Leicester's Church, Denbigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leicester's Church |
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| Remains of St David's Church, Denbigh | |
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| Type | Church |
| Location | Denbigh, Denbighshire |
| Built | begun in 1578-9, abandoned in 1584 |
| Built for | Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester |
| Governing body | Cadw |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Leicester's Church (Remains) | |
| Designated | 1950 |
| Reference no. | 970 |
| Official name: Denbigh, Leicester's Church | |
| Reference no. | DE044 |
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Leicester's Church, also known as St David's Church, is a large ruined church in Denbigh, North Wales. It stands near the old castle on a hill. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, started building it in 1578. However, he faced money problems, and work stopped in 1584. When the Earl died in 1588, the church was left unfinished.
This was the only big church building project in England or Wales during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. When Robert Dudley died without children to inherit, his lands went back to the Queen. The church was left as an open, roofless space. Today, it is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Cadw, the Welsh historic environment service, now looks after it.
Contents
What the Ruins Look Like
The church has been an empty shell since building stopped in 1584. It is a large rectangle, about 55 meters (180 feet) long and 23 meters (75 feet) wide. Some of the stone from the south wall and east end was removed over time. However, the north wall and west end still stand at their full original height.
The ruins show that the church would have had 10 sections with Tudor-style arched windows. There are also remains of Tuscan pillars. This means the church was designed in a Renaissance style. This was very different from the older Gothic church style. Because very few new churches were built after the Reformation, Leicester's Church is a very important example. It is seen as the most ambitious Protestant church built during the Elizabethan period.
The Lordship of Denbigh
The area of Denbigh was once a special territory called a Lordship. The first Lord of Denbigh was Henry de Lacy in 1284. English kings gave these lordships to powerful people. They were like personal kingdoms. Over time, different lords controlled Denbigh. Eventually, it came under the control of Edward of York. When he became King Edward IV in 1461, Denbigh became part of the Crown's lands.
Later, during the Tudor reforms (1535–1542), these special lordships became part of the main kingdom. In 1563, Queen Elizabeth I gave the Lordship of Denbigh to Robert Dudley. Even though there was no legal reason for this, Dudley was so powerful that he acted as if he owned it. The people of Denbigh were not happy about this.
To calm the people, Dudley, who also became the Earl of Leicester in 1564, made improvements to the town. He built a town hall and a market hall. In 1579, he started building a new church. This was the first new church built in England or Wales since the Reformation.
A Grand Protestant Church
The Earl of Leicester had big plans for his new church. He named it St David's Church. He hoped it would become a new Protestant cathedral, replacing St Asaph Cathedral. Robert Dudley was a strong supporter of the Puritan movement. This group wanted to focus on preaching in church services, not on the Mass.
The church was designed as a wide, rectangular building. This shape would allow people to be closer to the pulpit to hear sermons. After the Reformation, there was a long pause in church building. For about 100 years, no major new churches were built in England and Wales. Leicester's Church is the only example of such a large project during this time.
The finished church would have looked very different from older Gothic buildings. Large, Tudor-style windows would have made the inside very bright. Tuscan columns and other Renaissance features would have given it a modern and international look.
From Building to Ruin
In 1584, after five years of building, work on the church stopped. In the same year, Robert Dudley's three-year-old son died. This was a terrible loss for him. It meant he had no child to inherit his titles and lands. With his wife being 40, he didn't expect to have another child.
The main reason for stopping the work was money. Building such a huge stone church was extremely expensive, even for a wealthy Earl. The next year, Dudley had to mortgage his Denbigh lordship for a large sum to pay his debts. Three years later, in 1588, the Earl of Leicester died suddenly. Since he had no heir, all his lands and titles went back to the Crown.
Queen Elizabeth I paid off the mortgage on Denbigh in 1592. But neither she nor anyone else was interested in finishing the church. It remained the property of the Crown, not the local church. People then started taking stones and other building materials from the church. Even where the walls are still tall, they have large, empty window spaces where the carved stones were removed.
Protected by the State
The church has been an open ruin ever since. People say it was used for cockfights and even duels. It has not had a formal purpose since. Today, it is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.
The Ministry of Works first took responsibility for its care. Later, Cadw took over. Cadw has slowly acquired several historic sites around Denbigh. Denbigh Castle, about 150 meters (164 yards) south, was partly destroyed during the English Civil War. The Town Walls run very close to the church. St Hilary's Chapel Tower is only 50 yards away. The Carmelite Denbigh Friary is at the other end of Vale Street. All these sites are cared for by Cadw, which helps people visit them.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Denbighshire
- List of Cadw properties
- List of Scheduled Monuments in Denbighshire
