St Chad's Church, Holt
Encyclopedia
St Chad's Church, Holt, is in the town of Holt
, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
overlooking the River Dee
and the Wales–England border
. It is an active Anglican
church in the deanery of Gresford, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
and a Grade I listed building.
of Sir William Stanley
. During the Civil War
it was damaged when it was occupied by Parliamentary forces; bullet marks are still present from that occupation. In 1732 the church was renovated; this included removal of the rood loft and screens.
A further restoration was carried out between 1871 and 1873 on behalf of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
. Ewan Christian
carried out the work on the chancel and John Douglas
was responsible for the rest of the church. This included removal of the whitewash
from the interior and adding vaulting
under the tower. New oak screens were fitted between the chancel and the chapels, and the seating was replaced in the choir and the nave. Many memorials were removed and the window tracery
was renewed.
The bells were rehung in 1896, a weather vane
was added to the tower in 1897, and the clock was replaced in 1902. In 1960 the heating and lighting were improved and in 1963 restoration work was carried out on the tower and the roof were re-covered.
The church is built in red sandstone
. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave
without a clerestory
, a two-bay chancel
, north and south aisle
s (the south aisle is wider than the north), and a west tower. The west end of the south aisle is used as a baptistry and at the south end is a Lady Chapel
. At the east end of the north aisle is the organ, beyond which is another chapel. The style of the nave arcades
is Decorated, and the tower is also Decorated, but from a later date. Most of the rest of the church is Perpendicular in style. The tower has four stages with a battlement
ed parapet
. The roof is flat with a weather vane
on the north side and a flagpole in its centre. At the corners are gargoyle
s. On the southwest and northwest corners, and on the north side are buttress
es; a stair turret
is on the south side.
dates from about 1493. It is boldly carved and includes heraldry
relating to the lordship of Bromfield. In the aisle to the south of the chancel is a Decorated piscina
which has been moved from elsewhere. A memorial plate in the north chancel aisle is dated 1666. The two-manual
organ is a 1910 Norman and Beard organ moved from a redundant church in the North of England which was rebuilt and installed in 1976. The ring
consists of six bells which were all cast in the 18th century by Rudhall of Gloucester
.
Holt, Wales
Holt is a medieval market town and local government community in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. It is situated on the border with England. Holt Castle was begun by Edward I shortly after the English invasion of Wales in 1277.-Area:...
, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
overlooking the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
and the Wales–England border
Wales–England border
The Wales–England border, between two of the countries of the United Kingdom, extends for about from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south....
. 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...
church in the deanery of Gresford, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.-Geography:The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
and a Grade I listed building.
History
The earliest documentary reference to the church is in 1379 but it is thought that it was established around the 1280s. Additions were made to the church and it was remodelled in the late 15th century under the patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of Sir William Stanley
William Stanley (Battle of Bosworth)
Sir William Stanley was an English soldier and the younger brother of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. Stanley fought with his troops in several battles of the Wars of the Roses.-Private life:...
. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
it was damaged when it was occupied by Parliamentary forces; bullet marks are still present from that occupation. In 1732 the church was renovated; this included removal of the rood loft and screens.
A further restoration was carried out between 1871 and 1873 on behalf of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
. Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian was a British architect. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners...
carried out the work on the chancel and John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
was responsible for the rest of the church. This included removal of the whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
from the interior and adding vaulting
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
under the tower. New oak screens were fitted between the chancel and the chapels, and the seating was replaced in the choir and the nave. Many memorials were removed and the window 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:...
was renewed.
The bells were rehung in 1896, a weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
was added to the tower in 1897, and the clock was replaced in 1902. In 1960 the heating and lighting were improved and in 1963 restoration work was carried out on the tower and the roof were re-covered.
Exterior
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,...
. Its plan consists of a five-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...
without 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...
, a two-bay 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...
, 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 (the south aisle is wider than the north), and a west tower. The west end of the south aisle is used as a baptistry and at the south end is a Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
. At the east end of the north aisle is the organ, beyond which is another chapel. The style of the nave arcades
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....
is Decorated, and the tower is also Decorated, but from a later date. Most of the rest of the church is Perpendicular in style. The tower has four stages with 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...
. The roof is flat with a weather vane
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
on the north side and a flagpole in its centre. At the corners are 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. On the southwest and northwest corners, and on the north side are buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es; a stair 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...
is on the south side.
Interior
The fontBaptismal 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:...
dates from about 1493. It is boldly carved and includes heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
relating to the lordship of Bromfield. In the aisle to the south of the chancel is a Decorated 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...
which has been moved from elsewhere. A memorial plate in the north chancel aisle is dated 1666. 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 is a 1910 Norman and Beard organ moved from a redundant church in the North of England which was rebuilt and installed in 1976. 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 which were all cast in the 18th century by Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
.