St Martin's Church, Preston Gubbals facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church, Preston Gubbals
St Martin's Church, Preston Gubbals, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SJ 491 196
Location	Preston Gubbals, Shropshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint Martin
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	13 June 1958
Architect(s)	Samuel Pountney Smith
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tile roof

St Martin's Church is an old Anglican church located in the small village of Preston Gubbals, in Shropshire, England. It's a special building because it's listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's very important and protected. The Churches Conservation Trust now looks after it.

Church History: From Chapel to Today

St Martin's Church started out as a small "chapel of ease." This was a chapel built for people who lived far from the main parish church. What you see today was once the chancel (the part of the church where the altar is) of a much older church from the Middle Ages.

The church was likely changed a bit in the 1300s or 1400s. Then, in 1866, a new, bigger church was built next to it. The old part became the south aisle (a side section) of this new church. A designer named Samuel Pountney Smith created the plans for this expansion.

However, in 1973, most of the 1866 addition was taken down. This left the church as a single, simple building again. The arches from the 1866 building were kept, but they were blocked up and now form the north wall of the church.

A bell that used to be in St Martin's is now in St Alkmund's Church in Shrewsbury. It was made in 1720 by Abraham Rudhall in Gloucester. St Martin's Church was officially closed on June 1, 1973, and the Churches Conservation Trust took over its care in 1974.

Church Architecture: What It Looks Like

Outside the Church

The church is built from sandstone and has a tile roof. The main part of the church, which includes the nave (where people sit) and the chancel, is one long room.

On the south side of the church, you can see two buttresses (supports on the outside walls). There are also three windows with square tops and a round-arched door from the 1100s, which was used by the priest. Another doorway from the 1800s is also on this side.

The north side of the church has the old arches from the 1866 building. New windows were added here in the 1900s. At the west end, there are round-arched windows and a doorway that used to lead to the tower stairs. The east end has a two-light window.

Inside the Church

Many of the beautiful wooden carvings inside the church were made by Rev E. D. Poole, who was the vicar (priest) in the 1800s. These include the altar table, the reredos (a screen behind the altar), the choir stalls, the pews (benches for people to sit), the lectern (where readings are given), and the pulpit (where sermons are given).

Next to the altar, there are boards with the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. The stone font, where baptisms take place, is shaped like an octagon and is probably from the 1500s. Its base and cover were added in the 1800s. There's also an oak chest, likely from the 1600s, where parish records were kept.

To the left of the south door, you can see a royal coat of arms. On the east wall, there are two boards listing people who gave money to the church. You can also find a stone coffin slab from the 1300s, carved with the bust of a man and a cross.

There are also several memorials inside the church:

• A plaque for Flora Constance Kelly, a missionary's wife who died during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.
• A Roll of Honour listing men from the area who served in World War I.
• A stained-glass window on the south wall dedicated to Lance Corporal William Williams, who died in World War I in 1918. It also remembers Edward and Marie Williams and Stephen Lacey, who were his friends.

Churchyard Features

In the churchyard, there is a sundial that was originally a churchyard cross. It was made in 1638 and is built from sandstone. It has an octagonal (eight-sided) base with two steps, a central pillar, and a copper dial plate to tell time by the sun. This sundial is also a listed building, rated Grade II.

The churchyard also contains a war grave for a soldier who died in World War I. The ashes of Archdeacon the Earl of Cavan (who died in 1950), a chaplain who also served in World War I, are buried here within a family grave.

The main war memorial for the parish is also in the churchyard. It's a marble cross that lists the names of those who died in both World Wars.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands
• Grade II* listed buildings in Shropshire Council (A–G)
• Listed buildings in Pimhill