St Martin of Tours' Church, Saundby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Martin of Tours' Church, Saundby
St Martin of Tours' Church, Saundby, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SK 785 879
Location	Saundby, Nottinghamshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint Martin of Tours
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	1 February 1967
Architect(s)	John Loughborough Pearson Weatherley and Jones (restorations)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Perpendicular Gothic
Groundbreaking	13th century
Specifications
Materials	Stone, lead and slate roofs
Bells	5

St Martin of Tours' Church is an old Anglican church in the small village of Saundby, Nottinghamshire, England. It is no longer used for regular church services, but it is a very important historical building. It is protected as a Grade I listed building, which means it's considered to be of exceptional interest. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it today.

History of St Martin's Church

This church has a long and interesting past, going back many centuries.

When Was the Church Built?

The church first started to be built in the 13th century, which is over 700 years ago! Over the years, more parts were added or changed in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.

Key Dates and Changes

• The arcade, which is a row of arches between the main part of the church (the nave) and the north aisle (a side passage), was built in the 13th century.
• The tall tower was added in 1504.
• The chancel, the part of the church where the altar is, was repaired and updated between 1885 and 1886. This work was done by an architect named John Loughborough Pearson.
• The north aisle was also restored in 1891 by architects Weatherley and Jones.

Architecture of St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church is made of stone, with roofs covered in lead and slate. Its outside style is called Perpendicular, which was popular in England from the late 14th to the mid-16th centuries.

What Does the Church Look Like from the Outside?

The church has a main area called the nave, a side passage on the north called the north aisle, and a porch on the south side where people enter. It also has a chancel (the altar area), a small room called a vestry, and a tall tower at the west end.

The Tower

The tower has three main sections, separated by stone bands called string courses. It stands on a strong base and is supported by buttresses (stone supports).

• It has a large window with three sections on the west side.
• Above that, there's another window with four sections.
• The very top section has two tall, narrow windows for the bells on each side.
• On the west side, there's also a clock face.
• At the very top, the tower has a battlemented parapet (a wall with gaps like a castle) and eight crocketted pinnacles (small, pointed towers with decorative carvings).

Other Outside Features

• The battlemented parapet style continues around the walls of the nave and chancel.
• The north aisle has three sections or "bays." Its north wall has a doorway that is now blocked up, and three windows with three sections each. There's a similar window on its east wall.
• The vestry has a blocked doorway on the west side and a window with two sections and fancy Decorated stone patterns called tracery.
• The chancel has two sections and two crocketed pinnacles on its north and south parapets.
• The chancel windows are also triple-sectioned, one on the north, one on the east, and two on the south.
• There's a special door for the priest on the south side of the chancel.
• On the south wall of the nave, there are two windows with two sections and one with three sections.
• The south porch has a roof with a pointed top called a coped gable, and a cross on top.

What Can You See Inside the Church?

The inside of the church has many interesting historical features.

Main Features

• The arcade (row of arches) is supported by one round and one rectangular pier (a large support column).
• On the east wall of the chancel, there's a beautiful reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) made of alabaster and mosaic.
• In the south wall, there's a fancy 14th-century piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) with an ogee head (a special S-shaped curve).

Font and Stained Glass

• The font, used for baptisms, is from the 19th century. It has an egg-shaped bowl with a decorative band of diamond shapes. Five eight-sided columns support it on a square base.
• The stained glass in the east window, made in 1865, is by a company called Clayton and Bell.
• Other stained glass windows, from 1885, were made by Kempe.

Memorials and Bells

• In the northeast corner, there's an alabaster memorial from 1599 dedicated to John Helwys.
• You can also see a stone statue (an effigy) of a knight from the 14th century.
• The church has a ring of five bells. One bell has no date, three were made by Oldfield in 1605, 1620, and 1638, and the fifth was made by John Taylor & Co in Loughborough.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands
• Grade I listed buildings in Nottinghamshire
• Listed buildings in Saundby