|
Brighstone
nestles under Brighstone Down, the top of the down is the highest point, at
700feet, and from here you can almost see from one end of the island to the
over, from Culver Cliff which is above Sandown to Freshwater way, a distance
of 20 miles in a straight line.
The tiny
church has a mass clock on one of its walls and inside is a beautiful
interior that has a Norman arcade on the north aisle and the south has
mediaeval arches, a doorway from the 13th century, a 14th century tower and
the font is from the 15th century. In one of the piers can be found a
trefoiled niche and the remains of rood loft stairs are in the splay of one
of the windows. The two sanctuary chairs were donated by Charlotte Yonge who
used the profits of her writings to help the churches in Hampshire.
Thomas
Ken once preached here and the sanctuary pavement is a memorial to him from
Winchester College. He was rector here before becoming the Bishop of Bath
and Wells and a row of trees has been planted in the rectory garden in his
memory.
Text courtesy of:
Southern Life (UK)
|
