St Helens Old Church, Ore
When King Offa conquered the men of Hastings in 771, it is thought that he founded the church of St Helens at Ore as his favourite saint was St Helen, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
This Old Church of St Helens, Ore, was replaced by the present church in 1868 because it was stated that “The whole interior is so damp and wretched that parishioners are prevented from attending”, and a vestry meeting of 1868 decided that “It is in a most unsatisfactory state of repair, the roof being in a bad condition, requiring immediate and thorough reparation, both as regards the main timbers and the retiling, amounting to entire reproofing. That the main walls are in places, so falling over, that if the roof were removed it would be necessary to rebuild it in parts”
It was also discovered that ground level outside the church at the north east was now three feet above the floor of the church, consequently a faculty was obtained to build a new church on a nearby site utilizing suitable material from the old one. A ruined portion of the old St Helens still survives today together with some of the tombstones in the Old Churchyard.
It was also thought in 1868 that Architecturally there was little to preserve apart from the arches, windows and the Tower, the rest having already been modernized and spoilt – therefore it was proposed to remove stone that was re-useable, but leave the Old Church looking ‘Picturesque’
The surviving parts of the church suggest that it is of early Norman or Saxon origin – this can be clearly seen in the north wall of the nave where a small window of nine inches wide is seen, giving a probable date of 1150 or before; and although the church shows evidence of much alteration, it would appear that the tower is of late 12th or 13th century.
The churchyard contains the family vault of General Murray, conqueror of the Canada’s and builder of Beauport Park
The 1851 Religious Census of Ore Parish Church
Free 300, others 130 - 430
William Twiss Turner, Rector of Ore
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