St Botolph's Church, Cambridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Botolph's Church, Cambridge |
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St Botolph's Church tower
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| 52°12′09″N 0°07′05″E / 52.2025°N 0.1181°E | |
| Location | Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1RG |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Book of Common Prayer |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Botolph |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 4 |
| Tenor bell weight | 8.5cwt in A (~430kg) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Botolph, Cambridge |
| Deanery | Cambridge South Deanery |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Cambridge |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ely |
St Botolph's Church, Cambridge is a historic Church of England church located in the city of Cambridge, England. It's a special building, recognized as a Grade I listed building, which means it's considered very important and protected for its history and architecture.
Contents
Church History
The church is named after Botolph, a religious leader from the 600s in East Anglia. He is known as a patron saint of people who travel. The church was built near the old south gate of medieval Cambridge. This was the main entrance for travelers coming into the town from the south and west.
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Most of the church building you see today was built in the 1300s. It is made from flint and stone, with special Barnack stone used for details. The font, which is used for baptisms, was made in 1637. It has a beautiful wooden cover.
The Tower and Bells
The church's tower was added in the 1400s. On top of the tower, there are stone figures that represent the four evangelists (these were fixed up in 1971). You can also see a sundial on one of the tower's supports. The church has four bells that were made in 1460, and they are still used today!
Inside the Church
The fancy chancel area of the church was rebuilt in 1872 by a famous Victorian architect named George Frederick Bodley. Local artists also helped with the decorations. This part of the church shows off the detailed style of the Victorian era. It was carefully cleaned and fixed in 2008 with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Bodley also designed the lectern, which is a stand for reading.
St Botolph's Church has the only medieval rood screen left in a parish church in Cambridge. A rood screen is a decorated screen that separates the chancel from the main part of the church. The paintings on this screen were added during the church's restoration in the late 1800s.
War Memorial and Stained Glass
The South Chapel in the church was updated to remember those who died in the First World War. The special stained glass window in this chapel was one of the first works by artist Rachel de Montmorency. This window shows two important figures: St George and St Michael. The chapel also remembers the First Eastern General Hospital, which was a large hospital built during the First World War on what is now the Cambridge University Library site.
The church also has memorials for important people like Thomas Playfere and James Essex.
Recent Events
On April 26, 1950, St Botolph's Church was officially named a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historical building.
In 2020, a stained glass window from 1870 was damaged. This window was made by Charles Eamer Kempe and showed Botolph and Margaret of Antioch. People quickly raised money online to help fix the window and make the church more secure. This also helped with repairs to the church's roof, which had been damaged a few months earlier.
St Botolph's Today
The church is located where Trumpington Street and Silver Street meet. A small street called Botolph Lane runs next to the churchyard. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge is just north of the church. The church's parish area stretches west over the River Cam into Newnham and includes several university colleges.
Images for kids
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St Botolph's in circa 1870
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The Laudian font
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Stained glass window by Rachel Tancock
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Sundial on a tower buttress
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Interior, looking towards the chancel
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