St Bartholomew's Church, Orford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Bartholomew, Orford
Church of St Bartholomew
Church of St Bartholomew
Church of St Bartholomew, Orford Location in Suffolk
52°05′42″N 1°32′06″E / 52.0951°N 1.5349°E / 52.0951; 1.5349
Location	Orford, Suffolk
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Active
Dedication	St Bartholomew
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	16 March 1966
Administration
Parish	Orford
Diocese	Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich

The Church of St Bartholomew is a very old and important church in the town of Orford, England. It was built many centuries ago, starting in the 1300s. Over the years, parts of it have been rebuilt and repaired. This church is special because it's a "Grade I listed building", which means it's a really important historical site. It's also famous for being the place where four important musical works by the famous composer Benjamin Britten were first performed. These works include Noye's Fludde, Curlew River, The Burning Fiery Furnace, and The Prodigal Son.

A Look Back: The Church's Story

The Church of St Bartholomew has a long and interesting history. It includes parts that date back to the 12th century, around the year 1166. This older part, called the chancel, was left in ruins by the 1700s. The main part of the church, called the nave, and the side sections, called aisles, were built in the 1300s. They were later fixed up in the late 1800s.

Building and Repairs Over Time

The church's tower also needed a lot of work. Its top part fell down in 1830, and it was repaired much later, between 1971 and 1972. The chancel, the eastern part of the church, was built around the same time as Orford Castle. It was designed to look just as grand.

By the 1700s, the chancel was completely ruined. So, people focused on rebuilding the nave and the tower. A famous architect named George Edmund Street made a big plan in the 1880s to fix the whole church, but it wasn't carried out. Instead, the repairs happened over almost a hundred years. J. T. Micklethwaite worked on the nave and aisles from 1894 to 1900. H. M. Cautley repaired the chancel in 1930, and Bruce George fixed the tower in the early 1970s.

Inside the Church

When you go inside the church, you'll see many interesting things.

Special Features

• The Font: The font, which is a large basin used for baptisms, is from the 1400s. It has cool carvings around its base, showing four lions and four "wild men."
• Paintings: Above the main altar, there's a painting called "The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist and donor." It was painted by Bernardino Luini and was originally a special banner from Milan Cathedral in 1525. In the St. Nicholas Chapel, there's another painting called "The Nativity, with the Angel appearing to the Shepherds" by Raffaelino del Colle.
• Memorials: The church also has many memorials and monuments. These are special plaques or stones that remember people. One of these is for the famous composer Benjamin Britten. It's a green stone slab set into the floor of the nave.

The Church Organ

The church's original organ was destroyed when the tower collapsed in 1830. For a long time, a temporary organ was used. This temporary organ was still in use in the early 2000s.

A New Organ for the Church

In 2017, the church received a special gift: an organ from the Turner Sims Concert Hall. Even though there was some discussion about it, the church was allowed to install the new organ in 2018. It was then put in place by a company called Cousans in 2019.

Images for kids

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  The nave, the main part of the church

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  The altar, where services are held

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  The 15th-century font with carvings of 'wild men'