St Swithun's Church, East Retford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Swithun's Church, East Retford |
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St Swithun's Church, East Retford
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| 53°19′26.43″N 0°56′26.79″W / 53.3240083°N 0.9407750°W | |
| Location | East Retford |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Swithun |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 10 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Retford |
| Deanery | Bassetlaw and Bawtry |
| Archdeaconry | Newark |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham |
| Province | York |
St Swithun's Church is a beautiful old church in East Retford, England. It's part of the Church of England and is a very important historical building. It is listed as Grade II* listed, which means it's a special place that needs to be protected because of its history and architecture.
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Church History and Design
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St Swithun's Church was first built in 1258. It is named after St Swithun, a famous English bishop. You can find the church right in the middle of Retford town.
The church has a cross shape, which is called "cruciform." Most of it was built in a style called "Perpendicular architecture." But if you look closely, you can still see older parts. For example, the south and west doorways show earlier building styles.
The church has a tall, square tower with battlements, which are like the tops of castle walls. This tower holds a clock and 10 bells. The oldest part of the church that hasn't changed much is the north transept. This area is now used as a special chapel to remember people who served in wars.
Inside, the main part of the church, called the nave, has arches that separate it from the side aisles. There's a stone pulpit where sermons are given and a special wooden stand for books called an eagle lectern. A large organ was put in the church in 1841.
You can also see beautiful stained glass windows. These windows were made by famous artists like Clayton and Bell and Charles Eamer Kempe.
The Mysterious Figure
Above the southern door of the church, there is a stone figure. Many local people say it's a statue of St Swithun himself. However, some experts believe it's actually a figure of a bishop. It's thought that this statue was brought from an old monastery in Portugal and placed here around 1895.
Changes Over Time
Even though the church started in the 13th century, it has been damaged and rebuilt many times. In 1528, a big fire in Retford hurt the church. Later, in 1651, the tower and the chancel (the area around the altar) fell down. They were rebuilt in 1658. This means that much of the church you see today was actually rebuilt or repaired a long time ago.
In 1810, the pointy tops called pinnacles were added to the tower. More repairs and updates happened in the 1850s and again in 1873. The Chantry Chapel, a special side chapel, was rebuilt by a famous architect named George Frederick Bodley. The church had another big restoration in 1905.
Church Organ History
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The first organ in St Swithun's Church was put in place in 1770. It was a gift from Robert Sutton and actually came from a theatre in Newark! Over the years, the church has had several organs.
In 1795, a new organ was bought from a company called Donaldson. The front part of the old organ was then moved to another church nearby. The Donaldson organ was replaced in 1841 by an even bigger one made by Walker of London. This organ was made much larger in 1886 by Brindley & Foster. Later, other companies like Henry Willis & Sons also worked on it.
Past Organists
Many talented musicians have played the organ at St Swithun's Church over the centuries. They helped lead the music during church services. Some of the organists included:
- W. Wilson (1770 – 1778)
- Dr. Edward Miller (1791 – 1797)
- George Dixon (1845 – 1858)
- Robert Nottingham (1863 – 1872)
- Herbert Compigne Andrews (1891 – 1914)
- Roger William Soresby (1915 – 1922)
- David Ashforth (1967 – 1984)
Church Bells
St Swithun's Church has a set of ten bells. All of these bells were made by a company called John Taylor & Co in 1968. The largest bell, called the tenor, weighs about 23 hundredweight (which is over 1,100 kilograms!). It rings in the musical note of Eb.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Nottinghamshire
- Listed buildings in Retford
