St Margaret's Church, Whaddon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Margaret's Church, Whaddon |
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 St Margaret's Church, Whaddon
Location in Gloucestershire
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| 51°49′17″N 2°14′36″W / 51.8215°N 2.2433°W | |
| OS grid reference | SO833136 |
| Location | Whaddon, Gloucestershire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Margaret |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 10 January 1955 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | English Gothic architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 13th century |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 120 |
| Materials | Limestone |
St Margaret's Church is an old church in Whaddon, England. It was built in the 1200s and is part of the Church of England. It's a special building, protected as a grade II* listed building since 1955. Its tall tower stands out in the flat countryside around it.
Contents
History of St Margaret's Church
Early Beginnings and Dedication
St Margaret's Church was built in the 1200s. We don't know much about its early days until 1315. That's when it was officially named after St Margaret of Scotland.
Church Connections and Changes
The church was once part of a larger area called the Morton Valence and Whaddon civil parish. Because of this, it was sometimes called the chapel of Moreton. This connection changed in 1840 when Whaddon joined with Brookthorpe.
For a long time, until 1540, the churches of Moreton and Whaddon were part of the Anglican Diocese of Worcester. After that, they became part of the new Diocese of Gloucester. They continued to work together until 1784. In 1840, a new house for the vicar was built in Brookthorpe. Whaddon remained connected to Brookthorpe until 1970.
Building Updates and Restorations
The main part of the church, called the nave, and the area around the altar, called the chancel, are from the 1200s. The church tower was added later, in the 1400s.
The church building was fully repaired in 1855. The chancel was fixed up later, in 1880. The original curved wooden ceiling of the nave and the plastered walls were kept as they were.
Church Bells and Music
The church tower once held five bells, but now only two remain. One bell was re-made in 1971 by John Taylor & Co. The other bell was made in 1752 by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester.
The church organ is very old, built in 1768 by John Snetzler. It used to be in St Swithun's Church, Brookthorpe from 1938 to 1997. When regular services stopped there, the organ was moved to St Margaret's. It has seven musical stops, and most of its pipes are original. The pipes were re-decorated with gold by Ursula Falconer. The organ's case is made of mahogany wood. It has some fancy, old-fashioned decorations.
Special Windows
At the east end of the church, there is a beautiful window with three sections. It was made in 1920 by Sir Ninian Comper. The middle section shows God as a young person. The section on the north side shows St Margaret of Scotland. The section on the south side shows St George.
Architecture and Design
Church Structure and Materials
St Margaret's Church is an old stone building. It has a chancel, a nave (the main part where people sit) without side aisles, and a porch on the north side. There is also a strong, square tower at the west end. This tower was added in the 1400s and holds three bells. Most of the windows are simple, pointed lancet windows. The roof is made of stone tiles.
The north doorway is arched and has carved faces above it. The wooden door itself is from the 1800s. The porch has a pointed archway and strong corner supports. It also has small side windows that were repaired in the 1800s.
On the north and south walls of the nave, there are three lancet windows. Between these windows, you can see memorials from the 1700s. The top edge of the nave and chancel roofs have a decorative stone border. The east end of the church has a group of three English Gothic windows.
Chancel Features
The chancel has two windows on its north and south walls. The one furthest east is a single English Gothic lancet window. The wide, pointed arch leading into the chancel is supported by simple stone brackets. The chancel floor was raised in the 1800s, with steps at the arch and before the altar. The roof inside the chancel is made of wooden panels. There is also a small basin for washing, called a piscina, in the south chancel wall.
Tower Design
The tower has strong supports at its corners. It has a heavy stone base with a pointed arched doorway on the west side. There is a two-light window on the west side that was repaired in the 1800s. Small square openings are next to the middle part of the tower on the north and south sides. The bell openings have two lights and stone slats.
The supports at the bell level wrap around the tower. The two supports on the east side end above the nave roof with carved stone figures. There is a decorative stone band above this, with one carved animal gargoyle remaining on the east and west sides of the tower. The top of the tower has a decorative, tooth-like edge.
The nave has a continuous rounded stone band at window sill level. The roof is a curved, timber-ribbed barrel shape with a decorative wooden plate along the wall. There is a round-headed arch leading to the tower. Below this arch, there is a wooden screen from the 1800s. A blocked doorway to the left of the tower arch once led to the tower stairs.
Inside the nave, you'll find an octagonal stone font from the 1300s. It has rounded panels around its bowl and heavy carvings below, all sitting on a panelled base. Above the tower arch, there is a large, curved Royal Arms of George III sign. It was carefully cleaned in 1993.
A pointed doorway leads to a square stair-turret with stone steps for the tower. This turret is decorated with a sloping top. A pointed priest's doorway with a plank door is in the center of the south wall. To its left, there is a two-light window with a four-leaf design in a square opening. To the right, in the north chancel wall, there is a small, S-shaped lancet window. A plain black marble memorial is above the door.
The nave has wooden box pews and an octagonal stone pulpit. Both the pews and the pulpit are from the 1800s. During the 1800s restorations, the inside walls were scraped clean and partly re-plastered.
