Mike. You can count on me.
Well, that was nice little meander. Thank you.
Well, thankee kindly!
Excellent piece, Mike, Thanks. I am unlikely ever to visit this particular church, but when it comes to churches, I am in the same club as you. I can’t resist them!! Thanks for all that you do.
Thanks, Colin – really appreciate it. Don’t you ever make it to the soft south? 🙂