St Andrew's Church, Sedbergh
Encyclopedia
St Andrew's Church, Sedbergh, is located in Main Street, Sedbergh
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Ewecross, the archdeaconry of Craven, and the diocese of Bradford
. Its benefice is united with those of St Mark, Cautley, and St John the Baptist, Garsdale, to form the benefice of Sedbergh, Cautley and Garsdale. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
was carried out in 1886 by the Lancaster
architects Paley and Austin. The churchyard is said to contain a yew tree under which George Fox preached and contains the unmarked grave of American loyalist and Anglican missionary to colonial South Carolina, Revd. Charles Woodmason
(ca. 1720-1789).
stone with sandstone
quoins
and dressings; it has a green slate
roof. Its plan consists of a five-bay
nave
with a clerestory
and a porch, a north aisle
with a vestry
at the east end, a south aisle with a chapel at the south end and a porch, a chancel
, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with the top stage slightly corbel
led out. At the summit is an embattled
parapet
with pinnacle
s at the corners. It has buttress
es on the west side, a three-light west window, and three-light louvred
bell openings. Along both sides of the clerestory are five three-light windows. The aisles have embattled parapets and four-light windows. The south porch is gable
d with a niche
above the entrance, and a coped
parapet. In the wall of the south chapel is a priest's door with a sundial
above it, and a three-light window. The north porch is smaller than the south, and is also gabled. It has a round-headed entrance, above which is a small niche containing a statue, and a large carved stone finial
. The inner doorway is also round-headed, and is said to be Norman
. At the northeast corner of the north aisle is a flying buttress
. The east end contains three windows; the vestry and chancel windows have three lights, and the chapel window has four lights.
differ, the south arcade having six bays, and the north arcade eight bays. Most of the piers
are cylindrical, and most of the arches are round-headed. The church contains wall memorials, and a 19th-century pulpit
with a restored 18th-century sounding board
. The two-manual
organ was built in 1895 by Norman Brothers and Beard, and repaired and overhauled in 1986 by Rushworth and Dreaper
of Liverpool
. The ring
consists of eight bells, all cast in 1897 by John Taylor and Company of Loughborough
.
Sedbergh
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria, England. It lies about east of Kendal and about north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, 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 deanery of Ewecross, the archdeaconry of Craven, and the diocese of Bradford
Diocese of Bradford
The Diocese of Bradford is a Church of England diocese within the Province of York. The Diocese covers the area of the City of Bradford, Craven district and the former Sedbergh Rural District now in Cumbria....
. Its benefice is united with those of St Mark, Cautley, and St John the Baptist, Garsdale, to form the benefice of Sedbergh, Cautley and Garsdale. 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 I listed building.
History
The present church dates mainly from about 1500, but fabric from earlier churches has been incorporated. A major restoationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was carried out in 1886 by the Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architects Paley and Austin. The churchyard is said to contain a yew tree under which George Fox preached and contains the unmarked grave of American loyalist and Anglican missionary to colonial South Carolina, Revd. Charles Woodmason
Charles Woodmason
Charles Woodmason was an author, poet, Anglican clergyman, American loyalist, and West Gallery psalmodist. He is best remembered for his journal documenting life on the South Carolina frontier in the late 1760s, and for his role as a leader of the South Carolina Regulator movement.-Background and...
(ca. 1720-1789).
Exterior
St Andrew's is constructed in rubbleRubble
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...
stone with sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
and dressings; it has a green slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a five-bay
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:...
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...
and a porch, a 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...
with a 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....
at the east end, a south aisle with a chapel at the south end and a 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 three stages, with the top stage slightly 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...
led out. At the summit is an embattled
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...
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 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. It has buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es on the west side, a three-light west window, and 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. Along both sides of the clerestory are five three-light windows. The aisles have embattled parapets and four-light windows. 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 with a niche
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;...
above the entrance, and a coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
parapet. In the wall of the south chapel is a priest's door with a 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...
above it, and a three-light window. The north porch is smaller than the south, and is also gabled. It has a round-headed entrance, above which is a small niche containing a statue, and a large carved stone 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...
. The inner doorway is also round-headed, and is said to be 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...
. At the northeast corner of the north aisle is a flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
. The east end contains three windows; the vestry and chancel windows have three lights, and the chapel window has four lights.
Interior
The two 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....
differ, the south arcade having six bays, and the north arcade eight bays. Most of the 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...
are cylindrical, and most of the arches are round-headed. The church contains wall memorials, and a 19th-century 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...
with a restored 18th-century sounding board
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
. 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 in 1895 by Norman Brothers and Beard, and repaired and overhauled in 1986 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...
of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. 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 eight bells, all cast in 1897 by John Taylor and Company of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.