Charles Eamer Kempe, born in Ovingdean in 1837 and passing away
in 1907 in London, was a rather reserved individual who never married. For most
of his life, he resided in Sussex. In 1875, he acquired and refurbished an
Elizabethan house in Lindfield, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex. From this
abode, he entertained clients and professional colleagues, embracing the role
of a country squire. His place of worship was initially Lindfield but he later attended Holy Trinity, Cuckfield.
Initially contemplating a vocation in the ministry, Kempe
soon realized that his stammer would hinder such a path. Instead, he found
inspiration in the designs of William Morris. Consequently, he chose to
embellish churches rather than serve as a minister within them.
In 1865, then aged 27, Kempe was employed by George Bodley to paint the chancel wall and ceiling. He later went to Clayton and Bell where he learned the techniques involved in stained glass window design.
Not only was Kempe a Victorian designer and stained glass
manufacturer, but also a creator of designs for altars, altar frontals,
furniture, furnishings, lychgates, and memorials. His stained glass windows
adorn not only cathedrals like Chester, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, Wells,
Winchester, and York, but also many parish churches. Notably, his work at St.
Mark’s in Staplefield, near Horsham in West Sussex, dating back to 1869, is
considered particularly significant, representing the earliest of three known
examples of Kempe’s wall painting.
In 1877 he designed the St Michael Archangel window in the West Tower, the first of four he designed for the church.
During the Victorian restoration of Holy Trinity Church,
Kempe was involved in several aspects of design. In 1877 he designed the St Michael Archangel window in the West Tower, the first of four he designed for the church. In the same year he designed the oak inner doors and panelling of the belfry. He designed the wooden pulpit. In 1886 he added the carved angels to the nave beams, painted renowned church chancel ceiling and the nave and east nave wall. The ceiling is often mistaken for fabric.
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| Kempe ceiling |
In 1887 he designed the Tree of Jesse window which was set into the west wall of the south wall and had designed the four open winged angels in the chancel ceiling. The Genesis window was added in 1888 to the north aisle north west and the St Richard window was added to the north tower. The refurbishment of the south porch was also designed by Kempe.
He further designed the North Lych Gates in the 1893 in mmory of Mrs Maberly. The lychgate is constructed with a timber-framed structure, featuring a pagoda-shaped Horsham stone slab roof adorned with an iron cross finial. It stands on six square piers, forming four arches. The spandrels of these arches are embellished with Tudor roses, other floral motifs, and the JHS mottoes. A frieze facing Church Street bears the inscription: “There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God.” Inside the lychgate, an additional inscription reads: “To the glory of God and in thanksgiving for the beautiful life of Caroline Emily Maberley, her children dedicate this lychgate, Anno Domini 1893”
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| North Lych Gate, Church Street. |
Additionally, he created the South African War memorial
in the churchyard between the Church and The Old School in 1903.
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| Boer War Memorial by Kempe |
I have taken a lot of this information from online sources and from Joyce Donoghue's book, "A History of the Parish Church of Holy Trinity Cuckfield"
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