History
St Swithun’s Church has stood at the heart of East Grinstead for over nine centuries, serving as a place of worship and community gathering since the early medieval period.
The first church on the site is believed to have been built around the 11th century, dedicated to St Swithun, the Saxon Bishop of Winchester famed for his humility and association with rain and weather.
In 1683, the tower of St Swithun’s church was struck by lightning and set on fire. Bells melted because the fire was so fierce, but the body of the church was saved from injury. The rebuilding was apparently badly done, leading to the collapse of the tower 102 years later.
An Act of Parliament was passed in 1787 for the rebuilding of this church. The date 1789 is engraved in a stone over the west door of the church. In the tower belfry, the date 1813 is carved. The cost of rebuilding was about £30,000.
The present building, designed by architect James Wyatt, with its elegant Georgian architecture and distinctive tower and spire, marks a departure from the Gothic style of its predecessor. Over the years, St Swithun’s has undergone various restorations, including significant repairs after another lightning strike in 1944.
Interesting features include a brass monument to Dame Katherine Grey from the medieval church, the Oxford movement window, the war memorial stones and in the graveyard, the martyrs’ memorial and John Mason Neale’s tomb.
If you would like to find out more about the history of our church, please go to the website of local historian Caroline Metcalfe https://www.metcas.me.uk/
Genealogy Researchers – we hope you find the following information useful:
We no longer hold Parish records at this church. You will need instead to search the West Sussex Records Office.
The Diocesan Record Office hold the official records of the Bishops of Chichester; the Dean and Chapter of Chichester and the property they owned.
The records include the original parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials for all West Sussex parishes and, where they survive, the bishop’s transcripts from parishes in both West and East Sussex up to around 1900.
They also hold wills for the Archdeaconry of Chichester and the peculiar jurisdictions together with copies of wills for the Archdeaconry of Lewes up to 1858.
Later wills for Chichester District Probate Registry (which covered most of West Sussex) up to 1928 are also held in the Record Office.
The Gravestone Photographic Resource may also be useful to you. This website details photographs of all the gravestones in St. Swithun’s Church along with research tips for the individuals.
A new resource beginning in 2022 will be the digital mapping of all the churchyards in England and Wales which is a joint project sponsored by Historic England, the National Lottery and Caring for God's Acre. This will become available over a period of the next ten years as every churchyard is mapped and the results are put online for all of us to consult.
Restoration Trust
Whilst the Parish Church’s primary purpose is as a worshipping centre for the Anglican community of the Church of England, it is also a public building at the heart of East Grinstead forming a community asset used by families for Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals, civic events, concerts, exhibitions and many other activities.
The Restoration Trust was set up in 1979. It is independent of the Church of England and its sole purpose is to preserve and maintain the structure and fabric of the Church building, and monuments within the churchyard. It is a registered charity with its finances separate from those of the Church Council.
Since its foundation the Trust has spent over half a million pounds on repair and restoration work including stained glass windows, recasting the bells, roof and wall renovation. But the work continues: we have recently restored the ‘Martyrs Memorial’ situated in the Churchyard just outside the South Door of the Church. (See pictures below) Renovation and repair work is undertaken by skilled craftsmen due to the historical significance of the building. This all takes a great deal of money.
To support the trust, please contact Christopher Russel chairman@swithunrestorationtrust.org.uk