St John and St Mary Magdalene Church, Goldthorpe
Encyclopedia
St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary Magdalene Church is a parish church
in the Church of England
in Goldthorpe
.
, near Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
, England
was built in 1916. It is an early example of a ferro-concrete building and is now a Grade II listed building.
Commissioned by Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax
, a former owner of Hickleton Hall, it was designed by Alfred Young Nutt
, in 1914 who had been recently forceably retired as Surveyor
to the Dean
and Canon
s of St George's Chapel, Windsor. Its strange Italian
style is unique in this part of South Yorkshire
and is distinctly odd for a Dearne Valley
mining
village.
It was the first church in England to be built almost entirely in reinforced concrete, including all the principal internal furnishings within the church (which are of finely-finished concrete), the Presbytery
, which is attached to the church, and even the boundary walls. The experimental nature of this construction, however, meant that the composition of the concrete allowed acidic water to leach through and rust the metal core of the walls. By the 1990s the church structure was showing significant signs of degradation and had to be substantially reinforced, with the Heritage Lottery Fund
part-funding the repairs. The church was re-hallowed in June 2002.
with Apse
. There is a Lady Chapel
on the south side of the chancel, with vestry on the North side.
Viscount Halifax was a prominent Anglo-Catholic layman and his taste in church adornment is reflected in the Italianate detailing, classical baldacchino altar canopy and simple Roman Catholic Basilica
church plan with campanile
. The baldacchino canopy is supported by four black pillars with gilded capital
s, under which there is a large Crucifix
in black with burnished halo
- a copy of a work by Donatello
.
The tower
is a Venetian-styled campanile, above which there is a four faced clock, each face six feet in diameter. To the clock were attached bar-bell chimes which could be rung independently of the mechanism, but these fell in to disuse and were removed in the 1950's.
According to Pevsner
, the pulpit bought by the church in 1931 is 18th century Flemish
.
The church formerly had a chapel of ease
dedicated to St. Michael, based at the neighbouring village of Highgate. This was closed in 1983 and the altar and crucifix installed under the tower.. In 2006 a stained glass window was installed commemorating the village's coal mining
heritage.
were discovered to be works by Sienese master, Sano di Pietro
. Valued at about £300,000, these were removed the safe keeping of York Minster
.
, Hickleton
.
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 Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Goldthorpe
Goldthorpe
Goldthorpe is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. Anciently a small medieval farming village, Goldthorpe is recorded in the Domesday Book and was under the Manor of Bolton upon Dearne which was once owned by Roger de Busli.Goldthorpe railway station...
.
Background
The Church of St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary Magdalene, in GoldthorpeGoldthorpe
Goldthorpe is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. Anciently a small medieval farming village, Goldthorpe is recorded in the Domesday Book and was under the Manor of Bolton upon Dearne which was once owned by Roger de Busli.Goldthorpe railway station...
, near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was built in 1916. It is an early example of a ferro-concrete building and is now a Grade II listed building.
Commissioned by Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax
Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax
Charles Lindley Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax was a British ecumenist who served as president of the English Church Union from 1868 to 1919, and from 1927 to 1934.-Early life and education:...
, a former owner of Hickleton Hall, it was designed by Alfred Young Nutt
Alfred Young Nutt
Alfred Young Nutt MVO ISO was an English architect and artist, who was Surveyor to the Dean and Canons of St George's Chapel, Windsor in the late 19th century.-Early life:...
, in 1914 who had been recently forceably retired as Surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
to the Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
and Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
s of St George's Chapel, Windsor. Its strange Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
style is unique in this part of South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and is distinctly odd for a Dearne Valley
Dearne Valley
The Dearne Valley is an area of South Yorkshire along the River Dearne. It encompasses the towns of Wombwell, Wath-upon-Dearne, Swinton, Conisbrough and Mexborough, the large villages of Ardsley, Bolton on Dearne, Goldthorpe, Thurnscoe, Darfield, Stairfoot and Brampton Bierlow, and many other...
mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
village.
It was the first church in England to be built almost entirely in reinforced concrete, including all the principal internal furnishings within the church (which are of finely-finished concrete), the Presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
, which is attached to the church, and even the boundary walls. The experimental nature of this construction, however, meant that the composition of the concrete allowed acidic water to leach through and rust the metal core of the walls. By the 1990s the church structure was showing significant signs of degradation and had to be substantially reinforced, with the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
part-funding the repairs. The church was re-hallowed in June 2002.
Interior
The Church consists of a South West Tower, Porch, West Gallery, Nave, North and South Aisles and a ChancelChancel
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 Apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. There 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...
on the south side of the chancel, with vestry on the North side.
Viscount Halifax was a prominent Anglo-Catholic layman and his taste in church adornment is reflected in the Italianate detailing, classical baldacchino altar canopy and simple Roman Catholic Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
church plan with campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
. The baldacchino canopy is supported by four black pillars with gilded capital
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...
s, under which there is a large Crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
in black with burnished halo
Halo (religious iconography)
A halo is a ring of light that surrounds a person in art. They have been used in the iconography of many religions to indicate holy or sacred figures, and have at various periods also been used in images of rulers or heroes...
- a copy of a work by Donatello
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi , also known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence...
.
The tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
is a Venetian-styled campanile, above which there is a four faced clock, each face six feet in diameter. To the clock were attached bar-bell chimes which could be rung independently of the mechanism, but these fell in to disuse and were removed in the 1950's.
According to Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, the pulpit bought by the church in 1931 is 18th century Flemish
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
.
The church formerly had a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
dedicated to St. Michael, based at the neighbouring village of Highgate. This was closed in 1983 and the altar and crucifix installed under the tower.. In 2006 a stained glass window was installed commemorating the village's coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
heritage.
Lady Chapel
There is a side-chapel dedicated to St. John and St. Mary on the south-east corner of the church. During the refurbishment of the church in 2002, two pictures which hung above the altarAltar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
were discovered to be works by Sienese master, Sano di Pietro
Sano di Pietro
Sano di Pietro was an early Italian Renaissance painter and miniaturist from Siena.No works by Sano are known before 1443; he apprenticed under Sassetta and Giovanni di Paolo...
. Valued at about £300,000, these were removed the safe keeping of York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
.
Current Use
The church is joined in pastoral care with St. Wilfrid's ChurchSt Wilfrid's Church, Hickleton
St Wilfrid's Church, Hickleton, is a parish church of the Church of England in Hickleton, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.-Location and History:...
, Hickleton
Hickleton
Hickleton is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 290.There are records of Hickleton’s history dating back to Saxon times, although some consider the settlement has Roman roots.More recently, it was the 'estate...
.