St Peter's Church, Ropsley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Ropsley |
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Church of St Peter, Ropsley
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| 52°53′46″N 0°31′33″W / 52.8962°N 0.5258°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Peter |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ropsley |
| Deanery | Deanery of Beltisloe |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Peter's Church is a very old and important church in a village called Ropsley, in Lincolnshire, England. It's a special building because it's listed as Grade I, which means it's historically very important. The church is dedicated to Saint Peter and is part of the Church of England. It's about 5 miles (8 km) east of a town called Grantham.
Contents
History of St Peter's Church
Early Beginnings
The church at Ropsley was first mentioned in a very old book from 1086 called the Domesday Book. This book was a survey ordered by William the Conqueror to record everything in England. St Peter's Church itself started being built in the 11th century, but it has been changed and added to many times since then, up until the 17th century.
The very first church here was built by the Anglo-Saxons. Some parts of their original building can still be seen in the main part of the church, called the nave. Later, the Normans added a chancel (the area around the altar) and a north aisle with an arcade (a row of arches). The chancel was made shorter, probably in the 1600s.
Important Additions
Richard Foxe, a famous bishop who was born in Ropsley around 1447, helped pay for the church's porch. This was built in 1483 or 1486. An inscription above the south door tells us the date. The porch was repaired and made new again in 1903–04.
The church's parish register, which records births, marriages, and deaths, started in 1558.
In 1871, a beautiful stained glass window was added to the east end of the south aisle. It was put there to remember Harriet Brooke. In 2010, a new organ was put into the church.
Historic Listing
St Peter's Church was given its English Heritage Grade I listing in 1984. This means it's considered one of the most important historic buildings in England.
Architecture of the Church
Outside the Church
St Peter's Church is built from limestone that has been shaped into blocks (called ashlar) and also from rough stones (called rubble). It has styles from both the Norman and Early English periods.
The church has several main parts:
- A chancel (the area near the altar).
- A nave (the main part where people sit).
- Two aisles (passageways on the sides).
- A tall tower on the west side with a pointed top called a spire.
- A south chapel.
- A south porch (an entrance area).
The tower was built in the 13th century and has three levels. The spire, added later in the 14th century, has small windows called lucarnes. The upper parts of the tower have openings for bells, some with narrow columns and arched tops. The clerestory (the upper part of the nave wall with windows) has four windows on each side. The nave roof is made of lead, and the chancel roof is made of red tiles. Two gargoyles on the north side help drain water from the nave roof.
The south porch, built in the Perpendicular style, has pointed tops called pinnacles and a decorated wall (parapet) with shield shapes. On the outside of the porch, there's an old Latin message: "Hac non vade via, nisi dicas Ave Maria". This means "Do not go this way unless you say an Ave Maria" (a prayer).
Inside the Church
St Peter's Church can seat about 200 people. Inside, you'll see a north arcade with three sections, featuring round columns and arches. The arch leading to the chancel is in the Early English style. The south arcade also has Early English features, but one of its eight-sided columns was replaced in 1380 by a mason named Thomas Bate.
There are two special carved areas for tombs. One is in the south aisle, and another is in the chancel. The chancel also has an aumbry (a small cupboard for sacred items) and a double-niche sedilia (seats for clergy) or Easter Sepulchre, both from the 14th century. The south chapel, from the early 13th century, also has an aumbry and a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels).
The font, used for baptisms, is from the 15th century. It has eight sides and is decorated with shapes like quatrefoils and shields. The pulpit (where sermons are given) is from the 20th century. The altar rails are from the 18th century, and the pews (church benches) are from the 19th century, but they still have older 15th-century carvings called poppy heads on their ends.
In one of the north aisle windows, there are small pieces of medieval glass. An inscription on them mentions Sir John Welby from 1376.
Monuments and Memorials
Inside the Church
In a special carved area in the south aisle, there is a stone effigy (a sculpted figure) of a lady from the 14th century. She is shown in period clothing, with her head resting on two small cushions.
Inside the church, there is an alabaster plaque that serves as a war memorial. It remembers the people from the parish who died in the First World War. Another memorial is a brass plate on a choir pew, dedicated to a soldier who died in the Battle of Arras in 1917. A stained glass window on the south wall was put up in 1949 to remember Sgt. Philip Dales, an RAF fighter pilot who died in Belgium in 1941. In 2009, a framed photograph called a "scroll of honour" was added to remember others not listed on the main memorials.
In the Churchyard
Outside the church, in the churchyard on the south side, there is a special slate headstone. It's listed as Grade II and has carved angels. It dates back to 1730.
Church Bells
St Peter's Church has two bells, both from the 17th century. The larger bell was made in 1664 by Toby Norris and has his name on it. The smaller bell, from 1620, has a message that says, "Sweetly tolling men do call to taste on meat that feeds the soul." One of the bells is cracked, but the other can still be rung.
Images for kids
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St Peter's 15th-century baptismal font
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Medieval glass fragment to Sir John Welby in the south aisle east window
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South porch instruction to worshipers: "go not away unless you say an Ave Maria"
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Datestone inside the south porch
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Three-light stained window dedicated to Elisabeth Ann Shoebridge
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Two-light stained window dedicated to Harriet Brooke
