St George's Church, Edworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St George's Church, Edworth |
|
|---|---|
St George's Church, Edworth, from the southeast
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | TL 222 407 |
| Location | Edworth, Bedfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint George |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 31 October 1966 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Closed | 1972 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Cobblestones, ironstone and limestone Roofs slated |
St George's Church, Edworth, is a very old Anglican church in the small village of Edworth, Bedfordshire, England. It is no longer used for regular church services. This church is special because it is a "Grade I listed building." This means it is a very important historical building that needs to be protected.
The church is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. This group helps to save old churches that are no longer in use. Edworth is about 3 kilometers (2 miles) southeast of Biggleswade.
Contents
History of St George's Church
This church was first built around the year 1200. That's over 800 years ago! During the Middle Ages, it belonged to a place called St Neots Priory.
Around 1320, more parts were added to the church. These included the aisles, which are the side sections of the church. The chancel, the area near the altar, was also rebuilt.
The church's tower was built in the mid-1300s. Later, in the late 1400s, the porches were added. The chancel was made shorter in the 1800s. The church stopped being used for regular services on June 1, 1974. It was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust on June 9, 1976, to be preserved.
Church Design and Features
St George's Church is built from a mix of different stones. These include cobblestones, ironstone, and limestone. Some parts of the walls are covered with a smooth finish called stucco. The roofs are made of slate.
The church has a main area called the nave. It also has side sections called north and south aisles. There are porches on the north and south sides for entering the church. At the east end is the chancel, and at the west end is a tower.
Outside the Church
The tower was built in the 1300s. It has two main parts and strong supports called buttresses. At the top, it has a battlemented parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall.
On the west side of the tower, there is a single window. The upper part of the tower has openings for bells. The large window at the east end of the chancel was added in the 1800s. It looks like windows from the 1400s.
Both the north and south walls of the chancel have three-light windows from the 1400s. There is also an old doorway on the south side that is now blocked up. The main part of the church, the nave, has three-light windows on both sides.
Above the main part of the church is a row of windows called a clerestory. These are square-headed windows with two lights each. The main doorways into the church are from the 1300s. The north and south porches were added in the 1400s. They have shallow gables, which are the triangular parts of the roof.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has arcades on each side. These are rows of arches supported by pillars. They run along the eastern part of the nave. In the northeast corner of the nave, there is a staircase that once led to a rood screen.
The font, used for baptisms, is shaped like an octagon and dates from the 1400s. It has carved pictures on its sides. In the north aisle, there is a special stone basin called a piscina. It stands on a pillar and is very old, from the 1100s.
You can also see a small piece of a wall painting from the 1300s on the wall of the north aisle. In the chancel, there are old pews (church benches) from the 1400s. They have special carvings called poppyheads and finials shaped like lions and bears.
Some of the windows in the chancel and clerestory still have small pieces of medieval stained glass. The church has a ring of three bells. The oldest bell was made in 1480. The other two were made in 1615 and 1623.
See also
Images for kids
-
West window, St George's Church, Edworth by Shrigley & Hunt (1892)
-
St George's Church, Edworth - east chancel and east end
