2013

SU8003 : Holy Trinity, Bosham : Chancel arch

taken 11 years ago, near to Bosham, West Sussex, England

Holy Trinity, Bosham : Chancel arch
Holy Trinity, Bosham : Chancel arch
The Chancel arch in Bosham dates from the mid C11th either just before or after the Norman conquest. The semicircular arch is typical of Norman Romanesque architecture, however the arch facing it at the other end of the nave also exhibits a semicircular arch and is considered to be Saxon. Also, Norman arches tend to be ornamented with geometric patterns such as dog-tooth carving, whereas this arch is plain - so it is quite possible that this is a very late Saxon arch.
The five light window at the eastern end of the church is a fine example of the Early English style of Gothic architecture which came immediately after the Norman (Romanesque) period.
Bosham and Holy Trinity church

The village of Bosham is situated on the western side of a chunky peninsula delimited to the north by the A259 between Broadbridge and Fishbourne.
The Bosham Channel, an offshoot of the Chichester Channel borders the village to the west, while immediately to the south of the village a tidal creek pushes inland a little way.
The village contains many interesting buildings including shops, pubs and restaurants and is quite a bustling village popular with visitors.
The most interesting building is the ancient parish church dedicated to The Holy Trinity. It dates originally from the mid C10th, and remarkably considerable Saxon features remain, notably a large part of the chancel and all but the top section of the tower. Inside the church on the western wall of the nave is a Saxon arch and above it a V-topped Saxon doorway with a round-topped Saxon window above that. On the outside of the tower on its western face at the top is a fine double lancet Saxon window. This church is depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, with Harold seen riding to Bosham and then entering the church. A reproduction of the relevant panel of the tapestry is displayed on the northern wall of the nave.
It is thought that a tomb found in the C20th may belong to King Cnut's daughter who drowned off the coast of Bosham in the C11th.
The church is EH Grade I listed LinkExternal link
Bosham's fame goes back far further in history than the Saxons, Danes and Normans however. The Saxon period takes us back about 900 years, but a similar number years before that, during Roman times Bosham was known as Magnus Portus (= Grand Port) and remarkably was plotted in Ptolemy's groundbreaking "Geography" which was written in c. 150AD


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Village, Rural settlement Religious sites Place: Bosham Period: Anglo-Saxon Norman other tags: Church Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Bosham Church [73] · Holy Trinity in Bosham [50] · Holy Trinity Church [31] ·
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SU8003, 440 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 29 June, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 5 July, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 8043 0388 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:49.7328N 0:51.5616W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 8042 0388
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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