Old St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Sapey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old St Bartholomew's Church,Lower Sapey |
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Old St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Sapey, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | SO 699 602 |
| Location | Near Lower Sapey, Worcestershire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Bartholomew |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 29 July 1959 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman |
| Groundbreaking | Early 12th century |
| Specifications | |
| Nave width | 19 feet (5.8 m) |
| Other dimensions | Nave length 34 feet 4 inches (10.5 m) Chancel length 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) Chancel width 15 feet (4.6 m) |
| Materials | Sandstone, tile roofs |
Old St Bartholomew's Church is a very old Anglican church near Lower Sapey, England. It is no longer used for regular church services. This special building is protected as a Grade II* listed building. It is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it is super important for history! The Churches Conservation Trust takes care of it. You can find it on a steep bank, hidden away at the end of a winding lane.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
This church was first built a very long time ago, in the early 1100s. People think an even older church might have been here before. This is because the Domesday Book mentions a priest in this area. The Domesday Book was a huge survey of England made in 1086.
Changes Over the Centuries
In the 1300s, a porch was added to the south side of the church. A new window was also put in the south wall of the chancel. The chancel is the part of the church where the altar is.
Later, in the 1800s, more changes were made. Windows were made wider, and new seats were put in. A special balcony, called a west gallery, was also added. Around this time, the arch that separated the nave from the chancel was probably removed.
From Church to Farm Building
In 1877, a new St Bartholomew's Church was built nearby in Harpley. This meant the old church was no longer needed for services. For a while, it was not looked after and was even used as a farm building.
Saving the Old Church
Since 1990, a lot of work has been done to repair and restore the church. A local group called "The Friends of Old St. Bartholomew's" helped a lot. They even put the west gallery back in. The goal was to make the church look as natural as possible. The Churches Conservation Trust officially took over the care of the church on January 21, 1994.
What the Church Looks Like
Old St Bartholomew's is built from sandstone rocks. Its roofs are made of tiles. Some parts of the outside walls are covered in a smooth plaster called stucco.
Outside the Church
The church has a simple design. It has a nave, which is the main part where people sit. It also has a chancel and a south porch. The nave is about 34 feet (10.4 meters) long and 19 feet (5.8 meters) wide. The chancel is about 19 feet (6 meters) long and 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide.
The window at the east end of the church is a single, tall window with a pointed top. On the south side of the chancel, there is a window with two trefoil-shaped lights. A blocked-up door, once used by the priest, is also on this wall. On the north side of the chancel, there is a narrow, round-topped window.
The south porch is made of timber and sits on a stone base. It has a pointed roof with curved wooden supports. The walls are covered with wooden boards called weatherboarding. The decorative board on the gable is carved. The main doorway is in the Norman style. It has a single arch and a carved stone panel above it called a tympanum.
On the west wall, there is a large window from the 1800s. Above it, you can see a small opening from the 1100s. The north wall has a blocked-up doorway and another window from the 1800s.
Inside the Church
The inside walls of the church are covered in plaster. In the north wall of the chancel, there are two square storage cupboards called aumbries. In the south wall, there is a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels. There is also another square aumbry here.
Above the east window, you can see where a 12th-century window was blocked up. At the west end of the church, there is a balcony or gallery. You can also see the remains of a round base for a font. The original Norman bowl of the font was moved to the new church. On the north wall of the nave, there are faint traces of medieval paintings.
See also
