St Helen's Church, Little Cawthorpe
Encyclopedia
St Helen's Church, Little Cawthorpe, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Little Cawthorpe, Lincolnshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. Little Cawthorpe is about 1 miles (1.6 km) southwest of the village of Legbourne, and 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Louth
.
ashlar
, with some green sandstone
and marble
. The roofs are slate
d with red ridge tiles. It is a small church, seating only about 60 people. Its plan is simple, and consists of a nave
with a south porch, a chancel
, and a north vestry
with a chimney. At the west end is a bellcote. On the roof at the east end, and at the junction between the nave and the chancel are wrought iron
finial
s. The bellcote has hung slates in its lower part, above which is a row of star-shaped openings. On its summit is a broached spirelet
surmounted by a weathercock. At the west end of the church is a large pointed window with two lights. On the north side is the vestry with two lancet window
s to the east. The vestry has a doorway with a small pointed window to its right, and in its east wall is a two-light pointed window. The east window is large, with three lights. Beneath it is a foundation stone
inscribed with the date 1860. On the south side of the chancel is a two-light window, and there is a pair of lancet windows in the south wall of the nave. The gable
d porch has a pointed doorway.
s have marble shafts and ornate capitals
. In the north wall of the chancel are three sharply pointed openings, the one to the east leading to the vestry. In the south wall is a plain sedilia
. Behind the altar is an ornate reredos
composed of encaustic tile
s. The altar rail, the octagonal font
, and the polygonal pulpit
all date from the 19th century. There is a monument under the west window dated 1860. The windows contain richly coloured stained glass.
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 Little Cawthorpe, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, 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...
. Little Cawthorpe is about 1 miles (1.6 km) southwest of the village of Legbourne, and 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
.
History
The church was built in 1860, and designed by R. J. Withers. It was declared redundant in April 1996.Exterior
St Helen's is constructed in red brick, with decoration in dark burnt brick. The dressings are 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....
ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
, with some green 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,...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. The roofs are 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...
d with red ridge tiles. It is a small church, seating only about 60 people. Its plan is simple, and 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 south 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 north 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....
with a chimney. At the west end is a bellcote. On the roof at the east end, and at the junction between the nave and the chancel are wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
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...
s. The bellcote has hung slates in its lower part, above which is a row of star-shaped openings. On its summit is a broached spirelet
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....
surmounted by a weathercock. At the west end of the church is a large pointed window with two lights. On the north side is the vestry with two lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s to the east. The vestry has a doorway with a small pointed window to its right, and in its east wall is a two-light pointed window. The east window is large, with three lights. Beneath it is a foundation stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
inscribed with the date 1860. On the south side of the chancel is a two-light window, and there is a pair of lancet windows in the south wall of the nave. The 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 porch has a pointed doorway.
Interior
Inside the church, the pointed chancel arch has two orders and is decorated with red diamond-shaped tiles. Its respondRespond
A respond is a half-pier or half-pillar which is bonded into a wall and designed to carry the springer at one end of an arch....
s have marble shafts and ornate capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. In the north wall of the chancel are three sharply pointed openings, the one to the east leading to the vestry. In the south wall is a plain 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...
. Behind the altar is an ornate 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....
composed of encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s. The altar rail, the octagonal 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 the polygonal 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...
all date from the 19th century. There is a monument under the west window dated 1860. The windows contain richly coloured stained glass.