St. Marys Church, Sompting, Sussex. Its unique Rhenish Helm flint spire/tower of 1050AD has Saxon-recycled Roman tiles round the windows.
The Saxon St. Marys Church in Sompting, near Worthing, West Sussex. The church of St Mary, Sompting, is well known as one of the best-preserved Anglo-Saxon churches in England and dates back to about 960AD. It is mentioned in the Domesday book. The principal - and most distinctive - feature is the Anglo-Saxon tower, or spire, built of flint, local stone and around the windows, terracotta tiles recycled by the Saxon builders from an abandoned Roman villa. The tower is capped by a diamond-shaped roof, known as a 'Rhenish Helm' or 'Rhineland Helmet'. This is the only one of its type remaining in Britain. The framework is square, with a four-sided pyramid rising to a central mast. The helm was re-shingled in 1984 and samples of the timber frame were sent for radio carbon dating and tree-ring dating, identifying the wood as 14th-century oak.
Size: 5029px × 3341px
Location: St. Marys Church in Sompting, near Worthing, West Sussex, England UK Britain
Photo credit: © Roger Bamber / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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