Religious Architecture 2019 January 2019: ST. WILFRID’S CHURCH, WILFORD Eighteen members of the group joined me to visit St. Wilford’s Church, Wilford, which overlooks a bend in the River Trent as it turns towards Trent Bridge, under the old Toll bridge which now carries trams destined for Clifton South. We were met by Raymond Hutchins and his wife, Pat. Ray gave us a talk about the church, its history, interesting features and the people associated with the church and the village of Wilford, including Henry Kirk White (1785 – 1806) the poet, who drew inspiration from Wilford and Clifton. Then we enjoyed refreshments provided by Raymond’s Wife, Pat, in the Church Office, which is thought to have been the old “Tithe Barn”, where a third of the village produce was stored to provide a stipend for the priest. The church dates from the late 14th century, thought to have been founded by Gervase de Wilford around 1361. The chancel dates from 1430 and the clerestory and tower later in the 15th century. There was a reordering of the church in the later 19th century, when the aisles were rebuilt, and a vestry was added. The organ dates from 1878, built by Henry Willis. In the graveyard, between the church and the river stands a Gazebo, built in 1757, its basement is said to have been a mortuary for drownings in the river. In 1980 it was restored after a fire in 1976. The graveyard contains war graves of 8 soldiers of the First World War and an airman of the Second World War. The village get its name as a contraction of “Wilfrid’s Ford”, St Wilfrid being the patron saint of the church. St. Wilfrid was a Saxon missionary bishop, his name being given to the Roman ford near the village to distinguish it from the “Bridge-ford” of Edward the Elder, a little further downriver. February 2019: MARY MAGDALENE, HUCKNALL Fifteen members were warmly welcomed to Hucknall’s St. Mary Magdalene Church with refreshments. This church is special place of pilgrimage for those who love the works of George Gordon Noel Byron (1788 – 1824). He is buried in the Chancel, in the Byron’s Family Vault together with his mother, Catherine, his great uncle and predecessor, William Byron, (1722 – 1798) the “wicked” 5th Byron and his only legitimate daughter, Ada Lovelace, (Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815 – 1852) who is credited to having written the first computer programme. She was the produce of his ill-fated marriage to Annabella Millebanke. Byron’s tomb When Byron’s funeral took place on Friday 16th July 1824, the church was smaller than it is now, the South Aisle being added in 1871. By 1896, a Victorian benefactor, Canon John Godber had spent 13 years embellishing the newly enlarged church; he employed Charles Kempe (1837 – 1907) to install the largest collection of Kempe stained-glass windows of any parish church in the world. However, due to a reordering of the church in 1966, and a fire in the 1970s, only now 20 remain. Charles Eamer Kempe, born in Brighton, opened his London studio in 1866, supplying and creating stained glass, furnishings and vestments. It is estimated almost 5,000 Kempe windows grace High Anglican churches and other buildings across the globe. Near the door of the South Transept is the grave of Ben Caunt (1815 – 1861), a bare-knuckle boxer who became the heavyweight Champion of England; born in nearby Newstead village, the son of a worker on Lord Byron’s estate. He was 6ft. 7½ inches tall, an weighed 14st 7lbs, a giant of a man, a key to his success. He fought Nottingham legend, William “Bendigo” Thompson, three times in 10 years, both rising to become Champion of England. Also in the church are acknowledgements to other famous people born in Hucknall, namely Eric Coates, (1886 – 1957) composer of the Dambusters’ March, Calling All Workers & By a Sleepy Lagoon - and Robin Bailey (1919 – 1999) actor remembered for his Uncle Mort in I Didn’t Know You Cared. St. Mary Magdalene from Hucknall High Street March 2019: ST. WULFRAMS, GRANTHAM Seventeen members ventured to Grantham to visit the town’s main parish church, St. Wulfram. We were given a warm welcome by Dr. Brian Stagg, Curator of the Library and David Brown, a retired Churchwarden. After refreshments Dr Stagg gave us an in-depth history of the church, followed by a tour of the church. As well as a West door, the church has North and South porches both of which are parvises, having upper rooms, the North Parvis was built to house a relic of St. Wulfram, the southern Parvis now houses the Trigg Chained Library containing valuable and important books given in 1598 by the Reverend Francis Trigg, Rector of Welbourn, a village between Grantham and Lincoln. The most outstanding feature of the church is its tower and spire which rise to 283 feet. The Nave as seen from the Chancel There have been three churches on this site, the first being Saxon; after the Norman Conquest, this church was replaced by larger Norman structure; this in turn was enlarged in 1280. The Domesday Book states the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Grantham had a church, four watermills, was a centre of a Soke and had a population of over 1,000. The church is one of two dedicated to St. Wulfram, the other is in Sussex; he was born in Fontainebleau, near Paris in about 650A.D. Son of a Frankish soldier, he took Holy Orders and in 693 became Archbishop of Sens, later becoming a missionary to the pagan Frisians in northern Germany, dying in 720. The medieval Font (c 1496) is located near the west end of the church and is surmounted by an enormous ornate Victorian cover. Designed by Sir Walter Tapper R.A. in 1899 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it takes the shape of a spire with the carvings inside of Edward the Confessor, St. Hugh and St. Wulfram. The Font The West Front Grantham is associated with two famous people, Mrs Margaret Thatcher and Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727). Newton was born on 25th December 1642 in the village of Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire. He attended King’s School, in Grantham, which stands adjacent to St. Wulfram’s church, before went to Trinity College, Cambridge. Kings School April 2019: ST. GILES, WEST BRIDGFORD Nineteen members visited St. Giles’ church in West Bridgford, where we were met by David Dunford, then given a twenty minutes presentation about the history of the church and its influence on the local community. The church is dedicated to St. Giles, who is the patron saint of cripples, lepers and nursing mothers, also blacksmiths and travellers. Although Bridgford is mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, no church is listed. This is speculation the first church was erected around 1191, built in the Early English style. Records show the first Rector was Luke de Crophill who took up the post on 13th October 1239. Finance for the erection of the church may have provided by the Lutterell family of Gamston, who were Lords of the manor until 1418 and with their descendants, the Hiltons and Timelbys who were Patrons until the end of the 16th century. The South Porch, with a steeply pitched roof was added around 1250. Over time the church was enlarged, in the 14th century larger windows in the Decorated, then the Perpendicular style were added. The 17th and 18th centuries saw a deterioration in the church’s fabric, although a new vestry is recorded to have been built in 1786, costing £10. In 1871/72 a reordering of the church took place, a new vestry was built on the north side of the chancel and a second hand organ from Sneinton was installed. Between 1881 and 1911 West Bridgford increased in size from 293 to 11600, so the church became too small for its congregation. Plans were drawn up by architects Naylor and Sale of Derby when it was decided to extend the footprint of the existing church, with a new nave, north aisle and vestries. The north wall of the original church was to be removed, but the re-roofed chancel, the nave, the tower and the south aisle to be retained. Sufficient money could not be raised, it was decided to defer the new north aisle and to build a temporary north wall and vestries. The foundation stone for the new nave and chancel was laid by Lady Byron on 28th October 1896, contractors being Baines of Newark. The new building was consecrated by Bishop Ridding on 15th September 1898. The iron screen between the nave and chancel and the brass lectern were installed in the same year. In 1899 a two manual and pedal organ, built by Messrs Lloyd & Co. of Nottingham was installed behind the 13th century screen in the old chancel, with its console in the south arch of the new chancel. In 1904 the upper part of the tower was restored. Reordering of the church continued at different times through to 1948. A peal of eight bells was installed in 1955, five of these came from Perlethorpe church in Thoresby Park; three were re-casted by Taylors of Loughborough and re-dedicated. The other bells were given as memorials or thanksgivings by members of the congregation. In the porch the triangular stone resting on the western seat is the window replaced in the east wall of the old chancel during the 1872 alterations. In a corner of the south aisle is a bell cast in 1499 for St.