St Andrew's Church, Chippenham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Parish Church, Chippenham
|
|
|---|---|
| 51°27′28.4″N 2°6′45.4″W / 51.457889°N 2.112611°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Liberal Anglo-Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Andrew |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Andrew, Chippenham |
| Diocese | Bristol |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Andrew's is a Church of England parish church located in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. It is a welcoming and eco-friendly church. The church aims to show God's love through kindness and acceptance.
It is one of four Anglican churches in Chippenham. St Andrew's serves the southern and eastern parts of the town. You can find it right next to the Market Place in the old town centre. The building is considered very important and is a Grade II* listed site.
St Andrew's is a large church. It has a wide main area called the nave. A screen from the early 1900s separates the nave from the long chancel. The Lady Chapel is the oldest part of the church. It is located to the south-east of the chancel. Both the north and south aisles are quite wide. St Katherine's Chapel used to be a Guild Chapel. Now, it is used for baptisms. There is also a special monument to the Prynne family near the west end of the south aisle.
Contents
History of St Andrew's Church
The church building you see today has parts from the 12th century. However, it was built on the site of an even older Anglo-Saxon church. Most of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century. This included adding the fancy south chapel in 1442. This chapel was built for Walter, Lord Hungerford.
Building Changes Over Time
The church tower has a base from the 14th century. But the rest of the tower was rebuilt in 1633. The church was repaired and updated between 1875 and 1878. During this time, the roof was made higher. The chancel was also made longer. The inside of the church was rearranged. A new room called a vestry was added in 1907.
The tower has eight bells. These bells were made in 1734.
Past Features of the Church
You can still see signs of a west gallery. Before the church was updated in the 1870s, this gallery held the Seede organ. The gallery was removed when the organ was made bigger. The organ was then moved to the east end of the north aisle.
There was also a gallery in St Katherine's Chapel. This gallery is no longer there. However, you can still see the stones that supported it in the inside walls.
Church Services and Worship
St Andrew's offers different types of services. Most of these services focus on the Eucharist, which is a special church ceremony.
Sunday Services
On Sundays, there are two main services. At 9:00 AM, the Eucharist is held using traditional language. At 10:30 AM, the Eucharist is celebrated with a choir, a music group, worship singers, and the organ. Once a month, on the first Sunday, there is a Sung Evensong service. The church choir leads this service.
St Nicholas Chapel
The church of St Nicholas is in a small village called Tytherton Lucas. This village is about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north-east of Chippenham. St Nicholas is a smaller chapel connected to St Andrew's. It holds worship services twice a month. These services are usually in the afternoon or evening. They often follow the Book of Common Prayer.
Church Choirs and Music
There are two singing groups at St Andrew's Church. These groups help with the church services. They are the Robed Choir and the St Andrew's Singers.
The Robed Choir
The Robed Choir sings at the main morning service. They perform on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of each month. This church has had choral services for many years.
The church is connected to the Royal School of Church Music. The training for the Robed Choir follows their Voice for Life program. This program helps young singers develop their voices.
The St Andrew's Singers
The St Andrew's Singers are a less formal group. They provide music for the All Age services. These services happen on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month.
The Church Organ
The organ at St Andrew's is a large instrument. It has three keyboards for hands and one for feet (called a pedalboard). It also has 46 "speaking stops," which control different sounds.
History of the Organ
Much of the organ's original pipes are from an organ built by Brice Seede in 1752. The beautiful front case of the organ is also from that time. In 1852, Holdich added pipes for the pedalboard. He also added mechanical ways to change the stops.
In 1879, the organ was rebuilt by Gray and Davison. It was moved from its first spot in the west gallery. It went into a special room for the organ in the north aisle. More parts were added in the 20th century. In 1931, Adkins changed the organ to use air pressure (pneumatic action). In 1965, Percy Daniel & Co. rebuilt it again. They added a separate control desk with electric and air controls. Coulson made more changes in 1986.
Events and Community Use
St Andrew's Church is also a place for many community events. Local groups, like orchestras and choirs, use the church to perform. Schools in the area, both primary and secondary, also use the church for their Christmas events.
