St Bartholomew's Church, Chipping facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Bartholomew's Church, Chipping |
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St Bartholomew's Church, Chipping, from the south
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| OS grid reference | SD 622 433 |
| Location | Chipping, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Bartholomew, Chipping |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Bartholomew |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 13 February 1967 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, stone slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Chipping St Bartholomew |
| Deanery | Whalley |
| Archdeaconry | Blackburn |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
St Bartholomew's Church is an old and important church located in the village of Chipping in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, which means it is part of the Church of England and serves the local community. The church is so special that it is protected as a Grade II* listed building. This is a high rating that means the building is of more than special interest and must be preserved.
Contents
A Church Through Time
A church has stood on this spot in Chipping for a very long time, since at least the year 1230. It's even possible that a church was here during the Anglo-Saxon period, over 1,000 years ago!
The tall stone tower you see today was built around 1450. The rest of the church was rebuilt in 1506. Much of what the church looks like from the outside comes from another rebuilding project that happened in 1872.
Exploring the Church's Design
What It Looks Like Outside
St Bartholomew's is built from sandstone rubble (rough, uncut stones) and has a roof made of stone slates. The building has a simple layout:
- A nave, which is the main area where people sit.
- Aisles on the north and south sides, which are walkways next to the nave.
- A chancel at the east end, where the altar is located.
- A west tower, which is the tallest part of the church.
The tower is built in three levels, or stages, and has strong supports called buttresses on its corners. The main entrance is through a doorway in the tower. Above it is a large window with three sections. Higher up, the openings for the bells have two sections.
A unique feature is a dormer on the south side of the roof. This is a window that sticks out from the roof and has a wooden frame called a gable. The chancel also has a special "priest's door" in its south wall. The large window at the very end of the church, the east window, has five lights, or sections.
What's Inside the Church
Inside, there is no wall separating the nave from the chancel, making it feel like one large open space. A row of arches, called an arcade, separates the nave from the aisles. These arches are held up by eight-sided pillars.
If you look closely at the pillars on the north side, you can see interesting carvings on the tops, which are called capitals. One carving is a woman's head from the 1300s. Others show a snake, flowers, and a pair of faces.
Other interesting features inside include:
- A piscina: A stone basin built into the wall, used for washing holy items. This one is from the 1200s.
- The font: An eight-sided stone basin where baptisms take place. It has simple carvings of symbols related to the story of Jesus's crucifixion, known as the Arma Christi.
- Stained Glass: One window has modern stained glass from 1966, made by the company Shrigley and Hunt. It has a colorful, semi-abstract design.
- Memorials: There are brass plaques, called brasses, remembering people from the past. One is for the two wives of a man named Robert Parkingson, who died in 1611 and 1623. There are also stone monuments from 1777 and 1816.
- The Organ: The church has a large pipe organ with two keyboards, built in 1876 by the famous organ maker Henry Willis.
- The Bells: The tower holds a ring of six bells. All of them were made in 1793 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, a very famous bell maker.
Features in the Churchyard
Outside the church, you can find a sundial that was made in 1708. It's made of sandstone and has a square base with three steps. On top of the base is a grooved column in the ancient Greek Doric style. A round brass plate with a pointer (called a gnomon) sits on top to tell the time using the sun's shadow. The sundial is so historic that it is also a Grade II listed structure. The stone walls around the churchyard and the steps leading up to the church are also listed for protection.
See also
- Listed buildings in Chipping, Lancashire
