St Clement's Church, Cambridge

Last updated

St Clement's Church, Cambridge
St Clement's Church, Cambridge 2024-03-14 (1).jpg
St Clement's Church, Cambridge
52°12′33″N0°07′05″E / 52.2091°N 0.1180°E / 52.2091; 0.1180
Location Bridge Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1UF
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Prayer Book Catholic
History
StatusActive
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II* listed
Specifications
Bells6 (English Change Ringing)
Tenor bell weight6–1–11
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Ely
Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Cambridge
Deanery Cambridge North
Parish St Clement, Cambridge
Clergy
Vicar(s) The Revd Andrew Day
Honorary priest(s) The Revd Robert Van de Weyer
Curate(s) The Revd Edward Cearns
Laity
Director of music Karol Jaworski
Churchwarden(s) Sarah Van de Weyer

St Clement's is a Church of England parish church in central Cambridge. The church is a Grade II* listed building.

Contents

Location

The church is located in Bridge Street, Cambridge, part of the central Cambridge conservation area. [1] The churchyard provides a green oasis in the street. [2] The small parish contains many historic buildings, including the Old Vicarage, [3] which adjoins the churchyard.

History

The present church was built in the first half of the 13th century, and it is believed to be on the site of an earlier building. [4] [5] The walls are of rubble with some brick with freestone dressings. The building initially consisted of the four west bays of the north and south arcades of the nave. The nave arcades and South door remain from the 13th century. There is an inventory of church goods for the year 1278. The east bay of the arcades appear to have been rebuilt in the 14th century. There is an octagonal, perpendicular font. The first pier on both sides was rebuilt in 1538, the clear-story and aisle windows were added, and north and the south aisles were rebuilt and widened. The advowson passed from St Radegund's Priory to Jesus College.

The present chancel, built in brick, was added in 1726, replacing an earlier one that was demolished in 1568. It contains a fine mural of 1872 on the east wall by Frederick Leach, of Christ in Glory surrounded by angels and saints. The tower, designed by Charles Humfrey, is of cement render and initially had a spire; it was added in 1821–2, after a bequest by William Cole. Pevsner describes the tower as "somewhat silly". [6] A vestry was built on the site of the former north chapel in 1866. The spire was removed from the tower in 1928. A chapel was created in the south aisle in 1933, with screens in Anglo-Baroque style.

The church in the mid-19th century before the spire was removed St Clements Church Cambridge Engraving.jpg
The church in the mid-19th century before the spire was removed

The church has the oldest memorial to a Mayor of Cambridge; the French inscription on the tombstone of Eudo of Helpringham who died in 1329 during his sixth mayoralty gives an early version of the modern form of the name of the town—'Caunbrege'. In the north aisle there is a beam with a carved punning inscription of c. 1538, which is thought to indicate that Thomas Brakyn, who lived in the parish at the time, contributed to the cost; he is buried in St Clement's churchyard. The church registers begin in 1560.

History of church life

A notable Vicar of St Clement's was Canon Edmund Gough de Salis Wood, [7] who served as Curate to the Revd Arthur Ward from 1865 to 1885, and then as Vicar from 1885 to 1930. He lived in the Old Vicarage, and was buried in the churchyard by special permission from the Diocese of Ely. He was a tractarian who followed ritualistic worship at St Clement's, though he adhered strictly to the Book of Common Prayer . With his brother, he founded the Society for the Maintenance of the Faith, to hold patronage for Anglo-Catholic parishes. [8] He was also a noted authority on ecclesiastical law, and his publications include The Regal Power of the Church, Or, the Fundamentals of the Canon Law: A Dissertation, Macmillan & Bowes, 1888. [9] The chapel in the south aisle of the church is a memorial to Canon Wood.

His successor was the barrister-priest Fr James Tait Plowden-Wardlaw, Vicar from 1931 to 1941, who often published as 'Father Clement' or 'Clement Humilis' and maintained the Anglo-Catholic tradition. His publications include Catholic Reunion: An Anglican Plea for a Uniate Patriarchate of Canterbury and for an Anglican Ultramontanism, Oxford, 1935. [10] He was followed by Fr Cuthbert Cubitt Keet, another Anglo-Catholic, and an authority on the psalms, whose publications include A Study of the Psalms of Ascent, Mitre, 1969. [11] Subsequent priests included the Venerable David Walser and Fr Ian McMahon.

Present day

The church housed a Greek Orthodox congregation of St Athanasios from 1968, until the congregation moved to its own church on Cherry Hinton Road. [12] St Clement's is currently home to the Parish of St Ephraim the Syrian, an English-speaking Russian Orthodox parish of the Diocese of Sourozh. [13]

St Clement's viewed from the north St Clements Church Cambridge - geograph.org.uk - 1292863.jpg
St Clement's viewed from the north

After a long vacancy, a viability plan, drawn up by a working group from the congregation, was accepted by the Bishop of Ely in December 2013. A Priest-in-Charge (Canon Nick Moir) was appointed in June 2014. The church has embarked upon a process of renewal, continuing to stand in the Prayer Book Catholic tradition of the Church of England. [14] In 2016 the church, currently on the Heritage at Risk Register, [15] received a £94,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. [16]

As a traditionalist catholic parish, the PCC of St Clement's passed resolutions A and B of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993, rejecting the ordination of women to the priesthood. [17] Under the 2014 House of Bishops' Declaration, the parish requested to receive alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Richborough. [18] As of 2020, it has rescinded these resolutions and remains under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Ely. [19] [20]

In 2022, bellringing group, the Society of Cambridge Youths, installed a ring of bells at the church. [21]

Clergy

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Catholicism</span> Anglicanism that emphasises its Catholic heritage

Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Catholicism claims to restore liturgical and devotional expressions of church life that reflect the ancient practices of the early and medieval Church.

A vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior. Linguistically, vicar is cognate with the English prefix "vice", similarly meaning "deputy". It also refers to a senior priest in the Church of England. The title appears in a number of Christian ecclesiastical contexts, but also as an administrative title, or title modifier, in the Roman Empire. In addition, in the Holy Roman Empire, a local representative of the emperor, such as an archduke, could be styled "vicar".

A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parochial church council, or in the case of a Cathedral parish the chapter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prescot Parish Church</span> Church in Merseyside, England

Prescot Parish Church, also known as St Mary's Church, is in the town of Prescot, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is an active Anglican parish church.

A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests". The system by which such bishops oversee certain churches is referred to as alternative episcopal oversight (AEO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Lionel Mascall</span> English Anglican theologian (1905–1993)

Eric Lionel Mascall (1905–1993) was a leading theologian and priest in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. He was a philosophical exponent of the Thomist tradition and was Professor of Historical Theology at King's College London. His name was styled as E. L. Mascall in most of his writings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Thomas the Martyr Church is a Church of England parish church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. It is located between Becket Street to the west and Hollybush Row to the east, with St Thomas Street opposite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleasington Priory</span> Church in Lancashire, England

Pleasington Priory, or the Church of St Mary and St John Baptist, is a Catholic church in the village of Pleasington, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as being "an astonishing church", and the citation in the National Heritage List for England states it is an "exceptional form of Catholic chapel for the period before Emancipation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Newchurch in Pendle</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Mary's Church is in the village of Newchurch in Pendle, Lancashire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Blackburn, the archdeaconry of Blackburn and the deanery of Pendle. Its benefice is combined with that of St Thomas', Barrowford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints' Church, Godshill</span> Church

All Saints' Church, Godshill is a parish church in the Church of England located in Godshill, Isle of Wight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Devizes</span> Church in England

St Peter's Church is an Anglican parish church in Devizes, Wiltshire. It is a Victorian building and is on the Bath Road, on the western outskirts of the town. One of four Anglican churches in the town, it is in the Anglican Diocese of Salisbury but under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Oswestry. The congregation is a member of Devizes Churches Together.

James Tait Plowden-Wardlaw was a barrister and a priest of the Church of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ascension, Lavender Hill</span> Church in United Kingdom

The Ascension of The Lord, Lavender Hill, is an Anglican church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, situated on Lavender Hill, in Battersea, South West London. It is thought to be the first church in England dedicated to The Ascension of The Lord. Built to the designs of the architect James Brooks, its foundation stone was laid in 1874, and it was consecrated in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary and All Saints, Whalley</span> Church in Lancashire, England

The Church of St Mary and All Saints is an Anglican church in the village of Whalley, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn. A church probably existed on the site in Anglo-Saxon times and the current building dates from the 13th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Hendon</span> Church in London , United Kingdom

St Mary's Church is the oldest parish church in Hendon in the London Borough of Barnet. The mother church of Christ Church, Brent Street, the two form one parish in the Diocese of London.

Ely Theological College was a college in Ely, Cambridgeshire, for training clergy in the Church of England. Founded in 1876 by James Woodford, Anglican Bishop of Ely, the college had a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition. Ely's "ritualistic" tendencies were attacked by Mr Samuel Smith MP in a House of Commons debate in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Giles' Church, Cambridge</span> Church in Cambridge , United Kingdom

The Church of St Giles is a Grade II*-listed church in Cambridge, England. It is a Church of England parish church in the Parish of the Ascension of the Diocese of Ely, located on the junction of Castle Street and Chesterton Road. It was completed and consecrated by the Bishop of Ely in 1875, to replace an earlier church founded in 1092. The church, which added "with St Peter" to its appellation when the neighbouring St Peter's Church became redundant, is home to both an Anglican and a Romanian Orthodox congregation and is used as a venue for concerts and other events. The church is kept open daily for visitors.

The Bishop of Oswestry is a suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Lichfield who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England.

Luke Thomas Irvine-Capel SSC is a British Anglican priest currently serving as Archdeacon of Chichester, a senior ecclesiastical role in the Church of England and the Diocese of Chichester.

William Peter Guy Hazlewood is a British Anglican bishop who has been the Bishop of Lewes since 2020. From 2011, he was Vicar of Dartmouth and Dittisham in the Diocese of Exeter.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/www.cambridge.gov.uk/files/docs/historic-core-appraisal-bridge-street.pdf/ [ dead link ]
  2. ↑ [2] Faber, T. E. (2006) An Intimate History of the Parish of St. Clement in Cambridge 1250-1950. Cambridge, printed privately.
  3. ↑ "A bit of History".
  4. ↑ Bradley, S. & Pevsner. N. (2014) The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire. St Clement (p. 290). Revised Edition. New Haven, Yale University Press.
  5. ↑ British History Online. Churches of the City of Cambridge: St Clement. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol3/pp123-132.
  6. ↑ Cambridgeshire by Nikolaus Pevsner (2nd edition) p.224
  7. ↑ Mascall, E. L. (1992) Saraband: the memoirs of E. L. Mascall. Leominster: Gracewing.
  8. ↑ "SMF".
  9. ↑ "The Regal Power of the Church, or the Fundamentals of the Canon Law: A Dissertation". Macmillan and Bowes. 1888.
  10. ↑ afterwards PLOWDEN-WARDLAW WARDLAW (James Tait) (1935). Catholic Reunion. An Anglican Plea for a Uniate Patriarchate of Canterbury and for an Anglican Ultramontanism. Oxford.
  11. ↑ C. Hassell Bullock (1 July 2004). Encountering the Book of Psalms: A Literary and Theological Introduction. Baker Academic. pp. 245–. ISBN   978-0-8010-2795-6.
  12. ↑ "Orthodox Church of St Athanasios, Cambridge".
  13. ↑ "St Ephraim Orthodox Parish".
  14. ↑ "St Clement's Church Cambridge UK - Home". www.stclementscambridge.org. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Church of St Clement, Bridge Street, Cambridge - Cambridge". Heritage At Risk. English Heritage. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "£94k cash boost to help save one of Cambridge's oldest churches". Cambridge News. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  17. ↑ "St Clement's Church Cambridge: LAY PASTORAL ASSISTANT (LPA)" (PDF). Additional Curates Society. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  18. ↑ "St Clement's Church, Cambridge". A Church Near You. The Archbishops’ Council. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  19. ↑ "Directory - Diocese of Ely". The See of Richborough. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  20. ↑ "About Us". St Clement's Church, Cambridge, UK. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  21. ↑ Peel, Adrian (19 May 2022). "St Clement's Church, one of the oldest churches in Cambridge, gets new set of bells". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.