St Martin's Church, Preston Gubbals
Encyclopedia
St Martin's Church, Preston Gubbals, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Preston Gubbals
, Shropshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
, and what now remains was the chancel
of a medieval
parish church
. It was probably altered in the 14th or the 15th century. In 1866 a new church was added to it, and it became the south aisle
of that church. This enlargement was designed by Samuel Pountney Smith, and cost £1,600 (£ as of ). In 1973 most of the work carried out in 1866 was demolished, leaving a single-cell building. The arcade
of the 1866 building has been retained, it has been blocked, and forms the north wall of the present building. A bell formerly in the church is now the Sanctus bell in St Alkmund's Church, Shrewsbury
. It was cast in 1720 by Abraham Rudhall
of Gloucester
. The church was declared redundant on 1 June 1973, and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 14 November 1974.
with a tile roof. The nave
and chancel form a single cell. The south side of the church contains two buttress
es, three square-headed windows with two or three lights, a round-arched priest's door from the 12th century, and a 19th-century doorway. On the north side is the former nave arcade in three bays
into which 20th-century three-light windows have been inserted. At the west end are round-arched windows, and a doorway that formerly led to the tower staircase. The east end contains a two-light window.
, the choir stalls, the pews, the lectern
and the pulpit
. On each side of the altar are boards containing the Ten Commandments
, the Creed
, and the Lord's Prayer
. The octagonal stone font
dates probably from the 16th century; it has a 19th-century base and cover. The oak parish chest dates probably from the 17th century. To the left of the south door is a royal coat of arms
, and on the east wall is a pair of benefactors' boards. The monuments include a stone coffin slab from the 14th century carved with the bust
of a man above a foliated cross.
that was originally a churchyard cross. It is dated 1638, is octagonal and is constructed in sandstone. It consists of a chamfered
base and two steps, on which is a baluster
and a copper dial plate. It is listed Grade II.
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 Preston Gubbals
Preston Gubbals
Preston Gubbals is a small village in Shropshire, England. It lies on the A528 Shrewsbury-Ellesmere road and is in the parish of Pimhill.The name, spelt Preston Gubbalds in some historical sources, is derived from the Old English for "priest's settlement", along with the name of Godebold or...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, 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...
.
History
St Martin's originated as a chapel of easeChapel 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....
, and what now remains was the 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...
of a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
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....
. It was probably altered in the 14th or the 15th century. In 1866 a new church was added to it, and it became the 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...
of that church. This enlargement was designed by Samuel Pountney Smith, and cost £1,600 (£ as of ). In 1973 most of the work carried out in 1866 was demolished, leaving a single-cell building. The arcade
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....
of the 1866 building has been retained, it has been blocked, and forms the north wall of the present building. A bell formerly in the church is now the Sanctus bell in St Alkmund's Church, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. It was cast in 1720 by Abraham Rudhall
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...
of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. The church was declared redundant on 1 June 1973, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 14 November 1974.
Exterior
The building is constructed in sandstoneSandstone
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,...
with a tile roof. The 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...
and chancel form a single cell. The south side of the church contains two buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, three square-headed windows with two or three lights, a round-arched priest's door from the 12th century, and a 19th-century doorway. On the north side is the former nave arcade in three bays
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:...
into which 20th-century three-light windows have been inserted. At the west end are round-arched windows, and a doorway that formerly led to the tower staircase. The east end contains a two-light window.
Interior
Many of the carved wooden fittings were made by Rev E. D. Poole, the vicar of the church in the 19th century. These include the altar table and the reredosReredos
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....
, the choir stalls, the pews, the lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
and the 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...
. On each side of the altar are boards containing the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, the Creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, and the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
. The octagonal stone 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:...
dates probably from the 16th century; it has a 19th-century base and cover. The oak parish chest dates probably from the 17th century. To the left of the south door is a royal coat of arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
, and on the east wall is a pair of benefactors' boards. The monuments include a stone coffin slab from the 14th century carved with the bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of a man above a foliated cross.
External features
In the church yard is a sundialSundial
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...
that was originally a churchyard cross. It is dated 1638, is octagonal and is constructed in sandstone. It consists of a chamfered
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
base and two steps, on which is a baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
and a copper dial plate. It is listed Grade II.