All Saints Church, Theddlethorpe
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church, Theddlethorpe, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Theddlethorpe
, Lincolnshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands to the east of the A1031 road in the area of the village named Theddlethorpe All Saints, and is some 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Mablethorpe
. It has been called the "Cathedral of the Marsh".
rubble
and limestone
rubble, with limestone dressings. In parts the stonework has been patched with brick. The roofs are lead. Its plan consists of a nave
with a clerestory
, north and south aisle
s and a south porch, a chancel
, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages, with string courses, corner buttress
es, and a battlement
ed parapet
with gargoyle
s at the corners. On top of the tower is a central lead-covered crocket
ed pinnacle
. On the west side of the tower is a doorway, with a four-light window above it. The third stage contains small ogee
-headed windows on the west and south sides. On each side of the top stage are three-light louvred
bell openings. The north aisle has a battlemented parapet with gargoyles and corbel
s. The north side of the clerestory is also battlemented, and has gargoyles and pinnacles; it contains five two-light windows. In the north aisle is a two-light west window, a three-light east window, and along its north wall are four three-light windows and a doorway. The north wall of the chancel contains a blocked three-light window. The east window has three lights. The south wall of the chancel contains a three-light and a two-light window, and a priest's door. The parapet at the east end of the nave is pierced with quatrefoil
s and has crockets. The east wall of the south aisle also has a crocketed parapet, and corner pinnacles. The west window of the aisle has three lights, and there are two three-light windows and one four-light window in the south wall. The south porch is gable
d and contains benches along the sides. The door leading into the church has an ogee head and a round rear arch.
have five bays
and are carried on octagonal piers
. Incorporated into the fabric of the north wall are 12th-century stone fragments carved with chevrons, and beaked voussoir
s. The roof of the nave is decorated with fleurons
, and the coats of arms
of the church donors. In the east wall of the south aisle is a medieval
altar slab carved with crosses. Above it is a stone reredos
decorated with quatrefoils, fleurons, human heads, and pinnacles. On the north walls of both aisles are fragments of painted texts. In the north aisle is another medieval altar slab, a bracket for a statue, and a doorway leading to the rood
loft. The south wall of the chancel contains a triple sedilia
and a piscina
, and on its east wall are brackets for statues carved with human heads. There are fragments of 15th-century glass in the south aisle windows. The altar rails date from the 18th century, and the marble
altar was given to the church in 1717. The chancel screen dates from the 15th century and is in seven bays. The pulpit
and lectern
are from the 19th century. There is another pulpit at the back of the church dating from the 17th century; this is in carved oak and was formerly in Skidbrooke Church
. The 16th-century pews are carved with poppyheads
. The octagonal font
is from the 15th century, and is decorated with quatrefoils, fleurons and human heads; it has a wooden 18th-century cover. In the church are memorials, including a brass
dated 1424, 18th-century wall plaques, and a marble monument dated 1727.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Theddlethorpe
Theddlethorpe
Theddlethorpe comprises two close villages and civil parishes, Theddlethorpe St Helen, and Theddlethorpe All Saints, in the East Lindsey district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. These two villages have operated as one entity for many years...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands to the east of the A1031 road in the area of the village named Theddlethorpe All Saints, and is some 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe is a small seaside town in East Lindsey on the coast of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Several small caravan parks exist around Mablethorpe. The town is administered with Sutton-on-Sea and Trusthorpe, as the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton...
. It has been called the "Cathedral of the Marsh".
History
The church dates from the 12th century, with some additions and alterations undertaken in about 1380–1400, and more in the late 17th century. Minor repairs were carried out in 1865–66. The church was declared redundant in July 1973.Exterior
All Saints is constructed in greenstoneGreenstone
Pounamu is several types of hard, durable and highly valued nephrite jade, bowenite, or serpentinite found in New Zealand. Pounamu is the Māori name. The rocks are also generically known as "greenstone" in New Zealand English....
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rubble, with limestone dressings. In parts the stonework has been patched with brick. The roofs are lead. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s and a south porch, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages, with string courses, corner buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, and a battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
with gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s at the corners. On top of the tower is a central lead-covered crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
. On the west side of the tower is a doorway, with a four-light window above it. The third stage contains small ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-headed windows on the west and south sides. On each side of the top stage are three-light louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
bell openings. The north aisle has a battlemented parapet with gargoyles and corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. The north side of the clerestory is also battlemented, and has gargoyles and pinnacles; it contains five two-light windows. In the north aisle is a two-light west window, a three-light east window, and along its north wall are four three-light windows and a doorway. The north wall of the chancel contains a blocked three-light window. The east window has three lights. The south wall of the chancel contains a three-light and a two-light window, and a priest's door. The parapet at the east end of the nave is pierced with quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
s and has crockets. The east wall of the south aisle also has a crocketed parapet, and corner pinnacles. The west window of the aisle has three lights, and there are two three-light windows and one four-light window in the south wall. The south porch is gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d and contains benches along the sides. The door leading into the church has an ogee head and a round rear arch.
Interior
Both arcadesArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
have five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and are carried on octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. Incorporated into the fabric of the north wall are 12th-century stone fragments carved with chevrons, and beaked voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s. The roof of the nave is decorated with fleurons
Fleuron (architectural)
A fleuron in architecture may have a number of meanings. It is a collective noun for the ornamental termination at the ridge of a roof such as a crop, finial or épi. It is also a form of stylised late gothic decoration in the form of a four-leafed square, often seen on crockets and cavetto...
, and the coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the church donors. In the east wall of the south aisle is a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
altar slab carved with crosses. Above it is a stone reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
decorated with quatrefoils, fleurons, human heads, and pinnacles. On the north walls of both aisles are fragments of painted texts. In the north aisle is another medieval altar slab, a bracket for a statue, and a doorway leading to the rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
loft. The south wall of the chancel contains a triple sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
and a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
, and on its east wall are brackets for statues carved with human heads. There are fragments of 15th-century glass in the south aisle windows. The altar rails date from the 18th century, and the marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
altar was given to the church in 1717. The chancel screen dates from the 15th century and is in seven bays. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
are from the 19th century. There is another pulpit at the back of the church dating from the 17th century; this is in carved oak and was formerly in Skidbrooke Church
St Botolph's Church, Skidbrooke
St Botolph's Church, Skidbrooke, is a redundant Anglican church near the village of Skidbrooke, Lincolnshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
. The 16th-century pews are carved with poppyheads
Poppyhead (carving)
Poppyhead is a form of carving of the end of a bench or a choir stall. The carving consists of leaves and flowers, which are usually in the form of a fleur-de-lys....
. The octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is from the 15th century, and is decorated with quatrefoils, fleurons and human heads; it has a wooden 18th-century cover. In the church are memorials, including a brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
dated 1424, 18th-century wall plaques, and a marble monument dated 1727.