St Giles' Church, Barrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Giles' Church, Barrow |
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St Giles' Church, Barrow, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SO 658 999 |
| Location | Barrow, Shropshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Broseley Parishes |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Giles |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 24 October 1950 |
| Architect(s) | G. E. Street, Ewan Christian |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Neoclassical (porch), Gothic Revival (north chapel) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone and brick, tiled roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Linley with Willey and Barrow |
| Deanery | Telford Severn Gorge |
| Archdeaconry | Ludlow |
| Diocese | Hereford |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Giles' Church is a very old church located in the small village of Barrow, Shropshire, England. It's an active Anglican church, meaning it's part of the Church of England. This church is super important because it's listed as a Grade I building, which is the highest level of protection for historic buildings in England. It's one of the oldest churches in Shropshire and has the only remaining Anglo-Saxon chancel (the area around the altar) in the whole county!
Contents
History of St Giles' Church
St Giles' Church started out as a small chapel connected to Wenlock Abbey. The oldest part, the chancel, might have been built as early as the 8th century, but it was more likely built in the 11th century. That's over 900 years ago!
The main part of the church, called the Norman nave (where people sit), was built around 1100. It probably replaced an even older wooden nave. The lower sections of the church tower were added a bit later, in the 12th century.
Over the years, new parts were added. A brick porch was built in 1705, and the top part of the tower, also made of brick, was added in the 1700s. The church was repaired and updated in 1851–52 by a famous architect named G. E. Street. Later, in 1894–95, another architect, Ewan Christian, built a new north chapel and rebuilt the east wall of the chancel.
Architecture of the Church
Most of St Giles' Church is made of stone with tiled roofs, except for the brick top of the tower and the porch. It has some really interesting old features.
Outside the Church
On the north wall of the chancel, you can still see an Anglo-Saxon window and faint marks of pilasters (flat, column-like decorations). In the south wall, there's a Norman doorway for the priest, which was cut into an even older window.
The nave has two Norman windows on its north side and one window and a doorway on its south side. The tower also has a Norman doorway on its west side and one Norman window. The porch, built in 1705, looks a bit like Neoclassical style. It's made of red brick with stone blocks called quoins at the corners. The main doorway is rounded with a special stone called a keystone at the top, and it has two round windows, called oculi, on either side. Inside the porch, there's a small stone basin called a piscina, which was used for washing sacred vessels.
Inside the Church
The arch that connects the chancel to the nave is Anglo-Saxon in origin, but it was changed a bit during the repairs by G. E. Street. The arch leading into the tower was actually the original Norman west doorway of the nave before the tower was built. If you look closely inside the tower, you can see its tympanum (the space above the doorway), which is decorated with three rows of saltire crosses (X-shaped crosses) inside squares.
The font, used for baptisms, is a simple, round stone tub on a cylindrical base. It probably dates back to the 12th century. The wooden pulpit, where sermons are given, is shaped like a drum and has decorative carved panels. The church also has a "poor box" from around 1690, which was used to collect money for those in need. You can also see wall monuments inside the church from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
Outside the Church Grounds
In the churchyard, there's a special chest tomb for John Rose, who was famous for creating the Coalport China Works. He died in 1841, and his tomb is also a protected historic monument.
The cemetery at Barrow Church also contains the war grave of a soldier from the Royal Artillery who died during World War II.
See also
- Grade I listed churches in Shropshire
- Listed buildings in Barrow, Shropshire
