St James's Church, Kingston, Purbeck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St James's Church, Kingston |
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St James's Church, Kingston, from the west (May 2021)
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| Location | Kingston, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Founded | 1874 |
| Dedication | St James the Great |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Architect(s) | George Edmund Street |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1874-1880 |
| Construction cost | £70,000 (1880) |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 10 |
| Tenor bell weight | 26cwt-3qrs-16lbs in D |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Kingston |
| Benefice | St Aldhelm |
| Deanery | Purbeck |
| Archdeaconry | Dorset |
| Diocese | Salisbury |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Church of St James is a beautiful old church in the village of Kingston. This village is on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The church is a great example of the Gothic Revival style. This means it looks like churches from the Middle Ages. It's also a Grade I listed building, which means it's very important and protected.
Contents
The Church's Story
For a long time, Kingston was part of Corfe Castle. It had a small church called a chapel of ease. This chapel helped people who lived far from the main church.
In 1833, a rich man named John Scott, the 1st Earl of Eldon, paid to rebuild this old chapel. It was designed in the same Gothic Revival style.
Later, in 1873, the 3rd Earl of Eldon wanted an even bigger church. He hired a famous architect, George Edmund Street, to design it. This new church was built on a different spot in the village. It was meant to be a private chapel for the Earl's family.
Building the church started in 1874 and finished in just six years. It cost a huge amount of money: £70,000! That was like more than £4.3 million today.
The church stayed private until 1921. Then, Lord Eldon gave it to the Church Commissioners. It officially became the parish church for Kingston in 1922. The older chapel became a church hall. Later, it was sold and turned into a house.
In the 1980s, the church needed major repairs. It stands on a high, windy hill, about 135 meters (443 feet) above the sea. Strong storms had damaged it a lot. Even though the village is small, people raised money to fix the church. The repairs were finished by the end of the 1980s.
How the Church Looks
Design Ideas
Experts think the church's design was inspired by other buildings. For example, some parts might look like 13th-century French churches. The tower might be based on a church in France called Norrey-en-Bassin.
Another idea is that it looks like the Church of the Holy Angels in Staffordshire. This church was designed by Street's friend. Also, a stair tower at Kingston is a copy of one at Christchurch Priory.
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The church at Norrey-en-Bassin, which might have inspired Kingston's tower.
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Holy Angels, Hoar Cross, Staffordshire.
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The north transept stair turret at Christchurch Priory, copied for Kingston.
Outside the Church
Kingston is a tiny village with only about 166 people. But its church is huge! People even call it the "Cathedral of the Purbecks."
The church is shaped like a cross. It has a long main hall (the nave), side sections (transepts), and a rounded end (apse). There's also a tall tower in the middle.
At the front, there's a covered entrance area called a narthex. Above it is a huge round window, about 3.7 meters (12 feet) wide. It has 21 separate parts. The sides of the church have many tall, narrow windows.
The church has two transepts, one on each side of the tower. The south transept has three large windows. The north transept has two windows and a stair tower. This stair tower looks like the one at Christchurch Priory.
The central tower is the most important part of the church. It rises high above the roof. It has windows for the bells, which are covered with wooden slats. The top of the tower has a decorative edge.
Inside the Church
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When you walk into the nave, you see a large space with side aisles. The arches in the nave have detailed carvings. The windows in the aisles show pictures of people from the Bible. The big round window at the west end is like one in Lausanne Cathedral in Switzerland.
The main hall (nave) has an open wooden roof. But the areas under the tower and the transepts have stone ceilings with criss-cross patterns. The area near the altar has a special ceiling with six sections.
A beautiful metal screen separates the nave from the rest of the church. This screen has a large cross on top. The church also has old oak choir stalls. These are where the choir members sit. There's a special opening in the ceiling here to move the bells up and down.
The area around the altar is the most decorated part. It has shiny Purbeck marble columns. There are also special seats and a basin for church services. The floor is covered with colorful Victorian tiles.
Building Materials
The outside of the church is made from a local stone called Burr. It comes from the Earl of Eldon's own land nearby. This stone now has a pink color because of tiny plants growing on it.
The inside of the church uses two different types of stone from Purbeck. The columns are made of polished Purbeck marble. This stone was used in famous churches like Salisbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Most of the walls and arches inside are made of Portland stone. This stone was also used for St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The oak wood for the choir stalls, doors, and roofs came from the Earl's estate in Gloucestershire. The steps leading to the altar are made of limestone from Derbyshire. The altar itself stands on a base of white Carrara marble from Italy.
The Organ
The church has a large organ with three keyboards. It was built in 1880. The keys are made of ivory, and the case is oak. The organ pipes are made from a mix of metals. Some pipes were even made by a famous French organ builder.
The organ has many pipes and can make many different sounds. Most of the organ is hidden below the church. It has been repaired and cleaned many times over the years. The last big repair was in the early 1990s.
In 2014, the organ was given a special Grade I listed status. This means it's a very important historical organ.
The Bells
The church tower was built to hold a set of bells. In 1878, the 3rd Earl of Eldon ordered eight bells. They were made by a company called John Taylor & Co. The heaviest bell weighed about 1448 kilograms (28 and a half hundredweight). These bells were hung in a strong oak frame, which is still there today.
In 1880, bell ringers tried to ring a full peal on the bells. This would have been the first full peal in Dorset, but they didn't quite finish it.
In 1920-1921, the bells were updated. The lightest and heaviest bells were remade to sound even better. All eight bells got new parts. The heaviest bell now weighs about 1366 kilograms (just under 27 hundredweight).
By the 1980s, the bell frame and parts needed more work. Volunteers helped to fix the frame. The bells were cleaned and made easier to ring.
In the late 1990s, two new bells were added. This made a total of ten bells! The new bells were cast in 2000. This made Kingston the first place on the Isle of Purbeck with ten bells. They are also the fourth heaviest set of bells in Dorset.
Today, bell ringers from all over the country enjoy ringing Kingston's bells because they sound so good.
Gallery
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View of church from NE
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View of eastern end and apse
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Nave and crossing
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View from the east over the village
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Porch and narthex
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View of old church from the new one
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