St. Bartholomew's Church, Thurstaston
Encyclopedia
St Bartholomew's Church, Thurstaston is in the village of Thurstaston
, Wirral
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral North. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
times. In 1724 the Norman
church was described as being a "mean building extremely small, low and dark". This church was taken down in 1820 and a new church completed in 1824. This church was in turn dismantled although its tower still stands. The new church was designed by John Loughborough Pearson
and consecrated in 1886. A lychgate
was erected in memory of Thomas Henry Ismay
of Dawpool in 1900.
with a tiled roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave
, a chancel
divided into a choir and a sanctuary, and a south vestry
. Above the choir is a tower with a spire. The west end has angle buttress
es and a tall three-light window. On the north and south sides of the nave are three three-light windows. On the north side of the tower are gable
d buttresses flanking a three-light window. The bell stage has louvred
paired bell openings. Above this is a cornice
, simple pinnacle
s at the corners and a broach spire
with louvred lucarne
s. To the southwest of the tower is a round turret
with a conical roof. The east window has five lights.
series describe the interior as "superb", particularly in the way that the visitor experiences "increasing richness" when "progressing eastwards". There are arches at the entrance to the chancel and the sanctuary. The reredos
is in alabaster
and depicts a relief
of the Resurrection
which is surrounded by angels in niches
. The pulpit
is in alabaster and has pierced panels. The font
is octagonal, made of Mexican
onyx
on Blue John
shafts and coloured marble steps. A sedilia
is on the south wall of the chancel. Also in the church is a dole cupboard dated 1723. The organ case is dated 1905, designed by R. Norman Shaw
with panels painted by Robert Christie. Some of the stained glass is by Clayton and Bell
. Above the door are the arms of Queen Anne
. On the wall at the west end of the church are white marble tablets commemorating members of the Whitmore and Glegg families. The two-manual
organ was built by Henry Willis & Sons
in 1905 and designed by Dr A. L. Peace, organist of St George's Hall, Liverpool. It was rebuilt by the same firm in 1963 and further modifications were made in 1985 by Rushworth and Dreaper
, and in 1994 by Keith Ledson. The ring
consists of six bells, all by John Taylor & Co, five of which are dated 1886 and the sixth 2002.
parapet
and is a Grade II listed building. In the churchyard is a stone sundial
dated 1844 which is also listed Grade II. Also in the churchyard is a 17th century stone font with an octagonal bowl and a rounded stem, and the ancient stone coffin lid of a child.
Thurstaston
Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral...
, Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, England. It is an active 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...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral North. The church 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.
History
The earliest mention of a church on the site is around 1125 although other evidence suggests that a church was present in Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
times. In 1724 the 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...
church was described as being a "mean building extremely small, low and dark". This church was taken down in 1820 and a new church completed in 1824. This church was in turn dismantled although its tower still stands. The new church was designed by John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
and consecrated in 1886. A lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
was erected in memory of Thomas Henry Ismay
Thomas Henry Ismay
Thomas Henry Ismay was the founder of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as the White Star Line...
of Dawpool in 1900.
Exterior
The church is built in red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a tiled roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay 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...
, 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...
divided into a choir and a sanctuary, and a south vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. Above the choir is a tower with a spire. The west end has angle 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 tall three-light window. On the north and south sides of the nave are three three-light windows. On the north side of the tower are 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 buttresses flanking a three-light window. The bell stage has 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...
paired bell openings. Above this is a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, simple 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 and a broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
with louvred lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s. To the southwest of the tower is a round turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
with a conical roof. The east window has five lights.
Interior
The authors of the Buildings of EnglandPevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series describe the interior as "superb", particularly in the way that the visitor experiences "increasing richness" when "progressing eastwards". There are arches at the entrance to the chancel and the sanctuary. The 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....
is in alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and depicts a relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
of the Resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
which is surrounded by angels in 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;...
. 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...
is in alabaster and has pierced panels. 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 octagonal, made of Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
on Blue John
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
shafts and coloured marble steps. A 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...
is on the south wall of the chancel. Also in the church is a dole cupboard dated 1723. The organ case is dated 1905, designed by R. Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw RA , was an influential Scottish architect from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings.-Life:...
with panels painted by Robert Christie. Some of the stained glass 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...
. Above the door are the arms of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
. On the wall at the west end of the church are white marble tablets commemorating members of the Whitmore and Glegg families. The two-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 by Henry Willis & Sons
Henry Willis & Sons
thumb|250px|St Bees Priory organ, the last major instrument to be personally supervised by "Father" Henry Willis, 1899Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845 in Liverpool. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other...
in 1905 and designed by Dr A. L. Peace, organist of St George's Hall, Liverpool. It was rebuilt by the same firm in 1963 and further modifications were made in 1985 by Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its bankruptcy, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed...
, and in 1994 by Keith Ledson. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells, all by John Taylor & Co, five of which are dated 1886 and the sixth 2002.
Exterior features
Near the church is the tower of the previous church which is dated 1824. It is built in three stages with an embattledBattlement
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...
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...
and is a Grade II listed building. In the churchyard is a stone sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dated 1844 which is also listed Grade II. Also in the churchyard is a 17th century stone font with an octagonal bowl and a rounded stem, and the ancient stone coffin lid of a child.