St Martin of Tours' Church, Saundby
Encyclopedia
St Martin of Tours' Church, Saundby, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Saundby
, Nottinghamshire
, England It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
between the nave
and the north aisle
dates from the 13th century. The tower was added in 1504. The chancel
was restored
by John Loughborough Pearson
in 1885–86, and the north aisle by Weatherley and Jones
in 1891.
roofs. Externally, its style is Perpendicular. Its plan consists of a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, a chancel, a vestry
, and a west tower. The tower consists of three stages, separated by string courses, standing on a plinth
and supported by buttress
es. It has a three-light west window, with a four-light window above it. The top stage contains a double-lancet
bell opening on each side, and a clock face on the west side. At the summit is a battlement
ed parapet
, and eight crocket
ted pinnacle
s. The battlemented parapet continues around the walls of the nave and chancel. The north aisle is in three bays
. Its north wall contains a blocked doorway and three triple lancet windows, and there is a similar window in its east wall. The vestry has a blocked doorway on the west and a double lancet window with Decorated tracery
. The chancel is in two bays with two crocketted pinnacles on each of the north and south parapets. The chancel windows are triple lancets, one on each of the north and east sides, and two on the south side. Between the windows on the south side is a priest's door. In the south wall of the nave are two double and one triple lancets. The south porch has a coped
gable
surmounted by a cross.
. On the east wall of the chancel is an alabaster
and mosaic
reredos
, and in the south wall is an elaborate 14th-century piscina
with an ogee
head. The font
dates from the 19th century and consists of an egg-shaped bowl with a frieze
decorated with lozenges. This is supported by five octagonal columns on a square base. The stained glass in the east window dating from 1865 is by Clayton and Bell
, and stained glass elsewhere includes windows from 1885 by Kempe
. In the northeast corner is an alabaster memorial dated 1599 to John Helwys. Also in the church is the effigy
of a knight dating from the 14th century. The ring
consists of five bells. One is undated, three were made by the firm of Oldfield and are dated 1605, 1620 and 1638, and the fifth was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
.
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 Saundby
Saundby
Saundby is a village in Nottinghamshire, England two miles west of Gainsborough and lies within the civil parish of Beckingham cum Saundby. The parish is bordered on one side by the River Trent. The village Church of St Martin was extensively restored in 1885....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire 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 I 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
The church originated in the 13th century, with additions and alterations in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The arcadeArcade (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....
between 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 the north 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...
dates from the 13th century. The tower was added in 1504. 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...
was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
by John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
in 1885–86, and the north aisle by Weatherley and Jones
George Fowler Jones
George Fowler Jones, was an architect , who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, but based for most of his working life in York.-Biography and work:...
in 1891.
Exterior
St Martin's is constructed in stone, with lead and slateSlate
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...
roofs. Externally, its style is Perpendicular. Its plan consists of a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, a chancel, a 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 west tower. The tower consists of three stages, separated by string courses, standing on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
and supported by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. It has a three-light west window, with a four-light window above it. The top stage contains a double-lancet
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...
bell opening on each side, and a clock face on the west side. At the summit is 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...
, and eight crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ted pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s. The battlemented parapet continues around the walls of the nave and chancel. The north aisle is 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:...
. Its north wall contains a blocked doorway and three triple lancet windows, and there is a similar window in its east wall. The vestry has a blocked doorway on the west and a double lancet window with Decorated 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:...
. The chancel is in two bays with two crocketted pinnacles on each of the north and south parapets. The chancel windows are triple lancets, one on each of the north and east sides, and two on the south side. Between the windows on the south side is a priest's door. In the south wall of the nave are two double and one triple lancets. The south porch has a coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
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...
surmounted by a cross.
Interior
The arcade is carried on one circular and one rectangular pierPier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. On the east wall of the chancel is an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
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....
, and in the south wall is an elaborate 14th-century 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...
with an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
head. 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:...
dates from the 19th century and consists of an egg-shaped bowl with a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
decorated with lozenges. This is supported by five octagonal columns on a square base. The stained glass in the east window dating from 1865 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...
, and stained glass elsewhere includes windows from 1885 by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. In the northeast corner is an alabaster memorial dated 1599 to John Helwys. Also in the church is the effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of a knight dating from the 14th century. 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 five bells. One is undated, three were made by the firm of Oldfield and are dated 1605, 1620 and 1638, and the fifth was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.