Publications
The Story of the Parish Church of Our Lady of Littlehampton, by Rev. E. P. Orr, M.A., published 1938 (Gloucester: British Publishing Co.)
Review in Sussex Notes and Queries, November 1938:The number of booklets giving the history of the churches with which they deal increases yearly. It is all to the good that details of their history as far as is known should be preserved in print. What is common knowledge now is soon forgotten and astonishing surmises develope for want of recorded facts.
The Church of Littlehampton is unusual in having been rebuilt twice within 110 years. In consequence it has been exceptionally difficult to keep the different stages apart and yet continuous. It would have added to the completeness of the history if the date of the completion of the present church had been given or the date of re-dedication or consecration. As it is, there appears to be some confusion, as two of the illustrations dated 1931 can hardly be compatible with the first in the book dated 1826-1934.
There is no description of the present building but a long account of the subjects of the stained glass including one in the east window which is taken from a well-known Crucifix at Lucca, a copy of which was once in the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds. It is called the Volto Santo.
Great care has been taken of the stones of the mediaeval church which have come to light in the excavations of recent times, some of which date back to Norman times. The whole of the tracery of the east window of decorated date has been recovered and now forms the west window in the Tower of the new church. Full information as to the mediaeval church will be found in a paper by Mr. J. Pelham Maitland which was published in S.N.Q. v, 199, which had previously appeared in the Littlehampton Church Magazine. Much gratitude is due to Mr. E. W. Hulme and Mr. Fraser Hearne for their meticulous care of the remains of the older church.
The Church of Littlehampton is unusual in having been rebuilt twice within 110 years. In consequence it has been exceptionally difficult to keep the different stages apart and yet continuous. It would have added to the completeness of the history if the date of the completion of the present church had been given or the date of re-dedication or consecration. As it is, there appears to be some confusion, as two of the illustrations dated 1931 can hardly be compatible with the first in the book dated 1826-1934.
There is no description of the present building but a long account of the subjects of the stained glass including one in the east window which is taken from a well-known Crucifix at Lucca, a copy of which was once in the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds. It is called the Volto Santo.
Great care has been taken of the stones of the mediaeval church which have come to light in the excavations of recent times, some of which date back to Norman times. The whole of the tracery of the east window of decorated date has been recovered and now forms the west window in the Tower of the new church. Full information as to the mediaeval church will be found in a paper by Mr. J. Pelham Maitland which was published in S.N.Q. v, 199, which had previously appeared in the Littlehampton Church Magazine. Much gratitude is due to Mr. E. W. Hulme and Mr. Fraser Hearne for their meticulous care of the remains of the older church.