St Botolph's Church, Ratcliffe on the Wreake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Botolph's Church, Ratcliffe on the Wreake |
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| 52°43′29.2367″N 1°4′4.592″W / 52.724787972°N 1.06794222°W | |
| Location | Ratcliffe on the Wreake |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Botolph |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ratcliffe on the Wreake |
| Deanery | Goscote |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leicester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Botolph's Church is a special old church in the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, England. It's a Church of England church and is listed as a Grade II* building. This means it's a very important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
Church Design and History
This church was built a very long time ago, in the 1300s! It was fixed up in 1876, but since then, it hasn't changed much. It still has many of its original parts.
The Spire
The tall, pointy part of the church, called the spire, was also built in the 1300s. It was rebuilt in 1812. The spire is made from rough granite stones and has a roof of Swithland slate tiles. There's a clock on the north side of the spire.
The nave is the main part of the church where people sit. It's the oldest part, built in the early 1300s. It used to be wider and had another section called a North aisle. This North aisle was removed between 1791 and 1795. You can still see four old stone pillars inside where it used to be. On the North wall, near the chancel, there's a special memorial. It's a statue of an angel praying, remembering a schoolboy who sadly fell from his pony.
The Chancel
The chancel is the part of the church near the altar. It also dates back to the 1300s. However, its roof is newer, from the 1800s. The chancel is separated from the nave by a special arch and is two steps lower than the rest of the church.
The Sanctuary
On the north wall of the sanctuary, there's a special carved space. Inside this space is a stone statue of a priest from the 1300s.
Church Windows
Most of the church windows have clear glass, so there isn't much colorful stained glass. But there are a few special ones:
- The window at the west end (by the tower) is from the 1800s.
- The East window, which is very beautiful, shows a picture of the Baptism of Christ. On one side is Saint John, and on the other is Noah. This window was made in 1878.
- There are three windows on the south side of the chancel. They have cool geometric patterns. The middle one even has small pieces of original medieval glass from hundreds of years ago!
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East window
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Medieval glass in the South Chancel window
Church Furniture
The round font, which is a large stone basin used for baptisms, is located near the main South door. It's very old, from the 1100s or 1200s! It sits on an eight-sided base that was probably added in the 1800s. Most of the other furniture in the church was made in 1869 by RJ & J Goodacre.
Church Services and Community
St Botolph's Church is part of a group of churches called the Fosse Team in the Diocese of Leicester. They have church services three Sunday evenings each month. Other churches in this team include:
- St Mary's Church, Barkby
- St Hilda's Church, East Goscote
- St Mary's Church, Queniborough
- St Michael and All Angels' Church, Rearsby
- St Peter & St Paul, Syston
- Holy Trinity Church, Thrussington
- St Michael and All Angels' Church, Thurmaston
Famous People Connected to the Church
- Richard Kilby (1560 - 1620) - He was a professor who taught Hebrew at Oxford University. He helped translate parts of the Old Testament for the famous King James Version of the Bible.
