St Nicholas' Church, Worth

St. Nicholas Church, more commonly known as Worth Church, is an Anglican church in Worth, a village in Crawley, England. At one point, it had the largest geographical parish in England The church is of Saxon origin, and parts of it probably date to between 950 and 1050 AD. It was built in what, at the time, was a forest. The reason for building a church here is unknown, but the area may have had good hunting grounds, and royal or noble visitors t... more

St. Nicholas Church, more commonly known as Worth Church, is an Anglican church in Worth, a village in Crawley, England. At one point, it had the largest geographical parish in England The church is of Saxon origin, and parts of it probably date to between 950 and 1050 AD. It was built in what, at the time, was a forest. The reason for building a church here is unknown, but the area may have had good hunting grounds, and royal or noble visitors to the grounds would need a place to pray in comfort. As it was a large church isolated in the forest, it is unlikely it was just for local needs. After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the church was given by William the Conqueror to his son-in-law, William de Warrenne, whose coat of arms is still visible in the stained glass windows of the church. In the 14th century, the church was passed from the de Warrenne family to the Fitzalan family, who lost it in 1415 to Nevills, Earl of Abergavenny. In 1986, workmen were treating roof timbers... less