St Martin's Church, Colchester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church, Colchester |
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Truncated tower of St Martin's Church, Colchester
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| OS grid reference | TL 996 255 |
| Location | Colchester, Essex |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Martin |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 2 December 1971 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint rubble, tiled roofs |
St Martin's Church is a special old church in Colchester, Essex, England. It's an active Eastern Orthodox church, which means it's used for services today. This church is very important! It's listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a historic place that needs to be protected. You can find it right in the middle of Colchester, close to the town hall.
Contents
History of St Martin's Church
Early Beginnings and Damage
The main part of the church, called the nave, and its tower were built a very long time ago, in the 12th century. Later, in the 14th century, more parts were added. These included the aisles (side sections), the transepts (arms of the cross shape), and the chancel (the area around the altar).
Sadly, the church tower was damaged in 1648 during the English Civil War. It was never fully repaired after that. Because of this damage, the church started to fall apart. In 1748, a historian named Philip Morant wrote that it was in ruins. He said no church services were happening there anymore.
Restoration Efforts and New Uses
In the late 1800s, a big repair project began. This was part of a time called the Victorian restoration. An architect named Giles Gilbert Scott worked on the church. He uncovered a special type of ceiling, called a wagon roof, in the chancel.
Later, another plan for restoration was made by Rev Ernest Geldart. However, this plan was never finished. The church became neglected again. In 1953, it was officially declared "redundant," meaning it was no longer needed for regular church services.
Between 1957 and 1987, a theatre group used the church building. But by 1987, the church was not safe to use anymore. It kept getting worse until 1996. At that point, the Churches Conservation Trust took over its care.
Saving the Church Building
Before the Trust took over, some urgent repairs were done with money from English Heritage. The Trust then continued to fix the building in two main stages. First, they made sure the church was dry and stable. This stopped it from falling apart more.
The second stage involved cleaning the inside of the church. This included special wall paintings. They also cleaned the walls that the theatre company had painted black. The small room used by the priest, called the vestry, was also fixed up. They even added a way for wheelchairs to get inside.
This important work was supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was all finished in 2003. The church even won an award from the Colchester Civic Trust that same year. Even though it was "redundant" for a while, the church remained a holy place.
As of January 2022, the church was sold to the local St Helen's Chapel Antiochian Parish. Now, it is actively used by them for services.
Architecture and Design
St Martin's Church is built from flint rubble, which means it uses rough, broken pieces of stone. Its roofs are made of tiles. The tower, which is shorter than it used to be, and the nave are built in the Norman style. This style was popular in England after the Norman Conquest.
You can see many stones from the Roman Empire built into the walls of the tower and the nave. This shows how old the area is! Inside the church, at the top of the arch over the chancel, there is a carving of a green man. This is a mysterious face made of leaves.
In the aisles, you can also see two special glazed plaques. These are made of encaustic tiles. They are leftovers from Rev Geldart's restoration plan that was never completed.
See also
