Like the Bible and most churches it has been altered and added to, over the years.

Part of the west wall shows signs of the earliest church, which certainly dates from the early Norman period if not before. On entering the church the most striking feature are the magnificent nave pillars and arches which are typical of Norman church architecture. Within the chancel arch and the North Chapel, now adapted as the vestry there are Lancet arches dating from the early 13th century.

The South or “Manor“ Chapel includes an arcade dating from a little later and is a good example of the transitional period between early pointed and geometrical English work. The stone is Caen stone of the highest quality imported from France and indicative of the strong links between England and France at that time.

Finely carved 14th capital in Caen stone

On close inspection can be seen that the chancel columns do not line up directly with those in the nave.  The church seems to be slightly askew. This is not an architectural error but an intentional feature often referred to as “a weeping chancel.” The asymmetrical outline is intended to represent Christ in agony as his body leans to one side during the crucifixion.

If you take the time to examine the large Norman columns in the nave, rather crudely engraved crosses can be seen. They were carved by pilgrims on the way to Santiago Compostela to the celebrated Way of St James now more frequently referred to as the Camino and undergoing a considerable revival. They remind us that Icklesham was on the road to ports offering a route through France or northern Spain.

In most other respects the church would seem largely unchanged to anyone who had known it around 1400. However the exterior was restored in the 19th century by the celebrated architect SS Teulon, when the porch was added and the clerestory to the north of the nave was restored. The carved foliate corbels in the nave date from this period.