St Andrew's Church, Cranford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Andrew's Church, Cranford
St Andrew's Church, Cranford, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SP 923 772
Location	Cranford St Andrew, Northamptonshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint Andrew
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	25 February 1957
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	1847
Specifications
Materials	Limestone with ironstone dressings, lead roofs

St Andrew's Church is an old Anglican church located in Cranford St Andrew, Northamptonshire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, which is why it's called a "redundant" church. This special building is protected as a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's very important historically and architecturally. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it. You can find the church in the beautiful park of Cranford Hall, just southwest of the main house.

History of St Andrew's Church

St Andrew's Church was first built in the late 1100s. Parts of the original building, like the main hall's arches, are still there today.

• In the 1200s, a tower was added. Most of the church was rebuilt around this time. A small chapel was also added on the north side.
• More building happened in the 1300s. The upper windows (called a clerestory) and the entrance porch were built. New windows were put in too.
• The south chapel was added in the 1400s.
• In 1674, the south chapel was updated with new stone.
• A new section, called a north transept, was added in 1847. This was built as a private seating area for the Robinson family of Cranford Hall.
• Since December 1, 1996, the Churches Conservation Trust has been responsible for the church.

Church Design and Features

The church is built from limestone rocks, some of which are covered in a smooth finish. Some parts are also made with ironstone. The roofs are covered with lead.

Outside the Church

The church has a main hall (the nave) with upper windows. It also has a north side aisle, a south entrance porch, and a north transept. There's a main altar area (the chancel) with chapels on both its north and south sides. A tower stands at the west end.

• The tower has two levels. The bottom level is tall and has strong supports called buttresses.
• On the lower tower, there's a pointed doorway and a narrow window above it. Small lights for the stairs are on the left.
• The upper part of the tower has two-light bell openings on each side. These have fancy stone patterns.
• On the south side of the tower, a clock face replaces one of the stone decorations.
• The very top of the tower has a castellated (castle-like) wall.

The chancel and porch also have castellated walls. The nave and chapels have plain walls.

• On the south side of the nave, you'll see two windows. One is a two-light window with a square top, and the other is a three-light window under a pointed arch.
• The south chapel has a doorway with a curved top. Above it is a stone dated 1674, and a two-light window.
• At the east end of the south chapel is another two-light window.
• The main east window of the chancel has a three-light window. The north chapel's east wall also has a three-light window.
• On the north side of the north chapel, there's a three-light window.
• The north transept, added in the 1800s, is built in a style similar to later Gothic churches.
• The north aisle has a three-light window and a two-light window with a square top.

Inside the Church

The arches between the nave and the north aisle are in the Norman style. They are round-headed and rest on round pillars with simple tops.

• In the north chapel, there's a medieval piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels.
• The east window has small pieces of stained glass from the medieval period and the 1600s.
• The pulpit (where sermons are given) is from the 1800s. It has older wooden panels from the 1500s that show Bible stories.
• The font (used for baptisms) is eight-sided and plain.
• Inside the church, you'll find memorials to the Fossebrok (or Fosbroke) and Robinson families.
• The organ, which has two keyboards, was built in 1883.
• The church has a set of four bells. Two bells were made in 1624, one in 1683, and the fourth in 1718.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands