St Saviour's Church, Tetbury
Encyclopedia
St Saviour's Church, Tetbury, is a redundant
19th-century Anglican
church in the town of Tetbury
, Gloucestershire
, England . Designed by the local architect Samuel Daukes
, assisted by A. W. N. Pugin and John Hardman
, St Saviour's been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
in the parish of St Mary the Virgin's Church, Tetbury. At that time the richer people paid a fee for the use of a pew in St Mary's (a pew rent). St Saviour's was built for the poorer people who could not afford this charge, and it came to be described as "a little church for the poor". The church was designed by the local architect Samuel Daukes, who was assisted by A. W. N. Pugin and John Hardman. The church was declared redundant in 1974.
roofs. The plan has a nave
with side aisle
s and a chancel
from which projects a north vestry
. The main entrance is through a south porch into the nave. The church has steeply gable
d ends, which project beyond the roofline, terminating in small crosses and, at the western end, a bellcote. There is no clerestory
, the roof of the nave extending into catslides of a less steep pitch over the aisles. The corners of the building have splayed stepped buttress
es, with two more buttresses occurring on the west front, at the ends of the aisles.
The main windows of the church have tracery in the Flowing Decorated Gothic style of the early 1300s, that at the east of the chancel being the largest with three lights. There are two light windows in the south wall of the chancel, the ends of the aisles and a larger two light window into the nave. High in the nave gables are two small rose window
s. The sides of the aisles are lit by small lancets
.
of four bays
supported on alternate round and octagonal piers
. All the fittings date from the time of the building of the church. These include the pews with poppyhead
ends, the stone font
, the stone pulpit
, and the wooden chancel screen. The original gas fittings are still in the church, although they are no longer functioning. These include the pipes, the wall brackets, and on the top of the chancel screen, a burner bar consisting of a row of gas jets. The organ formerly in the church has been removed.
is designated as a Grade II listed building. It is thought to be contemporary with the church, and is built in stone with a Cotswold slate roof.
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...
19th-century 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 town of Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England . Designed by the local architect Samuel Daukes
Samuel Daukes
Samuel Whitfield Daukes was an English architect. He was born in London in 1811, the son of Samuel Whitfield Daukes, a businessman with coal mining and brewery interests, who bought Diglis House, Worcester in 1827. He was articled about 1827 to James Pigott Pritchett of York, and had set himself...
, assisted by A. W. N. Pugin and John Hardman
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
, St Saviour's 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
The church was built in 1848 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....
in the parish of St Mary the Virgin's Church, Tetbury. At that time the richer people paid a fee for the use of a pew in St Mary's (a pew rent). St Saviour's was built for the poorer people who could not afford this charge, and it came to be described as "a little church for the poor". The church was designed by the local architect Samuel Daukes, who was assisted by A. W. N. Pugin and John Hardman. The church was declared redundant in 1974.
Exterior
St Saviour's is a Gothic Revival church in the Decorated Gothic style, built in local stone with Cotswold stoneCotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
roofs. The plan has 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 side 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 and a 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...
from which projects a north 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....
. The main entrance is through a south porch into the nave. The church has steeply 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...
d ends, which project beyond the roofline, terminating in small crosses and, at the western end, a bellcote. There is no 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...
, the roof of the nave extending into catslides of a less steep pitch over the aisles. The corners of the building have splayed stepped buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, with two more buttresses occurring on the west front, at the ends of the aisles.
The main windows of the church have tracery in the Flowing Decorated Gothic style of the early 1300s, that at the east of the chancel being the largest with three lights. There are two light windows in the south wall of the chancel, the ends of the aisles and a larger two light window into the nave. High in the nave gables are two small rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
s. The sides of the aisles are lit by small lancets
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...
.
Interior
Inside the church the nave is separated from the aisles by 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....
of four 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:...
supported on alternate round and 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...
. All the fittings date from the time of the building of the church. These include the pews with poppyhead
Poppyhead (carving)
Poppyhead is a form of carving of the end of a bench or a choir stall. The carving consists of leaves and flowers, which are usually in the form of a fleur-de-lys....
ends, the 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:...
, the stone 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...
, and the wooden chancel screen. The original gas fittings are still in the church, although they are no longer functioning. These include the pipes, the wall brackets, and on the top of the chancel screen, a burner bar consisting of a row of gas jets. The organ formerly in the church has been removed.
External features
The lychgateLychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
is designated as a Grade II listed building. It is thought to be contemporary with the church, and is built in stone with a Cotswold slate roof.