St Barnabas' Church, Bromborough
Encyclopedia
St Barnabas' Church, Bromborough is in the town of Bromborough
, Wirral
, Merseyside
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and stands within the boundary of the Bromborough Village Conservation Area. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral South.
The authors of the Buildings of England
series describe it a "handsome church for a village-gone-prosperous". It is considered to be a well-designed example of the work of Sir George Gilbert Scott
. In the churchyard are three Anglo-Saxon
carved stones which have been reconstructed to form a cross.
which had been founded in 912, probably by Ethelfleda
. This church was demolished in 1828 and replaced on the same site by another church. This church was again replaced by the present church. It was built on a big scale between 1862 and 1864 to serve the residents of new large houses which had recently been built in the town. The architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott.
sandstone with a slate
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
with clerestory
, north and south aisle
s under lean-to roofs, a chancel
with a semicircular apse
, a south vestry
and a northeast tower with a broach spire
. It is built in the Early English style.
blind arcading
. The reredos
is a sculpted relief
depicting The Last Supper. The font
and pulpit
are octagonal. The wooden screens and stalls are dated 1900. Most of the stained glass is by Clayton and Bell
. The east window is by Ballantyne and Son. The three-manual
organ was built around 1923 by Rushworth and Dreaper
of Liverpool. The ring
consists of eight bells which are all dated 1880 by John Taylor and Company.
. The re-erection was carried out in 1958 by the Bromborough Society. It is listed Grade II. Also in the churchyard and listed Grade II is a stone sundial
dated 1730 which is possibly constructed from a 15th century cross. It consists of two square steps on a base, a tapered shaft and a square cap.
Bromborough
Bromborough is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bebington and to the north of Eastham...
, Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England. 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, and stands within the boundary of the Bromborough Village Conservation Area. 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 South.
The authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner 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 it a "handsome church for a village-gone-prosperous". It is considered to be a well-designed example of the work of Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
. In the churchyard are three Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
carved stones which have been reconstructed to form a cross.
History
The first church on the site was built in 928 adjacent to a monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
which had been founded in 912, probably by Ethelfleda
Ethelfleda
Æthelflæd , was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ealhswith, wife of Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia, and after his death, ruler of Mercia...
. This church was demolished in 1828 and replaced on the same site by another church. This church was again replaced by the present church. It was built on a big scale between 1862 and 1864 to serve the residents of new large houses which had recently been built in the town. The architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott.
Exterior
The church is built from local red TriassicTriassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
sandstone with a 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 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 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 under lean-to roofs, 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...
with a semicircular apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, 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....
and a northeast tower with 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....
. It is built in the Early English style.
Interior
The sanctuary contains trefoilTrefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
blind arcading
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....
. 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 a sculpted 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...
depicting The Last Supper. 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:...
and 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...
are octagonal. The wooden screens and stalls are dated 1900. Most 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...
. The east window is by Ballantyne and Son. The three-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 around 1923 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. 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 which are all dated 1880 by John Taylor and Company.
External features
In the churchyard are three stone fragments dating possibly from the 10th century which have been re-erected in the form of a Celtic crossCeltic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
. The re-erection was carried out in 1958 by the Bromborough Society. It is listed Grade II. Also in the churchyard and listed Grade II 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 1730 which is possibly constructed from a 15th century cross. It consists of two square steps on a base, a tapered shaft and a square cap.