Bloomsbury in Berwick Church

Berwick Church is almost unique in the number of paintings by Duncan Grant, Vanessa and Quentin Bell on the walls and pulpit. If visiting Charleston, or indeed if in this area of East Sussex, it's well worth going in to have a look at the church and the works commissioned by Bishop Bell of Chichester in 1941 at the height of the second world war. This was my second visit, since the first, there have been lots of improvements to the inside and outside of the church, they do however need to fund raise at least a million pounds to restore the original paintings, like the Nativity scene, which are peeling in placeand and need to be stabilised.

I didn't take many photos of the paintings in Berwick church, but those on the pulpit are quite unexpected and beautiful, they have been vandalised and some repainted, their story is told here

This painting attracts attention because of its position in the church; Christ's outstretched arms are very appealing:

'In the position at the top of the chancel arch Christ occupies the highest focal point in the church. He oversees the congregation in a manner typical of a depiction of ‘Pantocrator’ or ‘Christ in Majesty’ in a Byzantine church. The Chancel Arch and Screen symbolically represent the division between heaven and earth in Orthodox churches. In worship the congregation pass through the screen to receive the bread and wine; a re-enactment of the Last Supper at which Jesus told his followers to remember his sacrifice in this way.'

In 1941 Sir Kenneth Clarke wrote: “…with a little judicious publicity it might have the effect of encouraging other dioceses to do the same. If once such a movement got under way, it would have incalculable influence for the good on English Art.”

The ‘experiment’ received further support from Frederick Etchells who wrote in 1941: “Because the church is in fact less than 100 years old… therefore this is a suitable case for an experiment because to all intents and purposes it is a modern church.”

There is much more to see in the church, and it's a wonderful place to visit, also only a couple of miles from Charleston.