It is quite likely that Henry Yevele was the lead mason planning and managing the construction of St Nicholas’ Church at the end of the 14th Century. He was a loyal and long trusted employee of Edward III and would frequently have met the 3rd and 4th Fitzalan Earl at Court.

Edward III and his wife, Queen Philippa are buried in Westminster Abbey and effigies of them both were placed on their tomb. Henry Yevele supervised this work. He also supervised construction of tomb figures for the 3rd Fizalan Earl and his wife soon after 1376.

The most western corbels in the church present a strong stone likeness of the figures on the Westminster Abbey tomb of King and Queen. So, could it be that two of the corbels in St Nicholas' pay homage to Edward III and Queen Philippa? The evidence certainly points in that direction.

For more than a decade, St Nicholas’ Parochial Church Council (PCC) has worked on an ambitious conservation programme. This has included repairs to the tower walls, rainwater goods, the church's

fine ring of bells, a complete restoration of the north aisle roof and a number of other essential repairs. Alongside this important restoration work, the PCC has stabilised the church's  medieval wall paintings ahead of further restoration work.

To date over £1 million pounds has been spent preserving Arundel's medieval parish church for future generations to enjoy and treasure. About a third of the money has been raised from within the
Parish, greatly assisted by The Friends of St Nicholas’ Church and Sussex Historic Churches Trust. The remaining funding has come from grants provided by Historic England and subsequently the National
Lottery Heritage Fund.

Work still to be undertaken

There are at least two more essential and major projects to complete, repairing the south aisle roof and the west window. In total, these will cost in the region of another £1 million. To fund this the PCC will need to secure more grants and raise at least half of this sum. Each phase of work normally takes at least two years to move through all the planning and completion phases.

Until all this work is completed, the building remains, as assessed by Historic England, very much ‘at risk’.

You can support this work by giving a one-off donation or make regular donations by joining the Parish Giving Scheme. You could also become a Friend of St Nicholas’ Church.

Sharing Heritage

In June 2022 there was a major exhibition to share a wide range of information about the church and the town of Arundel. Research for the exhibition uncovered new information about the history of the church. For example, it led to an intriguing hypothesis that two of the church's corbels have a royal connection.

St Nicholas' helps children understand and appreciate their local heritage through a variety of educational visits.