Window and render restoration to go ahead at St Peter’s, Westhampnett
- Mad Harper
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
The ancient church of St Peter’s in Westhampnett near Chichester has been given a helping hand by the Sussex Historic Churches Trust towards the cost of urgent repairs.
The church, which dates back to Saxon times and is Grade 2* listed, is one of 11 churches that received a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in the latest tranche of awards in September.
St Peter’s had applied to the Trust to help cover the cost of repairing a 19th-century window on the south aisle as well as carrying out repairs to severely-damaged plasterwork on the north aisle.
The repair to the south aisle window will involve restoring the window hopper, shot blasting and powder-coating the frame and repairing various cracks.
The north aisle was added in 1867 when the church was renovated. Much of the render is either in poor condition or missing altogether, including around the War Memorial which consists of two grey Hopton Wood stone tablets. The World War I and World War II tablets were designed by architect MacDonald Gill.
The Trust was delighted to support the project with a £2,000 grant. Sunrise Stained Glass Ltd is undertaking the window repair while Shepherd & Grantham Stonemasons will be repairing the north aisle render. Works are set to begin in October and will continue into 2026.
St Peter’s Church, first mentioned in the Domesday Book, is mainly built of flint rubble with stone dressings but the oldest surviving part is some Roman brick in the western part of the chancel, which dates back to the 11th century.
St Peter’s takes an active role in the annual Ride + Stride fundraiser and has raised nearly £1,000 over the last three years. This year the church was treated to a visit by the bishop, The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner who is a keen Ride + Strider.
Churchwarden Hazel Bate added: “The window hopper repair is an urgent matter, as it is causing damage to the adjacent stonework.
“The War Memorial in the church is seen as particularly important to repair, both to honour those who died and as the main memorial for the Westhampnett community. It is regularly visited by interested people and those paying their respects.
“St Peter’s is extremely grateful to the Sussex Historic Churches Trust for their generous grant towards these repairs. The upkeep of an historic church is a heavy burden and money has to be raised continuously through the congregation and other sources to enable repairs and preservation of the church.
“A reordering project is currently in progress, to make the church more user-friendly for the ever-growing community around Westhampnett by adding an accessible toilet and a tea-point in the south-west aisle, as well as a small meeting room and creche in the north-west aisle. These additions will ensure the future of the building as a community hub.”
St Peter’s is located north of Stane Street, the Roman Road connecting Chichester to London. It continues to be visited by pilgrims travelling on route to London and to Canterbury Cathedral, as well as to the shrine of St Richard in Chichester Cathedral.
The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants in September including awards to the ancient churches of St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Mary’s Ninfield, St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary’s, Warbleton.
