All Saints' Church, Sawley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints’ Church, Sawley |
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| 52°52′37.58″N 01°18′0.47″W / 52.8771056°N 1.3001306°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Sawley, Derbyshire |
| Diocese | Diocese of Derby |
All Saints’ Church in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, is a very old and important church. It's so special that it's officially listed as a Grade I listed building, which means it has a lot of historical value. It serves as a parish church for the local community.
Contents
History of the Church
This church has a long history, going all the way back to the 11th century. Most of what you see today was built in the 13th century. You can still find parts of even older Saxon and Norman styles in its design.
The church has been carefully looked after over the years. It was first repaired and updated in 1838. Then, the chancel (the part of the church near the altar) was fixed up in 1865.
A much bigger renovation happened in 1889. This work cost about £2,000, which was a lot of money back then! During this time:
- The old oak roofs, which were in bad shape, were repaired.
- The lead covering on the roof was fixed.
- The floors in the main part of the church (the nave) and the side areas (aisles) were replaced. They used wood blocks and concrete for the seating areas and red tiles for the aisles.
- Some of the old, solid oak benches were kept.
- The tall, old wooden pews were replaced with new square oak benches.
- The ground floor of the tower was prepared to be used as a vestry (a room where clergy prepare).
- The three bells in the tower were rehung by a company called John Taylor and Co. They also added two new floors in the tower.
The church officially reopened on October 23, 1889, with a special ceremony led by the Bishop of Southwell.
More improvements were made in 1911. A new floor was put into a chapel, and a new altar replaced the old table. New rails were added around the altar, and the choir stalls (where the choir sits) were repaired. The stone screen was also restored. Plus, a new heating system was put in for the nave and chancel, and the old porch was fixed up.
Special Memorials
Inside the church, you can find several memorials that remember people from the past.
- The chancel has memorials for the Bothe family.
- In the south aisle, there's a memorial for Edward Edmonson, who passed away in 1589.
- At the west end, a plaque remembers John Trowell, who died in 1766.
- The north aisle features two very old stone statues (called effigies) from the 13th century. There's also a stone slab for Richard Shylton, who died in 1510.
The churchyard (the area around the church) also holds war graves. These are the resting places of five soldiers and one airman from World War I, and another airman from World War II.
The Church Organ
The church has a beautiful pipe organ.
- The first organ was installed in 1838 by Timothy Russell from London. It had a main keyboard (great manual) and a smaller keyboard (swell manual) with pedals. This organ was used until 1905.
- A brand new pipe organ was installed in 1906 by a company called Harrison and Harrison. It was placed on the south side of the chancel and cost £320 (equivalent to £24,700 in 2021). The Bishop of Southwell dedicated this new organ on November 12, 1906. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organists of the Church
Many talented people have played the organ at All Saints’ Church over the years:
- George T.H. Lodge (around 1891-1894)
- Richard Dent (until 1901)
- Charles Hutchinson (1901-1945)
- William Dawson (1945-1969)
- Peter Tregenza (from 1970 onwards)
The Old Parsonage House
The house where the church's priest (or parson) used to live, called the parsonage, was built between 1822 and 1824. It was designed by an architect named Henry Moses Wood.
Tower and Bells
The church tower holds a set of 8 bells that can be rung together. The heaviest bell, called the Tenor, weighs about 497 kilograms (which is 9-3-4 cwt).
- The Tenor bell is the oldest, dating back to 1591.
- Two other bells, numbers 6 and 7, were made in 1625 and 1658.
- There used to be three other bells (two from 1612) that were loaned to Long Eaton Church. However, it's thought these bells were broken up when Long Eaton Church got its own set of 6 bells in 1875.
- The current bells numbered 3, 4, and 5 were all made in 1893.
- The tower got its full set of eight bells in 1919 when the current treble (the highest-pitched bell) and number 2 bells were added by John Taylor & Co.
See also
- Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire
- Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire
- Listed buildings in Sawley, Derbyshire
