St Chad's, Burton upon Trent Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Chad's Church, Burton upon Trent
St Chad's Church
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo Catholic, Liberal Evangelical
Website	http://www.stchadsburton.org.uk/
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Lichfield
Province	Province of Canterbury

St Chad's Church is a beautiful Anglican church. You can find it on Hunter Street in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It belongs to the diocese of Lichfield. In 1979, this church was recognized as a very important building. It was given a special status called a Grade I listed building.

How St Chad's Church Began
The Church Building
The Church Organ
The Church Tower and Bells
Important Dates for St Chad's
Gallery
See also

How St Chad's Church Began

St Chad's Church was a wonderful gift to the town. It was given by Michael Bass, 1st Baron Burton. He spent about £38,000 to build it. The main architect was George Frederick Bodley. Sadly, he passed away before the church was finished. His partner, Cecil Greenwood Hare, completed the work. Building started in 1905. The church was officially opened in 1910. It was dedicated to Saint Chad of Mercia.

The Church Building

The church was designed in a style called the Decorated style. It was built using red Hollington stone. The building has a special room called a polygonal vestry. It also has a tower that stands a little apart from the main church. This tower is connected by a cool arched walkway. Inside, there is a beautiful altar screen. This screen is called a reredos. It was designed by Bodley.

A famous expert, Nikolaus Pevsner, said it was "the finest building by far in Burton-on-Trent." Others have called it "one of Bodley's best later works."

The Church Organ

The church has a large organ inside. It was built by Peter Conacher and Co of Huddersfield. The organ was installed by 1909. It has 32 different sounds, called stops. The organ has three keyboards and a pedal board. It uses special pure tin pipes. These pipes give the organ a very sweet sound.

The church tower

The Church Tower and Bells

The tower of St Chad's Church was meant to hold eight bells. A frame for the bells was put in around 1909. However, only one bell was installed at that time. This bell and its frame were made by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. The single bell was the largest one. It weighed about 2,360 pounds. It was tuned to the note of E.

In 1999, another church nearby closed down. It was Christchurch church at Newchurch. The six bells from that church were put up for sale. The vicar of St Chad's, Paul Skillings, bought them. The bells went back to Taylors for cleaning and repair. Two new smaller bells were made. This made a full set of eight bells. One of the new bells was given by the local football team, Burton Albion F.C.. Their stadium is in the church's area.

The new set of eight bells was lighter. They weighed about 1,456 pounds. They were tuned to the key of G. This meant the original large bell no longer fit with the new set. So, it was decided to sell the old bell. Finally, in 2000, the church had its full set of eight bells. This happened ninety years after the tower was first built!