Church of St Vincent, Newnham facts for kids

Church of St Vincent in Newnham

The Church of St Vincent in Newnham, Hertfordshire, is a very old church. It was built in the 12th century, which means it's over 800 years old! This church is part of the Anglican faith and is a special building, listed as Grade II*. It's named after Saint Vincent and is known for its amazing wall paintings, called the Newnham Murals, which were found in 1963.

History of the Church

The Church of St Vincent was officially opened by a bishop named Herbert de Losinga. It's built from a soft stone called clunch. Over the years, the outside walls were covered with a special cement to make them look like bigger, smoother stones.

How the Church is Built

The church has different parts:

• The chancel (the area near the altar) is about 31 feet long and 12 feet wide.
• The nave (where the people sit) is about 48 feet long and 15 feet wide.
• There's also a small tower at the west end and a south aisle with a porch.

Some parts of the church, like the nave walls, might be from the 12th century. The chancel was rebuilt in the early 13th century. The south aisle and west tower were added around 1340.

Changes Over Time

Between 1420 and 1440, a person named John of Wheathampstead, who was an Abbot, helped repair and add to the church. He probably added the eight-sided baptismal font (a basin for baptisms), the East window, and the windows higher up in the nave. The church was also fixed up in 1881.

Because the stone clunch is soft, people have carved messages and pictures into the walls over hundreds of years. You can still see some of this old graffiti near the main entrance. Many of these are votive crosses, carved by pilgrims (people on religious journeys) who visited the church. They might have been on their way to the Abbey at St Albans. You can even see clearer carvings of a fish and a windmill near the bell tower door!

Inside the Church

Inside the chancel, you can find two special metal plates called monumental brasses. One is from 1607 and shows a woman named Joan Dowman with her children. The other is from the early 16th century and shows a man with his two wives. There are also memorials on the walls and floor from the 17th and 18th centuries. A beautiful embroidery of St Vincent, which belonged to a historian named Reginald Hine, is now displayed in the church in his memory.

The church tower only has one bell, even though there's space for four! This bell was originally part of a group of three. The other two bells are now in nearby churches. People believe all three bells were made by the same person in the late 1500s.

The Newnham Murals

In the Middle Ages, it was common for churches to have colorful paintings on their walls. These paintings showed Bible stories, pictures of Saints, or moral lessons. However, during the English Reformation in the 1500s, many of these paintings were either destroyed or covered up with whitewash. Often, Bible verses were painted over them instead.

Discovering the Murals

In 1963, parts of these old wall paintings were found on the North wall of the church. Experts believe they were painted between the 13th and 15th centuries. It looks like the entire wall was once decorated!

The best-preserved painting is directly across from the entrance. It shows the lower half of Saint Christopher. You can see his feet, the bottom of his staff, some cliffs, and fish swimming in a stream. On the right, you can see the stream banks, and on the left, a faint image of a hermit with his lantern, guiding St Christopher. This painting is from the late 15th century and uses soft colors like red, yellow, grey, and black.

Other Mural Fragments

You might also spot what looks like a mermaid and part of a pillar. These might be from an even older painting from the 14th century. Sadly, the top half of the St Christopher painting, which showed him carrying the infant Christ, was accidentally damaged when the roof was rebuilt in 1881.

To the right of the St Christopher mural, there's a small piece showing a wheel design with mysterious creatures. East of the nave window, near the pulpit, you can see a hooded human figure. This part might have been from a "Doom Painting," which showed the Last Judgement. Also, a special cross is visible on the outside of the stair turret.

Images for kids

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  Looking West in Newnham Church

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  View of the South Aisle

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  The pulpit

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  Fragment of a Mural of Saint Christopher

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  The Wheel Mural

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  Fragment of a Doom Painting of the Last Judgement

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  Monumental brass of Joan Dowman (1607)

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  Brass of a man and his two wives

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  Embroidery dedicated to historian Reginald Hine

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  Looking East towards the chancel

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  The 15th-century baptismal font

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  Votive crosses carved into the stonework of the porch