St Peter's and St Paul's Church, Holsworthy facts for kids
St Peter's and St Paul's Church is a very old and important church in the small town of Holsworthy, Devon, England. It's known as the parish church for the area. The church you see today was mostly built in the mid-1200s, in a style called Early English. Later, in the late 1800s, big changes were made. The chancel (the part of the church near the altar) was completely rebuilt, a new north aisle was added, and other parts like the nave and south aisle were updated. The tall west tower, built in the 1400s, is about 85.75 feet high. It holds eight bells and a carillon, which is like a musical instrument made of bells. Before this church, there was a smaller, older chapel from around 1130. Some pieces of that very first building can still be seen in the church's south porch today.
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Church History
The first church building here was a small Norman chapel, built around 1130. It stood where the main part of the church, called the nave, is now. This chapel was taken down around 1250. In its place, a new church was built. This new church had a tower, a nave, a south aisle (a side section), and a chancel, all built in the Early English style. More changes and additions were made to the church in 1366.
The Chantry Chapel
In the 1300s, a man named Walter le Deneis started a special Chantry Chapel. It was located about 0.5 miles north of the church. A chantry priest's main job was to say prayers and Mass every day for the souls of the family who founded it. This chantry chapel became part of the main church around 1450, probably in the South Aisle. The last chantry priest was appointed in 1524.
Big Changes in the 1800s
The church had major renovations between 1881 and 1883. In 1881–82, the chancel, which is 40 feet long and 19 feet wide, was completely rebuilt. Then, in 1883, the nave, south aisle, and porch were rebuilt. A new north aisle, an organ room, and a vestry (a room for clergy) were also added. Most of the new building work matched the original Early English style of the church. Local stone was used for the main walls, and a special stone from Hatherleigh was used for decorative parts like buttresses and window frames. Inside, the window frames and arches were made of Corsham Bath stone. The roofs of the nave and aisles were made of pitch pine wood. The architect for these big changes was Otho Bathurst Peter.
The Chancel
The floor of the chancel is covered with beautiful Maw & Co encaustic tiles, which are decorative tiles with patterns. The chancel roof is made of oak wood, shaped like a wagon, and has panels with angels carved into them. There are also eighteen carved oak angels placed on stone brackets below the roof line.
Chancel Windows
The chancel has four windows, all installed around 1883. The large window on the east wall has five sections and shows the Ascension (Jesus going up to heaven). On the north wall, there are two windows, each with two sections. One shows the story of the Good Samaritan, and the other shows St Peter and St Paul. A tall, narrow window on the south wall shows the Virgin Mary. This window was a gift from local clergy. The other three windows were made by Lavers and Westlake of London.
Reredos and Arches
The chancel is separated from the organ room by a pointed arch. A similar arch connects the organ room to the south aisle. Behind the altar is an oak reredos, which is a decorated screen. It was carved in 1926 in a 15th-century style by Herbert Read. This reredos was a gift from the children of Mrs Mary Elizabeth Aspinall and is dedicated to her memory. It shows St Peter and figures holding shields with eight symbols from the Passion Story (the story of Jesus's suffering). These symbols include a hammer and pliers, wounds, a cloak and dice, a ladder, nails and a crown of thorns, a pillar and whips, a bag of money, and a sword. The reredos was painted and gilded in 1968.
In the mid-1900s, the north aisle was changed into a Lady Chapel, a special area dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The window above the altar in this chapel, installed around 1970, shows the Virgin Mary on a throne. Another window on the west wall, from 1883, has stained glass by Clayton and Bell of London. The north aisle also has three other windows on its north wall, also from 1883.
The south aisle is 63 feet long and 18 feet wide. It has two windows installed in 1883 and another window from around 1867, which remembers the Cory family. The nave, the main part of the church, is 66 feet long and 20 feet wide. It is separated from the south aisle by an arcade (a row of arches) of four pointed arches. These arches rest on large, eight-sided pillars that date back to the 1300s. In 1883, these arches were made two feet taller. The nave is separated from the north aisle by a similar arcade of four arches, built in 1883. A glass wall, put up in 1973, separates the nave from the tower entrance. You can still see parts of the old Norman chapel walls near the tower.
The Pulpit
The carved oak pulpit (where sermons are given) was dedicated in June 1910. It was a gift from Mrs Boutcher and Miss Ethel Mary Aspinall, in memory of their brother, John Aspinall. Miss Aspinall herself did the carving.
The Porch
The church porch has a pointed arch entrance with decorative rosettes. Inside, on the east wall, there is a carved stone Holy water stoup, which is a basin for holy water. On the west wall, you can see an old Norman capital (the top part of a column). Above it is a carved stone panel showing the Agnus Dei (a lamb, symbolizing Jesus). This panel is thought to be the center of a tympanum, which is a decorated space above a doorway. Two Norman colonnettes (small columns) with Romanesque capitals are built into the wall on each side of the doorway. The doorway itself has a Norman-style arch with zig-zag patterns, which were added in 1883.
The Tower
The west tower, built in the mid-1400s, has three levels and a crenellated top (like a castle wall). It is made of local stone and has four Crocketed Pinnacles (decorative pointed tops). The granite buttresses (supports) also have crockets. The west door of the tower has a Four-centred arch with a decorative hoodmould. The tower stands 85.75 feet high.
Inside the Tower
A spiral granite staircase leads to the upper levels of the tower. From the ringing floor, steps go up to the clock room. A clock was first mentioned in church records in 1690. The current clock was installed in 1869 by Gillett and Bland Steam Clock Factory. A mechanism to chime the Westminster quarters (the famous chimes) was added in 1873. The clock used to be wound by hand every day, but now it is wound electrically. The clock room also holds the electronic equipment for the carillon.
From the clock room, steps lead to the belfry, where the bells are. In 1553, the church had three bells, and by 1727, it had five. In 1826, eight new bells were installed. They were cast by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Their sizes ranged from 26.5 inches to 42.5 inches. In 1949, the bells were recast (melted down and made again) to be heavier. The old inscriptions were put onto the new bells, and all the bells now have 'Gillett & Johnston Croydon 1949' written on them. The bells were re-hung on a new steel frame. At the same time, a new carillon, also by Gillett & Johnston, was installed. The whole project was rededicated by Robert Mortimer, who was the Bishop of Exeter.
Here are some of the inscriptions on the bells:
- Bell 5: "Given by the family of the late Rector, Owen Lewis Meyrick, consisting of two sons and four daughters, 1826."
- Bell 6: "The expense incurred by placing a set of eight Bells in this tower was defrayed by a Subscription, which was raised through the persevering exertions of Francis Thorne, and his Nephew Francis Thorne Honey, 1826."
- Bell 7: "E Dono Humphredi P. Davie, Baronetti, A.D. 1826."
- Bell 8: "The gift of Philip Henry Earl of Stanhope, 1826."
From the belfry, steps climb to a doorway about 4 feet high, which leads to the roof.
The Organ
The church organ is believed to have been made by Renatus Harris and to have come from Chelsea Old Church in London. It was moved to Bideford in 1723 and then brought to Holsworthy in 1865. Over the next two years, it was repaired and made larger by organ builders Geek and Sons. The organ was rededicated on June 20, 1867. A week later, on June 27, 1867, it was played for the first time by Mr W B Gilbert of London, who was called "one of the best organists of the day." During the church renovation in 1883–84, the organ was again renovated by Hale and Company. In 1926, it was overhauled and made smaller.
