RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE 2018

April 2018: SOUTHWELL MINSTER 18 members visited Southwell Minster, or to give its correct title “The collegiate church of St. Mary”; majority travelled to Southwell by bus. We were warmly greeted by vergers Shaun and Kevin who were also our guides. First: a short film on how the Minster works within the local community also gave some insight into the management and upkeep of an iconic building; then having been split into two groups of nine, we commenced an interesting and informative tour of the Minster itself. My group, led by Kevin, first was shown a mosaic floor of Roman villa, which was later used in the early Saxon church/monastery. The minster was built Norman/Romanesque in the 12th century (1108), after the demolition of the Saxon church, then as work progressed in the Early English style. The 13th century quire has its triforium and clerestory combined in one unit, the Chapter House built in the Geometric Decorated style is renowned for its carvings, craftsmanship in stone, and is unusual in that it has no central column. The rich stone pulpitum completed in about 1350 has East and West different sides. The brass lectern was found in the fishpond at Newstead Abbey, where it had been thrown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and was presented to the Minster in 1805 by Archdeacon Kaye. Early 16th century French glass was imported after the French Revolution. A recent addition to the stained glass is the “Great War Memorial Window designed by Nicholas Mynheer. On 5 November 1711 the southwest spire was struck by lightning, and the resulting fire spread to the nave, crossing and tower destroying roofs, bells, clock and organ. By 1720 repairs had been completed, now giving a flat panelled ceiling to the nave and transepts. In danger of collapse, the spires were removed in 1805 and re-erected in 1879–81 when the minster was extensively restored by Ewan Christian, an architect specialising in churches. The nave roof was replaced with a pitched roof and the choir was redesigned and refitted. There are many carved stone heads of people, animals and fantastic beasts. One caused amusement, it was carved in the 12th century, but it bears a striking resemblance to someone nowadays hogging the headlines, can you guess who? Originally a pro-cathedral to York, its See was established in 1884.

Historical Postscript: During the “Great Revolution” or more commonly known as the “English Civil War” when King Charles I’s “Royalists fought Oliver Cromwell’s “Model Army, the Minster was seriously damaged during fighting which took place around the Minster, and nave was used to stable horses. The Scots captured the King and handed him to the Parliamentarians in “The Saracen’s Head” which is situated opposite the Minster, on the High Street. In the foyer is a copy of the “Death Warrant” of King Charles I, signed by Cromwell and a number of his leading supporters. It is dated 30th January 1648/49, because the year in those days began on 1st April. The adjoining palace was almost completely destroyed, first by Scottish troops and then by the local people, with only the Hall of the Archbishop remaining as a ruined shell. The Minster's financial accounts show that extensive repairs were necessary after this period.

May 2018: ST. MARY’S, NOTTINGHAM 22 members of the group visit the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, in the Lace Market, which is the largest Medieval building in Nottingham, and is Grade 1 listed. There have been three churches built on this site, the first of Saxon origin, this was replaced, shortly after William the Conqueror invasion of England in 1066 with a Norman church, which was half the size of St. Mary’s today. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The present church dates from end of Edward III’s reign (1377) and Henry VII’s (1485 – 1509), the tower being completed in that of Henry VIII, has 12 bells. The church is of Gothic Perpendicular style.

Our tour guide was Michael Clark, who started by showing us the foundation of one of the columns of the nave was built on a Norman foundation, seen through a glass floor which surrounded the pillar.

The font has a Greek palindrome ΝΙΨΟΝΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑΜΗΜΟΝΑΝΟΨΙΝ which translates as: Wash my transgressions, not. In a chapel built in the 1920its original ’s there is a Nottingham Alabaster panel depicting Archbishop Thomas a Beckett. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the stonework of the exterior became black with pollution, following sandblasting, the exterior has regained elegance. The walls inside the chapel, once on the outside, were not cleaned, so retain evidence of the contamination suffered before the Clean Act 1956.

The chantry door is considered to be the oldest surviving door in Nottingham, dating from the 1370s or 1380s. it contains an example of iron work from the medieval period in the locking mechanism. The Organ is by Marcussen & Son of Denmark and is a fine example of a neo-classical style instrument. It was installed in 1973 by the organist of the time, David Butterworth. It has 25 speaking stops and is a small organ for a church of this size The first record of a tower clock dates from 1707 when a clock was installed by Richard Roe of Epperstone. This was replaced in 1807 by a clock by Thomas Hardy of Nottingham. The 1707 clock was moved to Staunton church. The current tower clock which dates from 1932 was installed by George and Francis Cope. It was the first electric auto- wind clock by that firm.

There are two magnificent statues, a lion and a unicorn, present to the church by Princess Anne, before she became queen in 1702, a year before the Act of Union, when Scotland joined England along with Wales and Ireland to become the United Kingdom. England’s crest had lions, and Scotland, two unicorns, so one of each was discarded to produce the Royal Coat of Arms. Anne lived at the palace within Nottingham Castle*, so gave Nottingham the statues in recognition of her time here.

The church retains the Book of Common Prayer. In the 19th century the church became a cathedral, and has a cathedra (a bishop’s chair), however churches in Derby protested about being subservient to Nottingham, so the Bishop of Lincoln came up with a compromise by moving the seat of the diocese to Southwell, although the bishop retained the title of “Bishop of Nottingham”. There is some talk that St. Mary’s church will become a pro-cathedral within the See.

Mike Johnson

June 2018: ST PAUL’S, CARLTON Fifteen of us met at the church, and we were warmly greeted by Church Warden, Phil. We were given a conducted tour around the church, before refreshments, the tea being brewed by the associate minister, Rev. Wendy Murphy.

The Parish was created in 1883 and the church was consecrated in 1885, the whole project being funded by Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, who also donated the land on which it stands.

The church is in the style of a Roman Basilica, with apsidal ends at East and West, the former being the Chancel and the latter a Baptistry flanked by two entrance porches. Originally built in two stages, the first was completed at the cost of £4,000, the second stage was completed in 1891, and consecrated on 24th February of that year. Unfortunately the Earl died just before the church was completed his wife commissioned the cross which hangs in front of the chancel as his memorial.

The Earl owned large tracts of land in Carlton and Mapperley, although his country seat was Highclere House, which is still owned by the Herbert Family, and where the television series “Downton Abbey” was filmed. His son, the 5th Earl sponsored the archaeological dig which discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamun. In 2004/5 the church underwent a reordering, when extensive interior works were completed inside the church. A modern kitchen, new toilets and a social area, the Carnarvon Centre, were built and there were extensive alterations to the chancel area.

Not surprisingly the church has several areas which require repair and restoration for which they are actively seeking funding. For a full history of the church, see http://stpaulscarlton.org/history.html

July 2018: ST PETER’S, NOTTINGHAM Twenty one members made the trip to St. Peter’s Church, some of whom had lunch in St. Peter’s Centre, a café (situated between the church and Marks and Spencer’s Nottingham store) run by the church. Although a tour was not possible, literature (A Walk round St. Peter’s), was provided so the church could be explored without assistance. The church was rebuilt after the first one was burnt down (in 1140) during the “Anarchy” war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. The tower and spire were built about 1340, and the North Arcade in 1360. The War Memorial (1922) has a golden spire above a statue of St. George and names of people from St. Peter’s who died in the World Wars. Lady Gardner (d. 1811), member of the founding family of Smith’s Bank, (one of the oldest in England) is buried in the family vault, under the organ, her memorial is over the porch. The original chancel was destroyed in the Civil War, in 1644, when Parliamentary troops were bombarded by the Royalists, who had taken shelter there. The new chancel was built in 1712, and was replaced by the present one in 1877. The south aisle is the oldest part of the church. The altar was at one time part of the Archbishop’s Court held in St. Peter’s to try cases of church law. The 17th century font has a cover by the Yorkshire woodcarver, Robert Thompson, whose ‘signature’ is a mouse. The brightly- coloured “Workers’ Memorial Window” at the west end, which was dedicated in 2007, is in memorial of all those who died in the workplace or from work-related illnesses. The triptych behind the High Altar, was painted by Tiffany Groves in 2003, using modern imagery to represent the working of the Holy Spirit through the Cross of Christ.

August 2018: ST MARY’S, ARNOLD 11 members visited St. Mary’s Arnold, where we were given a warm welcome by Mary and Angela. Churchwarden Mary gave us a potted history of the church, of which we then explored the interior before being given refreshments. There has been a place of worship on this site since about 650AD, the first church being made out of “the okes of Sherwood halved and set upright with their split faces inwards and surrounded by an enclosed graveyard”. The only part of the 13th century church built by the Normans, still remaining is the lower part of the North wall. The present church dates from about 1327, the inspiration of an Augustinian monk, John de la Launde from Launde in Leicestershire who came to live in Arnold. A new roof was added in 1676, and in the mid-1860s, the church was closed for two years, while major restoration was undertaken. In the 1950s, the church was again closed, this time the church was underpinned by means of a concrete raft to prevent subsidence from coal mining. In the porch of the Norman church which preceded the present church, the first recorded wedding in 1176 took place, when “Robin de Belew married Alice, daughter of William Arnal. The font was dedicated by the Bishop of Derby on May 10th 1899. The tower contains 8 bells, of which latest the Tenor Bell, cast by Tailors of Loughborough, and dedicated by the Right Reverend Tony Porter, Bishop of Sherwood on June 3rd 2007. On the North Aisle wall is a memorial tablet erected in memory of the employees of local company, Allen Solley & Co. who gave their lives in the 1st World War. In 1955, memorial with the names of the fallen inscribed on it was put up on the wall of the chancel. In 1955, a second memorial was put up recording the names of those from Arnold, who gave their lives in the 2nd World War. The Organ was built in 1876 by Brindly and Foster of Sheffield at the cost of £300. The church possesses an Easter Sepulchre, one of only three in Nottinghamshire. The more famous one is at Hawton, near Newark. Stone carvings on either side of the East Window are of Edward III, king at the time the church was built, and his wife, Queen Philippa. Above the ringing chamber, and below the bells is a rare Bosworth Turret clock, complete with its original mechanism. The clock has three faces on the outside of the tower. Of the 200 such clocks, only about 30 have their mechanisms intact. Built by Robert Bosworth in 1867, it was installed in 1868 at the cost of £161 12s 6d. A false porch was added to the North door in 2016 to provide toilet facilities, etc. for the church.

September 2018: LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL Seventeen members of our group travelled to Lichfield to visit the cathedral. We were warmly welcomed by cathedral staff and our two guides, David and Liz. We were split into two groups, my guide was David, who was well-informed and very interesting. This tour was the most spiritual up to now, periodically, visitors are requested to sit or stand for about three minutes, while over a “tannoy” system, a welcome and prayers were said, which ended with “The Lord’s Prayer” and a Blessing. There has been a place of worship on the site for 1,300 years. Bishop Edda founded Lichfield Cathedral in 700 A.D. to house the relics of St. Chad, the Bishop of Mercia, who had come as a missionary and died in 672. The nave has late thirteenth clerestory windows, and eighteen century wooden vaulting which replaced the original stone vaulting. We visited the Chapter House, which has an upper storey, holding the Library. Also on display, the “Lichfield Angel”, an eighth century sculpture found during excavations in the Nave, and the St. Chad Gospels which have been digitally copied, and can be viewed via a touch-screen. The Lady Chapel is glazed with Herkenrode Glass, 16th century windows from the Abbey at Herkenrode, and considered to be among the best examples of Flemish glass in Europe. Behind the High Altar is located The Shrine of St. Chad. After the tour it was lunch at “The Chapters, the Café in the Close”. For a photo essay of the trip see “Lichfield Cathedral in 100 Photographs” by David Colyer on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xsIaVTgQigI

October 2018: ST. WILFRID’S CHURCH, CALVERTON 17 members of our group visited St. Wilfrid’s, we were met by our guide, Jim, who took the more abled up the tower to the Ringing Loft, where they saw “The Will and Testament of Jane Pepper”. Some ventured a storey higher to the Clock Chamber, where there are nine carvings of occupations of the seasons, and a dial which appears to be a scratch dial or mass dial. Such a dial was often found on a wall adjacent to the Priest’s door, usually south facing’ It is assumed it found its way into the church when it was modified, or rebuilt. Jim proceeded to give his talk in the Ringing Loft, so his information was not given to all our members. There are stone footings of a circular hut in Fox Wood, uncovered within earthen ramparts in 1946, indicating an Iron Age settlement. Later when it was realised it was not necessary to live on a brow of a hill, the Community moved into the valley, splitting in two, the inhabitants moving north formed Calverton, and those moving south formed Woodborough. The name Calverton is Saxon meaning “The enclosure where the calves are kept”. The oldest parts of the church date from before 1160. It had an entry in the “Domesday Book” of 1086, which records Calverton had a church and a priest. There is a carving of St. Wilfrid on the north side column of the chancel. Between 1287 to 1402, Calverton was one of the four villages of Sherwood where Forest Courts were held. Calverton’s main claim to a place in history, it was the birthplace of Rev. William Lee, inventor of the Stocking Frame. Recent reordering of the church has resulted in the Pulpit, built in recent years being removed, and replaced by a modern lectern and wooden steps into the chancel.

November 2018: MARY MAGDALENE, NEWARK Twenty members met at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Newark, having travelled there by train, car or bus. We were greeted by Assistant Verger, Rita, who narrated a comprehensive history of the church, and pointing out prominent features. After a tour of the Nave and Chancel, she handed us over to John, who told about the Lady Chapel, before showing us the Treasury in the Crypt, where the majority of the Church Plate is displayed in glass cabinets. We were then given refreshments, tea or coffee and a choice of Scones, tarts and cake. The Crypt is the last visible part of the Norman Church, built in 1180. The lower part of the Tower (Early English Style) was erected in 1220, in 1330-1350, the Spire was added, as was the South Aisle (Decorated Style). 1480 saw the Nave and North Aisle finished, although 18 years later the Choir and Lady Chapels were rebuilt. From 1510 to 1540 The transepts were built in the Tudor Style, along with the Rood Screen, Choir Stalls and Chantry Chapels. A Great Gallery was added in the 1760s, but this was removed by Sir Gilbert Scott, 1853-1855, when he re-ordered the interior of the church. In 1859 to 1930, various Stained-Glass Windows were placed on three sides of the church in memorial to various local people. In 1979 the Nave Platform was constructed to bring the celebration of the Eucharist closer to the congregation.

During the English Civil War, Newark was a Royalist town, and was subjected to three sieges by the Parliamentarians, the last one lasting 6 months. The town was ordered to surrender by King Charles, who had by then been captured by the Scots and handed over to Cromwell. The church was desecrated by the Roundheads, using the Nave as stables for their horses and destroying anything regarded as Catholic.

December 2018: CHRISTMAS December, the last month of 2018, which contains one of the two main highlights of the Christian Calendar – Christmas, a time of joy and celebration, brightening lives during the dark brooding days of winter. A busy time for the dwindling number of active churches, with the season of Advent (the coming of Jesus), Christingle, and relative services, although the religious concept of Christmas is being progressively being overpowered by the demands of a consumer society. Wishing not to interrupt the agenda of a church with the possibility of organising a visit for our group during this hectic period, it was decided to book a Christmas lunch at the Pitcher and Piano, a restaurant and bar, which now occupies the former Unitarian Chapel, a Grade II listed building situated on High Pavement. The Chapel opened in 1876, was built to a design of architect, Stuart Colman of Bristol, and a place of worship of the Unitarian Presbyterians in Nottingham until 1982, when it became the Nottingham Lace Museum. This venture proved financial uneconomical. It was then it was converted to its present use, during which the reordering was sensitively undertaken with consideration to the original use. It has retained its stained-glass windows, the North aisle war memorial window of 1925 by Kemp & Co., a Sunday School memorial window of 1906 by Henry Holiday and the North Transept north window of 1890 by H. Enfield. However its crowning glory is the East Window of 1904, by Morris & Co*, designed by Sir Philip Burne-Jones (1861 – 1926) eldest son of the Pre-Raphaelite artist of Sir Edward Burne-Jones. The Christmas menu offered a wide range of courses, and was of the high standard one would expect, a 2 course meal - £21.95 and 3 course - £26.95. There were 4 choices of Starters, Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup, Smoked Ham Hock & Chicken Terrine, Cornish Brie and Smoked Mackerel and Caper Pâté, 5 main courses: Christmas Turkey, Apricot Courgette and Carrot Nut Roast, Braised Lamb Steak, Pan-fried Cod Loin and 8oz Sirloin Steak and 6 or Cheese Plate. Desserts: Christmas Pudding, Winter Berry Eton Mess, Festive Profiterole, Bailey’s and White Chocolate Cheesecake, Raspberry Sorbet. A glass of prosecco was included in the price. Although 12 members signed up for the meal, 2 had to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances. We all enjoyed ourselves, sharing a meal with friends within a convivial ambiance, Mike Johnson. * Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. (1861 – 1875) was founded by William Morris and some of his Pre- Raphaelite friends, specialising in Furnishings and Decorative Arts. With its successor Morris & Co. (1861 – 1940) the firm’s medieval-inspired aesthetic and respect for hand-craftsmanship and tradition textile arts had a profound influence on the decoration of churches and houses into the 20th century. Although its most influential period was during the flourishing of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 1880s and 1890s, Morris and Co remained in operation in a limited fashion from World War I until its closure in 1940. The firm’s designs are still sold today under licences given to Sanderson and Sons, part of the Walker Greenbank wallpaper and fabrics business (which owns the “Morris & Co” brand and Liberty of London.