The church of St. George, Arreton, is the most attractive in the Island for architecture, so far, at all events, as the interior is concerned.  It consists of chancel, with south chapel, nave with north and south aisles and western tower.

The east wall of the tower, which used to be the west end of the original building, shows certain traces of a church here of some size in pre-conquest or Saxon days, probably of the first half of the 11th century.  The plain, round-headed doorway, only 43 inches across, has long and short quoins, and the widely splayed window above it, without chamfer or rebate, is obviously coeval.  There is also a small early light in the north wall of the chancel, but that, I am inclined to think, tells of genuine early Norman building.

This was one of the churches bestowed by FitzOsborne on his favourite Norman abbey of Lire; but in 1410 the advowson of the church and the titles of Arreton manor were granted by that abbey to the Cistercian foundation at Quarr on a yearly payment of 40s.

Towards the end of the 12th century a north aisle was added; the circular piers with their capitals and the pointed arches show that the workmanship is Transition Norman.  Early in the 13th century the south aisle was added, and at the same time a long lancet window was introduced at the west end of each aisle.  In the third quarter of that century, about the close of Henry III’s reign, the chancel was remodelled and a south chapel added, the arcade o three arches between them consisting of beautiful dark Purbeck stone.  The tower seems to have been first built up against the west front of the pre-Conquest church at the beginning of the 14th century, during the last years of Edward I, and at the same time, perhaps to compensate for the loss of light at the west end through the building of the tower, the walls above the nave arcades were pierced by the small quarterfoil clerestory windows, three on each side.  About a century went by, bringing us to the reign of Henry VII, and the dawn of the 16th century, large square headed windows, for the better display of painted glass, were inserted in the raised walls of the aisles.  At the same period the good south porch was added, with stone ribs to the roof, and a rood-screen constructed, access to which was gained from the east end of the south aisle.  Some of the upper tracery of this rood-screen is worked up into the rails to the south of the sacrarium in the easternmost bay of the chancel arcade.  It is supposed that the tower was originally crowned with a spire, and that being struck with lightning circa 1500, the whole structure was rendered insecure, and the present enormous and unsightly buttresses added at the west angles.

In 1738 the church was re-roofed, when the present awkward continuous roof was given to the nave and aisles, depriving the clerestory lights of any utility.  A good restoration was effected in 1886, when the square horse-box pews, dating from 1743, were swept away and the whole church brought back to a spacious and worshipful condition.  Unfortunately, however, some good old woodwork, including-linen fold paneling, was then discarded.  There is a beautiful Purbeck marble font, modeled from fragments of the old one, circa 1200, which came to light during the restoration.  The drain of the chancel piscina, let into the sill of the south window nearest the altar, without any niche over it, is noteworthy.  In the south chapel is a large chest; on the face of it is cut “16 W.H. B.R. 19”.  Here, too, under a glazed case, are two volumes of the first edition of Fox’s Martyrs, and another old book.

On the floor of the chapel is a large slab with the finely engraved brass effigy in armour of a member of the ancient family of De Aula.  The figure has unfortunately lost its head and the coat of arms has also been purloined.  The inscription runs:

Here is y buried under this grave
Harry Hawles, his soule God save,
Longe tyme steward of the Yle of Wyght
Have m’cy on hym, God ful of myght.

Harry Hawles began his term of office as steward under the Earl of Salisbury, who was governor from 1386 to 1397.

Possibly the jingle of this quatrain suggested the much longer rhymed inscription on the wall by the rood-loft entrance some two centuries later:

Loe here under this tombe incoutcht
Is William Serle by name
Who for his deedes of charetie
Deserveth worthey fame.
A man within this parrish borne
And in the house called Stone
A glass for to behowld a work
Hath left to every one:
For that unto the people poore
Of Arreton he gave
An hundred powndes in redie coyne
He willed that they should have
To be ymployed in fittest sorte
As man coulde best invent
For yearly releif to the pore
That was his good intent
Thus did this man a batchelor
Of yeares full fiftey nyne
And doeing good to many a one
Soe did he spend his tyme.
Until the daye he did decease
The first of Februarey
And in the yeare of one thousand
Five hundred neyntie five.