St Peter's Church, Offord D'Arcy
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, Offord D'Arcy, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Offord D'Arcy
, Cambridgeshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands adjacent to the East Coast Main Railway Line
, overlooking the River Great Ouse
.
in the 12th century, when the nave
, chancel
and north aisle
were built. The chancel was rebuilt at some time between 1250 and 1270. In 1320 the south aisle was added, followed by the west tower and spire in 1380. The spire was rebuilt in 1860, and repaired in 1990. The church continued to be the parish church
of Offord D'Arcy until 1978, when its functions were taken over by All Saints Church in the nearby village of Offord Cluny
. Towards the time it was declared redundant, people had to take umbrellas to the church and the heating no longer worked. After it was taken over by the Redundant Churches Fund (the forerunner of the Churches Conservation Trust), the church was made weatherproof, and limited services were held in the summer months. Drama productions were mounted, and a candle-lit Christmas carol service was organised. In 2004 a three-day arts festival was held in the church. During 2007 the Churches Conservation Trust carried out a programme of improvements to the church. The church continues to be used for occasional services, open days, craft fairs, and other events, including a film festival.
and freestone, with dressings of Barnack
limestone
. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory
and north and south aisles, a chancel and a west tower. The tower is in three stages standing on a splayed plinth
. Its parapet
is embattled
with gargoyle
s at the corners. It is surmounted by a tall broach spire
with two tiers of lucarne
s. On the west side of the tower is a three-light window dating from the late 14th century. In the top stage are two-light bell openings on each side. The clerestory contains four two-light windows on both sides. In the south wall of the south aisle are three two-light windows and a doorway dating from the 13th century. In both the north and south walls of the chancel are a 15th-century window and a 13th-century lancet window
. The east window dates from the late 15th century.
has three bays
dating from the 13th century, with round-headed arches carried on square piers
. The south arcade is in four bays with pointed arches. At the east end of the south aisle is a 13th-century piscina
, and in the south wall of the chancel is another piscina from the same century. The monuments include 14th-century slabs in the north aisle carved with male and female figures. In the south aisle is a monument to Richard Nailour who died in 1616. It consists of an alabaster
kneeling figure, flanked by Doric
pilaster
s under an entablature
with a segmental pediment
. Also in the church is part of a 14th-century screen. The two-manual
organ in the west gallery was built in 1913 by Blackett and Howden of Newcastle upon Tyne
, but it is no longer usable. It is possible that the organ could be rebuilt at a cost in the order of £5,000. The ring
consists of three bells, but they are no longer ringable. The oldest was cast in 1618 by Tobias I Norris, the next in 1620 by William Haulsey, and the third in 1676 by Christopher Graye.
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 Offord D'Arcy
Offord D'Arcy
Offord D'Arcy is a village and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 747 people. It is the twin village of Offord Cluny and together they are known as The Offords....
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire 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...
. The church stands adjacent to the East Coast Main Railway Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, overlooking the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
.
History
The church dates from the Norman eraNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
in the 12th century, when 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...
, 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 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...
were built. The chancel was rebuilt at some time between 1250 and 1270. In 1320 the south aisle was added, followed by the west tower and spire in 1380. The spire was rebuilt in 1860, and repaired in 1990. The church continued to be the 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....
of Offord D'Arcy until 1978, when its functions were taken over by All Saints Church in the nearby village of Offord Cluny
Offord Cluny
Offord Cluny is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately equidistant from the neighbouring towns of Huntingdon and St Neots, and 2 miles from the larger village of Buckden. It is the twin village of Offord D'Arcy, and although they historically both had their own parish...
. Towards the time it was declared redundant, people had to take umbrellas to the church and the heating no longer worked. After it was taken over by the Redundant Churches Fund (the forerunner of the Churches Conservation Trust), the church was made weatherproof, and limited services were held in the summer months. Drama productions were mounted, and a candle-lit Christmas carol service was organised. In 2004 a three-day arts festival was held in the church. During 2007 the Churches Conservation Trust carried out a programme of improvements to the church. The church continues to be used for occasional services, open days, craft fairs, and other events, including a film festival.
Exterior
St Peter's church is constructed mainly of pebblePebble
A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of 4 to 64 millimetres based on the Krumbein phi scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered to be larger than granules and smaller than cobbles . A rock made predominantly of pebbles is termed a conglomerate...
and freestone, with dressings of Barnack
Barnack
Barnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
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....
. Its plan consists of a nave with a 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...
and north and south aisles, a chancel and a west tower. The tower is in three stages standing on a splayed 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...
. Its 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...
is embattled
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...
with 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 at the corners. It is surmounted by a tall broach spire
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....
with two tiers of lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s. On the west side of the tower is a three-light window dating from the late 14th century. In the top stage are two-light bell openings on each side. The clerestory contains four two-light windows on both sides. In the south wall of the south aisle are three two-light windows and a doorway dating from the 13th century. In both the north and south walls of the chancel are a 15th-century window and a 13th-century 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...
. The east window dates from the late 15th century.
Interior
The north 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....
has 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:...
dating from the 13th century, with round-headed arches carried on square 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...
. The south arcade is in four bays with pointed arches. At the east end of the south aisle is a 13th-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...
, and in the south wall of the chancel is another piscina from the same century. The monuments include 14th-century slabs in the north aisle carved with male and female figures. In the south aisle is a monument to Richard Nailour who died in 1616. It consists of 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...
kneeling figure, flanked by Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s under an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Also in the church is part of a 14th-century screen. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ in the west gallery was built in 1913 by Blackett and Howden of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, but it is no longer usable. It is possible that the organ could be rebuilt at a cost in the order of £5,000. 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 three bells, but they are no longer ringable. The oldest was cast in 1618 by Tobias I Norris, the next in 1620 by William Haulsey, and the third in 1676 by Christopher Graye.