Holy Cross Church, Burley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holy Cross Church, Burley
The tower and part of the nave of Holy Cross Church, Burley, from the north
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OS grid reference	SK 883,102
Location	Burley, Rutland
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	14 June 1954
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	1870
Specifications
Other dimensions	Nave length 44 feet 9 inches (13.6 m) Nave width 17 feet (5.2 m) Chancel length 39 feet (11.9 m) Chancel width 13 feet 6 inches (4.1 m)
Materials	Stone, red tile roofs

Holy Cross Church is an old Anglican church in the village of Burley, England. It's no longer used for regular church services. This means it's a "redundant church."

The church is a very important historic building. It's listed as a Grade II* building, which means it's considered especially important. The Churches Conservation Trust now looks after it. This trust helps protect old churches across England. Holy Cross Church stands right next to Burley-on-the-Hill House.

History of Holy Cross Church

Building Holy Cross Church began a very long time ago, in the 12th century. Back then, it had a main hall called a nave, a special area for the altar called a chancel, and a side section known as a north aisle.

How the Church Grew Over Time

• In the 13th century, another side section, the south aisle, was added.
• The tall tower you see today was built in the 14th century.
• Around 1796, the church was fixed up. New square windows were put in, and special enclosed seats called box pews were added.
• A big restoration happened in 1869–70. A famous architect named J. L. Pearson led this work.
• Pearson rebuilt the east end of the church. He also replaced almost all the windows and added a new entrance porch.

Becoming a Protected Building

The church stopped being used for regular services on May 1, 1984. It was officially handed over to the Churches Conservation Trust on February 17, 1988. This means the Trust now owns and cares for the building.

Church Design and Features

Looking from the churchyard across to the mansion

Holy Cross Church is built from different colored stones. Its roofs are made of red tiles. The church has a main hall (nave) with four sections, and a row of windows high up (a clerestory). It also has north and south side sections (aisles). There's a special area for the altar (chancel) with three sections, a porch on the north side, and a tall tower at the west end.

Outside the Church

The tower has three levels, separated by stone bands called string courses. It stands on a decorative base. At its corners are strong supports called buttresses. On the west side of the lowest level, there's a window with two lights and fancy stone patterns (tracery). The middle level on the north side has a clock face.

Tower Details

Each side of the top level of the tower has a tall window with two lights and a horizontal bar (transom). These are the bell openings. At the very top, the tower has a battlemented parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall. Below this, there's a carved decoration with flowers and animal heads. You can also see gargoyles at each corner. The large east window has five lights and geometric tracery. All the windows along the clerestory and the aisles have flat tops. On the north wall, there's a chimney and a special doorway for the priest.

Inside the Church

The two rows of arches (called arcades) inside the church are different. The north arcade is from the 12th century and has round arches, typical of Norman style. The south arcade is from the 13th century and has pointed arches, which is a Gothic style.

Interior Features

• Between the nave and the chancel, there's a low screen made of carved stone.
• The font, where baptisms happen, is octagonal (eight-sided). It's in the Perpendicular style, which is a later Gothic design.
• The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made around 1870 by a company called Clayton and Bell. The glass in the west window was created by Westlake.
• You can also see an alabaster monument inside. It has damaged statues (effigies) from the late 15th century.
• There's a memorial by a famous sculptor, Chantrey, for Lady Charlotte Finch. She passed away in 1813 and was the governess (teacher) for the children of King George III.
• The tower holds one bell, made in 1705.
• A memorial inside the church honors George Finch. His grave is north of the chancel. He was a politician who represented Rutland in the House of Commons for 40 years. He even became the "Father of the House of Commons," which means he was the longest-serving member at that time.
• The church also has a special turret clock with an anchor escapement. It was built by Joseph Knibb in 1678.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands
• List of ecclesiastical restorations and alterations by J. L. Pearson