St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray

Last updated

St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray
Meltonmowbray.jpg
St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray
52°45′49″N00°53′11″W / 52.76361°N 0.88639°W / 52.76361; -0.88639
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Broad Church
Website Website
History
StatusActive
Dedication St Mary
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade I listed
Designated24 October 1950
Administration
Province Province of Canterbury
Diocese Diocese of Leicester
Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Leicester
Deanery Framland
Parish Melton Mowbray
Clergy
Rector The Revd Kevin Ashby
Honorary priest(s) The Revd Graham Spencer
Laity
Reader(s) Ted Hutchin, Malcolm Britton, Linda Pearson
Organist/Director of music James Gutteridge

St Mary is the parish church of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The large medieval church, described as "one of the finest parish churches in Leicestershire", [1] suffered from a poor Victorian restoration, and was left in a poor state of repair and deemed "unfit for purpose". By late 2017, work was completed to make the church more accessible and safe, which included a new floor and underfloor heating, a lighting and sound system and a rebuild of the historic organ; the reordering cost an approximate £2 million. [2] [3]

Contents

Features

Melton Mowbray St Marys SE aspect Melton Mowbray St Marys SE aspect.JPG
Melton Mowbray St Marys SE aspect

St Mary's Church is the largest and "stateliest" parish church in Leicestershire, [4] with visible remains dating mainly from the 13th-15th centuries. The stonework in the lowest section of the tower, which has Norman windows, dates from 1170, although there were certainly one or more Anglo-Saxon churches on this site before the Norman one. It is built on a plan more usual for cathedrals and the 100-foot (30 m) tower dominates the town, and is a rare example of a parish church with aisled transepts (one of only five in the country) a feature usually found only in a cathedral. It contains a number of notable monuments including the tomb of Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray and others dating from the 14th to the 18th century; also a memorial tablet to equine artist John Ferneley (1782 to 1860). [5]

The church has a large choir containing around 40 members. It forms part of the Framland church trail along with 14 other churches in the 'Framland area'. Copies of the guide to the church trail are available from Melton Tourist Information Centre.

Crusader knight tomb in St Mary's church, c. 1300, thought to be Hamon Belers, a relative of the de Mowbrays Crusader knight - geograph.org.uk - 1292441.jpg
Crusader knight tomb in St Mary's church, c. 1300, thought to be Hamon Belers, a relative of the de Mowbrays

Bells and carillon

The belfry contains ten bells. The earliest bell (No.6) is by John of York dating from the fourteenth century. Most of the rest have been recast. Until 1802 there were only six bells: then two more were added and in 1894 a further two made the total ten. In addition there is a small sanctus bell which dates from the seventeenth century.

The carillon on which the chimes are played three times a day were restored in 1938 through a bequest by Alice Henton. This restoration involved a new clock to replace the previous one dating from the early nineteenth century.

List of rectors

† Rector died in post

Organ

Interior, looking East St Mary, Melton Mowbray, Leics - East end - geograph.org.uk - 385054.jpg
Interior, looking East

A new organ was installed by John Gray of London was opened on 30 September 1832. [19] It was built in the fashion of two Gothic towers and was intended to stand at the west end of the church allowing a view of the window in the middle. It was enlarged by Groves and Mitchell in 1849 to comprise 27 stops over two manuals and pedals [20] and re-opened on 13 January 1850. In this new incarnation it was moved to a position either side of the chancel. [21] The organ was enlarged again in 1897 [22] by William Hill and Son to become a 3 manual and pedal instrument of 39 stops. In 1929–30, Haydn Morton overhauled the instrument, inserted pneumatic action to the pedal board, and made layout modifications to assist with tuning and maintenance. The console was moved into the north transept. [23] This was rebuilt by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd in 1955. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. In 2018, Henry Groves & Son completed a rebuild and re-ordering of the 3-manual Hill/Walker organ, including addition of pedal 32 ft Contra Trombone and a 5-rank Great Cornet, 69 stops. [24]

List of organists

Taken from handwritten list in the church on the organ console:

  • Thomas Hickson 1846 - 1880
  • Claude Ferneley 1880 - 1890
  • L. Camidge 1890 - 1900
  • Percy Jones 1900 - 1914
  • Malcolm Sargent 1914 - 1924 [25]
  • William Hunt 1925 - 1928
  • Percy George Saunders 1928 - 1930 [26] later organist of Wakefield Cathedral
  • William Dean Pearson 1930 - 1937 [27] - 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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Abbey</span> Church in Somerset, England

The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganised in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries; major restoration work was carried out by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 1860s. It is one of the largest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country. The medieval abbey church served as a sometime cathedral of a bishop. After long contention between churchmen in Bath and Wells the seat of the Diocese of Bath and Wells was later consolidated at Wells Cathedral. The Benedictine community was dissolved in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truro Cathedral</span> Church in Cornwall, United Kingdom

The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. It is one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom featuring three spires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melton Mowbray</span> Town in Leicestershire, England

Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton district in Leicestershire, England, 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Leicester, and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population of 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promoted as Britain's "Rural Capital of Food"; it is the home of the Melton Mowbray pork pie and is the location of one of six licensed makers of Stilton cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Bartholomew-the-Great</span> Church in London, England

The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great, sometimes abbreviated to St-Barts-the-Great, is a mediaeval church in the Church of England's Diocese of London located in Smithfield within the City of London. The building was founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123. It adjoins St Bartholomew's Hospital of the same foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycomb</span> Village in United Kingdom

Wycomb is a small hamlet in the district of Melton, which is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, and is part of the civil parish of Scalford, which also includes the neighbouring village of Chadwell. Until 1 April 1936 it was in the parish of Wycomb and Chadwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridlington Priory</span> Church

Priory Church of St Mary, Bridlington, grid reference TA177680, commonly known as Bridlington Priory Church is a parish church in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the Diocese of York. It is on the site of an Augustinian priory founded in 1113 which was dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1951 it was designated a Grade I Listed Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Leicester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Leicester is a Church of England diocese based in Leicester and including the current county of Leicestershire. The cathedral is Leicester Cathedral, where the Bishop of Leicester has his episcopal chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harby, Leicestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Harby is an English village and a former civil parish, now in the parish of Clawson, Hose and Harby, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire. It lies in the Vale of Belvoir, 9.4 miles (15.1 km) north of Melton Mowbray and 13.9 miles (22.4 km) west-south-west of Grantham. Although in Leicestershire, the county town of Leicester is further – 21.4 miles (34.4 km) – than Nottingham – 15.7 miles (25.3 km). The village lies on the south side of the Grantham Canal. Belvoir Castle, 6 miles (9.7 km) to the north-east, is conspicuous on the horizon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonesby</span> Human settlement in England

Stonesby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sproxton, within the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Waltham on the Wolds. In 1931 the parish had a population of 140.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorpe Arnold</span> Village in Leicestershire, England

Thorpe Arnold is a farming village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waltham on the Wolds and Thorpe Arnold in the district of Melton, which is approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 128. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and to form Waltham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chadwell, Leicestershire</span> Village in United Kingdom

Chadwell is a small village in the district of Melton, which is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, and is part of the civil parish of Scalford, which also includes the neighbouring hamlet of Wycomb. Until 1 April 1936 it was in the parish of Wycomb and Chadwell. The village name means 'spring/stream which is cold'. Chadwell is half a mile east of Wycomb, and they share the Church of St. Mary in the same ecclesiastical parish. The Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Karney</span>

Arthur Baillie Lumsdaine Karney was the first bishop of Johannesburg in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and the Church of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent</span> Church in Nottinghamshire, England

St Mary Magdalene Church, Newark-on-Trent is the parish church of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. It is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and is the tallest structure in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Lloyd (organ builder)</span> English pipe organ builder (1835–1908)

Charles Lloyd was a pipe organ builder based in Nottingham who flourished between 1859 and 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nether Broughton</span> Human settlement in England

Nether Broughton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Broughton and Old Dalby, in the Melton district, in Leicestershire, England. Broughton and Old Dalby's parish council is based in Nether Broughton. The village lies on the main A606 road between Melton Mowbray and Nottingham. The neighbouring village of Upper Broughton is on the same road, but within Nottinghamshire county. In 1931 the parish had a population of 345. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished to form "Broughton and Old Dalby".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fountayne</span>

John Fountayne (1714–1802) was a Church of England clergyman and the longest serving Dean of York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford</span> Church in Leicestershire, England

St Mary the Virgin's Church is in the village of Bottesford, Leicestershire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Framland, the archdeaconry of Leicester and the diocese of Leicester. Its benefice is united with those of eight local parishes. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

Thomas Elliot was one of the main organ builders in England during the early 19th century.

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

St Peter's Church, Leicester, is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in the Highfields area of Leicester, Leicestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary-at-Finchley Church</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Mary-at-Finchley Church is the Church of England parish church for Finchley. It is located in Hendon Lane, in the town centre, near Finchley Library.

References

  1. ↑ "St Mary's Church appeal aims to raise £1.9m towards renovations". Melton Times. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Appeal to revamp St Mary's Church in Melton Mowbray". BBC News. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray". Melton Mowbray Team Parish.
  4. ↑ Guide to St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray. W. G. Hoskins
  5. ↑ British Listed Buildings - Parish Church of St Mary, Melton Mowbray, www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk, Accessed: 12 February 2015
  6. ↑ "Cooper, Isaac (CPR588I)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  7. ↑ "Cawdrey, Zachariah (CWDY595Z)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  8. ↑ "Dowell, John (DWL645J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  9. ↑ "Henley, Simon (HNLY679S)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  10. ↑ "Hardy, John (HRDY696J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  11. ↑ "Ford, Dr Thomas". A Dictionary of Methodism. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Foster, Joseph. "Godfrey, Thomas (3)"  . Alumni Oxonienses  – via Wikisource.
  13. ↑ "Croughton, Robert Fleetwood (CRTN818RF)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  14. ↑ "Karney, Gilbert Sparshott (KNY853GS)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  15. ↑ Foster, Joseph. "Blakeney, Richard"  . Alumni Oxonienses  – via Wikisource.
  16. ↑ "Davies, John Llewelyn (DVS889JL)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  17. ↑ "Robson, Percy Edward (RB896PE)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  18. ↑ "Bates, Harold Robert (BTS900HR)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  19. ↑ "Opening of the New Organ in Melton Mowbray Church" . Stamford Mercury. England. 28 September 1832. Retrieved 21 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ↑ "Melton Mowbray Church Organ" . Leicester Journal. England. 21 December 1849. Retrieved 21 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ↑ "Melton Mowbray" . Leicestershire Chronicle. England. 18 January 1850. Retrieved 21 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ↑ "Re-opening of Melton Parish Church Organ" . Grantham Journal. England. 1 May 1897. Retrieved 21 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. ↑ "St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray. Dedication and opening of organ" . Grantham Journal. England. 15 February 1930. Retrieved 21 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ↑ "Melton Mowbray, St Mary's – Henry Groves & Son Ltd" . Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Aldous, Richard (2001). Tunes of Glory: The Life of Malcolm Sargent. London: Hutchinson. p. 12. ISBN   0091801311.
  26. ↑ The Succession of Organists of the Chapel Royal and the Cathedrals of England and Wales from c.1538, Watkins Shaw. Oxford. 1991
  27. ↑ Who's who in Music. Shaw Publishing. 1937. p.227
  • Thompson, Charles Henry (1950). The Story of St Mary's Church Melton Mowbray. Gloucester : British Publishing Co.
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.