Church of the Holy Rood, Ampney Crucis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of the Holy Rood |
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 Church of the Holy Rood
Location in Gloucestershire
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| 51°42′57″N 1°54′26″W / 51.7157°N 1.9073°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Designated | 26 November 1958 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ampney Crucis |
| Diocese | Gloucester |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Church of the Holy Rood is an old and important church located in Ampney Crucis, a village in Gloucestershire, England. It's a special building because it has parts that are very, very old, going back to the Saxon times and the Norman period. This church is so important that it's officially recognized as a Grade I listed building, which means it's a historic treasure that needs to be protected.
A Look Back in Time
This church has a long history! We know about it from a very old book called the Domesday Book. This book was made in 1086 to record everything in England. In it, the church was called the Church of Omenie Holy Rood. "Rood" is an old English word for "cross." Later, in 1287, people called it Ameneye Sancte Crucis in Latin, which also means "Holy Cross."
The very first parts of the church were built during the Saxon period, which was a long time ago. Some of the stone walls you see today are from the Norman period, after the Normans came to England in 1066.
Over the years, new parts were added. For example, the tall tower and the roof of the main part of the church (called the nave) were built in the 1400s. The church has also been fixed up and improved several times. Two big restoration projects happened in the 1800s, including one in 1870.
The church is connected to a nearby large estate called Ampney Park. It is part of the Church of England and belongs to the Diocese of Gloucester.
What the Church Looks Like
The Church of the Holy Rood is made from limestone with roofs covered in slate. If you look at it from above, it has a cruciform (cross) shape. It has a main area called the nave, a front entrance called a porch, and a special area for the altar called the chancel. There's also a small room on the north side called a vestry.
The tower at the west end of the church has three levels. It has interesting stone carvings called gargoyles, which are like decorative drain spouts. Strong supports called buttresses help hold the tower up. Inside the tower, there are six bells!
Inside the Church
When you go inside, you can see some old wall paintings from the 1300s. These paintings are very delicate and are being carefully restored by English Heritage, a group that looks after historic places.
The church also has a font for baptisms. It's shaped like a tub and is from the Norman period, but its base is more modern. There's also a special stone basin from the 1100s called a piscina, which was used to wash sacred vessels. You can also find tombs and memorials inside, honoring important local families from the 1500s to the 1700s. For example, there's a tomb for George Lloyde, who lived at Ampney Park and passed away in 1584.
The church's organ was put in during the mid-1800s.
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The Churchyard Cross
Outside the church, in the churchyard, stands a tall stone cross. This cross was first put there in 1415. For many years, parts of it were kept inside the church for safety. Around 1860, these parts were put back onto the base of the cross.
This cross is also very important. It's a Grade I listed monument and a Scheduled Monument, which means it's protected by law. It's described as being from the late 1300s or early 1400s. A book called Ancient Crosses by Marion Freeman explains that during the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, many villages removed their crosses, or at least the tops of them, to follow government rules. The cross in Ampney Crucis was restored again more recently in the late 1900s.
