St Kenelm's Church, Sapperton, Gloucestershire facts for kids
St Kenelm's Church is a very old and special church located in Sapperton, Gloucestershire. It is now looked after by The Churches Conservation Trust. This church is so important that it's listed as a Grade I building on the National Heritage List for England. Its churchyard also has some interesting graves.
Contents
The Church's Story
How Old Is St Kenelm's Church?
The church in Sapperton was first built a very long time ago, in the early 1100s. You can still see parts of this original building in the north transept. The main tower, the nave (where people sit), and the chancel (the area near the altar) were mostly built in the 1300s. Later, in the early 1700s, the Atkyns family did a lot of work to rebuild and update the church.
Who Was Saint Kenelm?
The church is named after a saint called St Kenelm.
A New Purpose for the Church
In 2016, St Kenelm's Church was no longer used for regular services. It then became the 350th church to be cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust. This trust helps to protect and preserve historic churches across England.
Church Design and Features
What Does the Outside Look Like?
St Kenelm's Church is built from strong, rough-cut stone. The nave and south transept are made from smoother, cut stone. The roof is covered with special Cotswold stone-slates. It has pointed gables (the triangular parts of the wall at the end of a roof) with stone caps and a cross decoration on the chancel gable.
The church has a cross shape, with the tower located east of the transepts (the arms of the cross). The tower has two main levels and a pointed broach spire on top, with a weathervane. The south transept has two gables and a carved entrance doorway. The chancel windows are rounded and still have some of their original greenish glass from the early 1700s.
What Can You See Inside?
Inside the church, the tower stands on four arches that were built in the 1300s. The font, which is a basin used for baptisms, is located in the south porch and dates back to the 1400s.
You can also see amazing carved pew ends and wooden panels in the south transept. These beautiful pieces, along with the gallery front and oak trim, originally came from the dining room at Sapperton Park. That house was taken down around 1730.
The church also has a wonderful collection of monuments. In the north transept, there is a large tomb from the Renaissance period for Sir Henry Poole, who passed away in 1616. It features marble statues of him and his family kneeling. There is also a stone statue of a knight lying down, with a Renaissance style canopy, on the east wall of the north transept. This was made by Gildo or Gildon of Hereford.
In the south transept, you'll find a big monument dedicated to Sir Robert Atkyns, who was a historian of Gloucestershire and died in 1711. This monument was created by Edward Stanton.
The Churchyard and Famous Graves
The Mason-Dixon Line Connection
Near the south chancel wall, you can find the grave of Rebekah Mason. She was the first wife of the astronomer Charles Mason, who died in 1787. Charles Mason, along with another surveyor named Jeremiah Dixon, helped to map out a boundary line in the 1700s. This line was created to solve a land dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Later, after Pennsylvania made slavery illegal, this boundary became known as the Mason–Dixon line. It marked the division between states where slavery was allowed and those where it was not.
Arts & Crafts Movement Leaders
The village of Sapperton was closely connected to the Arts & Crafts movement . This was a design movement that valued handmade items and traditional skills. In the churchyard, you can find the graves of Ernest and Sidney Barnsley. They were famous furniture makers and important leaders of this movement. Ernest also designed the nearby village hall.
Another notable person buried here is Emery Walker. He was a very skilled printer and worked closely with William Morris, another key figure in the Arts & Crafts movement.
