St Michael and All Angels Church, Edmondthorpe
Encyclopedia
St Michael and All Angels Church, Edmondthorpe, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Edmondthorpe, Leicestershire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
also dates from this century. Aisle
s were added during the following century, and in the 15th century the clerestory
was built and the height of the chancel was raised. Alterations were carried out during the 19th century, including re-roofing the north aisle in 1858, installing a new clock in 1860, and a restoration
in 1861–62.
and others in limestone
; the roofs are covered in lead. Its plan consists of a nave
with a clerestory, north and south aisles, north and south porches, a chancel, and a west tower.
The tower is in three stages, separated by string courses, with angle buttress
es on the west side, and a three-stage semicircular stair turret
on the southeast. The bottom stage contains a lancet window
on the west side. In the middle stage is a blocked double lancet on each side, and clock dials on the west and north faces. The top stage contains double lancet bell openings on each side. At the top of the tower is a quatrefoil frieze
, four gargoyle
s, a crenellated
parapet
with pinnacle
s at the corners, and the tower is surmounted by a pyramidal roof with a weathervane.
The clerestory is in three bays
with a moulded
parapet, a gable
, and three triple lancets on each side. The north aisle has four bays, and it contains three triple lancet windows. In both the east and west ends of the aisle is a triple lancet. The north porch has a gable surmounted by a cross, and it contains stone benches. The chancel is in two bays. At its east end is a triple lancet window, and there are three double lancets along each side, and a blocked doorway on the north side. On the arch of the south porch is a sundial
acting as a finial
. To the right of the porch is a double and a triple lancet window. At the east end of the south aisle is a blocked triple lancet.
in the nave are in four bays, carried on octagonal piers
. In the north wall of the north aisle is a tomb recess with a crocket
ted gable, to its right is an aumbry
, and in the southeast corner is a piscina
. There are also aumbries to the left of the chancel arch, and in the north wall of the chancel. The chancel screen dates from the 15th century. On the south wall of the chancel is a piscina with a window seat below it and, to its right, a double sedilia
that has been modified to form a monument. The font
dates from the 14th century and consists of a round bowl on a square stem. The altar table is from the 17th century, and the altar rail, with barley-sugar baluster
s, is from the 18th century. Also from the 18th century are a small table and chair, and a benefactions board. Dating from the 19th century are the octagonal pulpit
, a desk, the stalls, benches, and a brass lectern
. Also in the church are the Royal arms
of George III
, dated 1777, and two 19th-century oil paintings.
There are monuments to members of the Smith family who lived in nearly Edmondthorpe Hall. The largest of these, dated 1655, is to Sir Roger Smith, his two wives, his son and his grandson. It is constructed in three tiers, and is made in marble
, slate
and alabaster
. There is a baroque
monument in marble and slate to Sir Edward Smith, who died in 1707, a classical
marble monument to Olivia Smith dated 1710, a rococo
monument in different coloured marbles to Edward Smith, who died in 1762, and a classical marble tablet to Margaret Smith dated 1780. Also in the church is an 18th-century hatchment
.
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 Edmondthorpe, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, 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 tower dates from the 13th century. The 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...
also dates from this century. 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 were added during the following century, and in the 15th century the 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...
was built and the height of the chancel was raised. Alterations were carried out during the 19th century, including re-roofing the north aisle in 1858, installing a new clock in 1860, and a restoration
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...
in 1861–62.
Exterior
Parts of the church are constructed in ironstoneIronstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
and others in limestone
Limestone
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....
; the roofs are covered in lead. Its plan 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 clerestory, north and south aisles, north and south porches, a chancel, and a west tower.
The tower is in three stages, separated by string courses, with angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es on the west side, and a three-stage semicircular 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...
on the southeast. The bottom stage contains a 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...
on the west side. In the middle stage is a blocked double lancet on each side, and clock dials on the west and north faces. The top stage contains double lancet bell openings on each side. At the top of the tower is a quatrefoil 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...
, four 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, a crenellated
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...
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...
with 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 at the corners, and the tower is surmounted by a pyramidal roof with a weathervane.
The clerestory 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:...
with a moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
parapet, a 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...
, and three triple lancets on each side. The north aisle has four bays, and it contains three triple lancet windows. In both the east and west ends of the aisle is a triple lancet. The north porch has a gable surmounted by a cross, and it contains stone benches. The chancel is in two bays. At its east end is a triple lancet window, and there are three double lancets along each side, and a blocked doorway on the north side. On the arch of the south porch is a sundial
Sundial
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...
acting as a 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...
. To the right of the porch is a double and a triple lancet window. At the east end of the south aisle is a blocked triple lancet.
Interior
The arcadesArcade (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....
in the nave are in four bays, carried on octagonal piers
Pier (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...
. In the north wall of the north aisle is a tomb recess with a 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 gable, to its right is an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
, and in the southeast corner is a 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...
. There are also aumbries to the left of the chancel arch, and in the north wall of the chancel. The chancel screen dates from the 15th century. On the south wall of the chancel is a piscina with a window seat below it and, to its right, a double 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...
that has been modified to form a monument. 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 14th century and consists of a round bowl on a square stem. The altar table is from the 17th century, and the altar rail, with barley-sugar 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...
s, is from the 18th century. Also from the 18th century are a small table and chair, and a benefactions board. Dating from the 19th century are the octagonal 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...
, a desk, the stalls, benches, and a brass 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...
. Also in the church are the Royal 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...
of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, dated 1777, and two 19th-century oil paintings.
There are monuments to members of the Smith family who lived in nearly Edmondthorpe Hall. The largest of these, dated 1655, is to Sir Roger Smith, his two wives, his son and his grandson. It is constructed in three tiers, and is made in 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...
, 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...
and 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...
. There is a baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
monument in marble and slate to Sir Edward Smith, who died in 1707, a classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
marble monument to Olivia Smith dated 1710, a rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
monument in different coloured marbles to Edward Smith, who died in 1762, and a classical marble tablet to Margaret Smith dated 1780. Also in the church is an 18th-century hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
.