From — Some Ancient Churches in North East Hampshire
At West Worldham the ancient Saxon track led through the forest, west from
Selborne and east to Binsted. East Worldham church stands at the top of
Worldham Hill, just off the crossroads with another forest track which led
north to Alton.
An even older road made by the Romans, connecting Silchester in the
north-west with Chichester and Fishbourne on the south coast, also passed
through East Worldham. Evidence of Roman occupation here is still being
found.
The present church is of early 13th century origin, but almost certainly
replaced an earlier Saxon church on the same site. The south porch was
added in the 19th century and shields an Early English doorway. On the left
hand jamb are crosses carved by early Christian travellers, possibly
pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. On both sides of this doorway are
scratch dials which indicated the times of the masses. The left-hand dial
was shaded from the sun when a buttress was built to support the south wall,
and therefore another was carved on the right-hand side. The gnomon from
the central hole has long since disappeared.
On the east wall there is evidence of the original Norman apse, later
replaced by the present square east end, with triple lancet windows. On the
north wall of the chancel the Victorian vestry conceals the stairway which
would have led to the rood loft. On the north and south sides of the nave
are Early English doorways, the north door being the priest's entrance.
The tower was reconstructed in 1864-5 by David Brandon, when the church was
completely re-roofed and re-furnished. It is a short, square structure
surmounted by a wooden bellcote, typical of many Hampshire churches. The
bellcote was added to an earlier tower in 1660, and is recorded in a
watercolour view of the church from the south west painted by Richard
Ubsdell in the 1840s, and now on view in the Portsmouth City Museum and Art
Gallery.
In the south wall of the nave is a 14th century effigy believed to be of
Phillipa, wife of Geoffrey Chaucer, whose son was Lord of the Manor from
1418 to 1434 and also the Ranger of Woolmer and Alice Holt Forests. This
was found under the floor during the restoration of the church in 1865.
