Holy Trinity Church, Blatherwycke
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church, Blatherwycke, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Blatherwycke
, Northamptonshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It stands in the grounds of the demolished Blatherwycke Hall.
was rebuilt in 1819 and later in the century the north aisle
and north chapel were also rebuilt. The church was declared redundant on 1 November 1976, and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 25 April 1978.
with Collyweston stone slate
roofs. Its plan consists of a nave
with a north aisle and a south porch, and a chancel with a north chapel, and a west tower. Its architecture includes Norman
features, including the south doorway in the nave, the west doorway in the tower, a bell opening on the east side of the tower, the tower arch and the arcade
s. The tower is in three stages. The lowest stage contains a blocked, round-headed west door, and small windows on the north and south sides. There is a similar window on the west side in the middle stage. On each side of the top stage is a two-light bell opening. On the summit is a plain parapet
with a single gargoyle
on the north face. In the south wall of the chancel are two three-light windows with Decorated tracery
, and a corbel table with carved heads. The chancel roof is gable
d with a finial
at the apex and pinnacle
s at the corners. The 19th-century east window has four lights and is flanked by buttress
es. The east window in the chapel also dates from the 19th century, and has three lights. There is a similar window in the north wall of the chapel, and a priest's door. The chapel is gabled with a finial at the apex. In the south wall of the nave, from the east, is a three-light arched window, a 17th-century two-light square-headed window, and a 12th-century semicircular-arched doorway. The west window of the aisle contains a 19th-century three-light window.
arcade with semicircular arches. The arcade between the chancel and the chapel is in three bays and dates from about 1300. On the east wall of the chancel are trefoil
-headed niches
flanking the window, over which are crocket
ted gables, and there are smaller niches on each side between the larger niches and the window. Also in this wall is a blocked doorway to the left of the altar. In the north aisle is a piscina
with a trefoil head. The font
is square on a circular base. There are two pulpit
s in the church. The 19th-century stained glass in the east window is by Clayton and Bell
, and that in the south wall of the chancel, dated 1921, is by Kempe and Co.
The memorials include those to the Stafford and O'Brien families who lived at Blatherwyke Hall. There is also a wall memorial to the poet Thomas Randolph
who died while visiting Blatherwyke Hall. The memorial was made by the sculptor Nicholas Stone
in about 1640, and was commissioned by Sir Christopher Hatton
. The single-manual
organ was built in 1908 by P. Conacher and Company of Huddersfield
.
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 Blatherwycke
Blatherwycke
Blatherwycke is a village and civil parish in the East Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England. It is about north-east of Corby. It is near Blatherwycke Lake, on the Willow Brook.-Demographics:...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, 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 II* 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...
. It stands in the grounds of the demolished Blatherwycke Hall.
History
The church dates from the 11th century, and alterations and additions were made to it during the following three centuries. The tower was rebuilt in the early 17th century. The chancelChancel
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...
was rebuilt in 1819 and later in the century the north 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...
and north chapel were also rebuilt. The church was declared redundant on 1 November 1976, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 25 April 1978.
Exterior
Holy Trinity is constructed in limestoneLimestone
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....
with Collyweston stone slate
Collyweston stone slate
Collyweston stone slate is a traditional roofing material found in England.It is not a proper slate but a limestone found in narrow beds. The slates are quarried near the village of Collyweston in Northamptonshire, near Stamford and close to the borders of Lincolnshire and Rutland. It is...
roofs. 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 north aisle and a south porch, and a chancel with a north chapel, and a west tower. Its architecture includes Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
features, including the south doorway in the nave, the west doorway in the tower, a bell opening on the east side of the tower, the tower arch and the arcade
Arcade (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....
s. The tower is in three stages. The lowest stage contains a blocked, round-headed west door, and small windows on the north and south sides. There is a similar window on the west side in the middle stage. On each side of the top stage is a two-light bell opening. On the summit is a plain 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 a single 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...
on the north face. In the south wall of the chancel are two three-light windows with Decorated tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
, and a corbel table with carved heads. The chancel roof 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 with a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
at the apex and 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...
s at the corners. The 19th-century east window has four lights and is flanked by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. The east window in the chapel also dates from the 19th century, and has three lights. There is a similar window in the north wall of the chapel, and a priest's door. The chapel is gabled with a finial at the apex. In the south wall of the nave, from the east, is a three-light arched window, a 17th-century two-light square-headed window, and a 12th-century semicircular-arched doorway. The west window of the aisle contains a 19th-century three-light window.
Interior
Between the nave and the north aisle is a two-bayBay (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:...
arcade with semicircular arches. The arcade between the chancel and the chapel is in three bays and dates from about 1300. On the east wall of the chancel are trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
-headed niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
flanking the window, over which are 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....
ted gables, and there are smaller niches on each side between the larger niches and the window. Also in this wall is a blocked doorway to the left of the altar. In the north aisle is 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...
with a trefoil head. The 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 square on a circular base. There are two 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...
s in the church. The 19th-century stained glass in the east window is by Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
, and that in the south wall of the chancel, dated 1921, is by Kempe and Co.
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
The memorials include those to the Stafford and O'Brien families who lived at Blatherwyke Hall. There is also a wall memorial to the poet Thomas Randolph
Thomas Randolph (poet)
Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. He was baptized on 18 June 1605 and was the uncle of American colonist William Randolph.-Education:...
who died while visiting Blatherwyke Hall. The memorial was made by the sculptor Nicholas Stone
Nicholas Stone
Nicholas Stone was an English sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I, and in 1626 to Charles I....
in about 1640, and was commissioned by Sir Christopher Hatton
Christopher Hatton
Sir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:...
. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1908 by P. Conacher and Company of Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
.