History of St Nicolas Church, Portslade
St Nicolas Church, Portslade is the second oldest church in the City and has the distinction of being the only church that has been consistently used for worship throughout its 850 year history.
The neighbouring Parish Church of St Helen, Hangleton, is the oldest in the City, but was only ever used occasionally between the 17th and 19th centuries due to its gradual decay and declining population. The commissioners reported in a Chichester Diocese Survey of 1724, “the sacrament of Holy Communion had not been celebrated within living memory at Hangleton”
At various times throughout history since 1523, St Helen’s was held by the Vicar of Portslade as one of two livings. From 1864 to 1955 the two parishes were united by Order of Council. In the 1870's, the children from both Portslade and Hangleton were educated at the Brakenbury School (St Nicolas Church School) in Locks Hill which was built for the poor of the united parishes of Portslade and Hangleton.
In the1950's a massive house building programme was undertaken in Hangleton and once again St Helen Church became the Parish Church of Hangleton and was no longer united with St Nicolas Portslade in a single parish.
About 900 years ago, the people of Portslade decided to build their own church. It was a little Norman church situated on a hill on the eastern side of the Old Village, overlooking the Channel. It became a landmark to sailors and was appropriately dedicated to St Nicolas, Patron Saint of Sailors.
It was built of rubble with stone dressing and the church now consists of a nave of three bays with north and south aisles, a chancel with modern north vestry, and western tower. At the west end of the north aisle is the Brakenbury Chapel which was built in 1869, and under the tower is the baptistery. There is also a south porch of uncertain date.
The oldest portion of the church is Norman, erected probably about the year 1150. The two southern pillars and the walls of the south aisle are of this period; the pillars were made of limestone imported from France. About 100 years later, the church was improved and enlarged. The old Norman apse was taken down and the present chancel (Early English) erected, but there still is a small portion of the Norman chancel arches left in the wall behind the pulpit. Thus the greater part of the building, including the tower, dates back to about 1250
The church is on ground, that slopes from west to east, and the chancel is not in line with the nave. By standing at the west end of the nave one notices that the chancel is inclined towards the south. It may have been the intentional that the chancel was built out of line so as to represent Our Lord's head leaning to one side when he was crucified, hence the term "Weeping Chancel". Situated in the south wall of the sanctuary is the sedilia and piscina, which are 13th century. The seats rise from west to east, below arch hood moulding.