St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray |
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St Mary's Church
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| 52°45′49″N 00°53′11″W / 52.76361°N 0.88639°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 24 October 1950 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Melton Mowbray |
| Deanery | Framland |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Leicester |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leicester |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
St Mary's Church is the main church for the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. It is a very old and large church from the Middle Ages. People say it is "one of the finest parish churches in Leicestershire." For a while, the church was in poor condition and needed a lot of repairs. By late 2017, major work was finished. This work made the church easier to use and safer. It included a new floor, heating under the floor, and new lights and sound. The old organ was also rebuilt. All these improvements cost about £2 million.
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Discovering St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church is the biggest and most impressive parish church in Leicestershire. A parish church is a church that serves a local community or area. You can see parts of the church that were built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The lowest part of the tower has Norman style windows. This stone dates back to 1170. But even before that, there were Anglo-Saxon churches on this same spot.
The church is built in a way that is usually seen in much larger cathedrals. Its tower is 100-foot (30 m) tall and stands out over the town. St Mary's is special because it has "aisled transepts." These are side sections of the church that have aisles, just like the main part. This is very rare for a parish church; only five churches in England have this feature.
Inside, you can find many important monuments. These include the tomb of Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray. Other monuments date from the 14th to the 18th century. There is also a special plaque for John Ferneley, an artist who painted horses.
The church has a large choir with about 40 members. It is part of the Framland church trail. This trail connects 14 other churches in the Framland area. You can get guides for the church trail at the Melton Tourist Information Centre.
Bells and Carillon
The church tower holds ten bells. The oldest bell (number 6) was made by John of York in the 14th century. Most of the other bells have been remade over time. Before 1802, there were only six bells. Then two more were added. In 1894, two more were added, making a total of ten. There is also a small sanctus bell from the 17th century. This bell is rung during special parts of the church service.
The church also has a carillon. This is a musical instrument made of bells that plays tunes. The carillon plays chimes three times a day. It was fixed in 1938 thanks to a gift from Alice Henton. During this repair, a new clock was put in. The old clock was from the early 19th century.
Church Leaders: Rectors
The church has had many rectors (the main priests) over the centuries. Here are some of the people who have led St Mary's Church:
- 1562 Miles Bennes
- 1578 Edward Turner
- 1599–1613 Isaac Cooper
- 1613–1659† Zachary Cawdray
- 1660–1690† John Dowell
- 1690–1731† Simon Henley
- 1731–1740† John Hardy
- 1740–1741† Foulk Myddelton
- 1741–1773† Thomas Myddelton
- 1773–1820 Thomas Ford
- 1820–1832† Thomas Godfrey
- 1832–1839 John Savile Hallifax
- 1839–1866† Robert Fleetwood Croughton
- 1866–1889† William Morris Colles
- 1889–1891 Gilbert Karney
- 1891–1924 Canon Richard Blakeney
- 1924–1928 John Llewellyn Davies
- 1928–1937 Canon Percy Robson
- 1937 Canon Harold R. Bates
- 1946 Canon Charles Maurice Strettell Clark
- 1965 Canon George Herbert Codrington
- 1981 Canon Donald Edward Boughton Law
- 1989 Donald Henry Thorpe
- 1994–2009 Canon Charles Jenkin
- 2009–2022 Kevin Ashby
- 2023 - current Dr Mary Elizabeth Barr
† Rector died in post
The Church Organ
A new organ was put into St Mary's Church on September 30, 1832. It was built by John Gray of London. The organ was designed to look like two Gothic towers. It was first placed at the west end of the church. This allowed people to see the window in the middle.
The organ was made bigger in 1849 by Groves and Mitchell. It then had 27 stops (different sounds) and two manuals (keyboards) and pedals. It was reopened on January 13, 1850. With these changes, the organ was moved to stand on either side of the chancel (the area around the altar).
In 1897, the organ was made even bigger by William Hill and Son. It became a three-manual and pedal instrument with 39 stops. Later, in 1929–30, Haydn Morton worked on the organ. He added a pneumatic action to the pedal board. This made it easier to play the pedals. He also changed the layout to help with tuning and care. The console (where the organist sits) was moved to the north transept.
In 1955, the organ was rebuilt by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. Most recently, in 2018, Henry Groves & Son finished another rebuild. They added new parts, like a pedal 32 ft Contra Trombone and a 5-rank Great Cornet. Now, the organ has 69 stops, making it very powerful and versatile.
Organists of St Mary's
Many talented musicians have played the organ at St Mary's Church. Here is a list of some of the organists:
- Thomas Hickson 1846 - 1880
- Claude Ferneley 1880 - 1890
- L. Camidge 1890 - 1900
- Percy Jones 1900 - 1914
- Malcolm Sargent 1914 - 1924
- William Hunt 1925 - 1928
- Percy George Saunders 1928 - 1930
- William Dean Pearson 1930 - 1940
- Lt. Col. Skentelbury 1941
- Cecil Clarke 1942 - 1946
- Harold L. Barnes 1946 - 1966
- John A. Bellamy 1966 - 1968
- Eric Bennett 1968 - 1973
- Michael Bryan Hesford 1973 - 1978
- Ian Major 1978 - 1982
- Robert Kalton 1982 - 1987
- Douglas Hollick 1987 - 1988
- John Wilks 1988 - 1991
- John Clark 1991 - 1998
- Anne de Graeve 1998 - 2002
- Keith Morgan 2002–2005
- James Gutteridge 2005 - current
