In the folds of the South Downs, above a working farmyard, the dramatic scene is set for the location of Coombes church. It was built in the 12th Century and has changed little in it external appearance over the years. There have, however, been a few larger windows inserted, which were part of a later medieval update to the property.
Local flint was used to build the church and its design was dressed with Caen Stone from Normandy. The stone was easily brought here via boat using the estuary of the River Adur. Nave and chancel have a continuous roofline, with its south side being roofed entirely of Horsham Slab. A common feature of English churches is a ‘low side window’, and this church is no exception. In this instance, the south side of the chancel is its location seen as a rare, blocked, round window.
During the celebration of Mass, it was tradition for a bell to be rung to symbolise the most important part of the ceremony. Naturally, churches that had a tower a large bell was rung. However, smaller country churches did not have such facilities. As such, instead of a tower bell being rung, a kneeling priest would ring a hand-bell through a low window facing the centre of the population. When the Reformation occurred, the tradition ceased. In the nineteenth century, when visitors asked why the windows were now blocked, the priests were instructed to tell them that they had been used by lepers to gain access as they would not have been allowed access to the building. This was not true though.
The church has been kept well over the years. Substantial remains of wall paintings were discovered in 1949 that date back to the early 12th Century. The church floor is uneven, constructed of old brick and tile, and contains a few incised slabs and inscriptions. Scenes from the Nativity and decorative motifs can be found at the south wall, and the north soffit of the chancel arch has a rare figure of a man supporting a very heavy beam. This figure is an unusual subject of Byzantine origin.
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