St Michael and All Angels, Great Torrington

Last updated

Church of St Michael and All Angels
Church of St Michael
Churchyard Great Torrington - geograph.org.uk - 888073.jpg
Church and churchyard
St Michael and All Angels, Great Torrington
50°57′09″N4°08′38″W / 50.9525°N 4.1439°W / 50.9525; -4.1439
LocationChurch Walk, Great Torrington, Devon, EX38 8BN
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Previous denomination Roman Catholic Church
Churchmanship Traditional Catholic
Website Parish website
History
StatusActive
Dedication St Michael and All Angels
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated19 March 1951
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Exeter
Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Barnstaple
Deanery Torrington
Parish Great Torrington
Clergy
Bishop(s) The Rt Revd Paul Thomas SSC ( AEO )
Vicar(s) Fr Steve Turner
Laity
Organist(s) David Read
Churchwarden(s) Andrew Turner

The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a Church of England parish church in Great Torrington, Devon. It has been a Grade II* listed building since 1951. [1]

Contents

As a traditional catholic parish, it is a member of Forward in Faith and receives alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Oswestry.

History

The church from the west St Michael's Church, Torrington.jpg
The church from the west

The earliest record of a parish church in Torrington is of 1259, when a vicar was appointed, but there was probably an earlier church on the site. [2] The oldest surviving parts of the building date to the 13th or 14th century. [1]

In February 1646 the bell tower was blown up in the Battle of Torrington, a battle of the First English Civil War. The Royalists who held the town had stored some 80 barrels of gunpowder in the church. The Parliamentarians as they captured the town shut their prisoners in the church and somehow the powder was detonated with great loss of life. The blast is believed to have come from the south transept (the old tower) in a north-westerly direction, destroying several pillars and the fire that followed destroyed old furnishings and monuments. [2] [3] The church had to be rebuilt and this was completed in 1651. [4] [5]

Design

The Willis Organ Church organ, Torrington church.jpg
The Willis Organ
Memorial monument to Judith Hancock Stevens JudithHancockStevensMonumentGreatTorrington.JPG
Memorial monument to Judith Hancock Stevens

The fine wagon roof is of a pattern typical for this part of England, while the window tracery to the nave, aisles and chancel are Geometric dating to about 1861 and are by William White. The current tower and spire date were completed in 1828. [2] [6]

The tower has a ring of eight bells. Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester cast five of them in 1716. [7] They were rehung in 1884. [3] John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the tenor, treble and second bells in 1934. The clock bell from the old tower was cast in 1632. [7] It survived the explosion of 1646 and now hangs in the spire. [3]

The carved octagonal red-veined marble baptismal font with its quatrefoil panels was made in 1914. Opposite this in an oak cabinet is an original wax impression of the Great Seal of England from the reign of James I. This was probably once attached to the Charter granted to the borough in this reign and was restored at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1929. The war memorial contains fragments of glass salvaged from Westminster Chapter House after bomb damage during World War II. Around the church are a beautiful set of the Stations of the Cross which originally belonged to a convent chapel and which were given to the church by an anonymous donor. [3]

On the north wall are two monuments, one to Mrs Penelope Johnson and another to Mrs Palmer (partly behind the organ), both of whom were relations of Sir Joshua Reynolds. He used to regularly visit them, and on one occasion brought the great Dr Samuel Johnson with him. The Willis Organ is one of the finest in the West Country and is the twin of the organ in Truro Cathedral. The pulpit with its carved cherubs, wreaths and gilding is typically 17th-century. During the restoration of 1861-64 (when the old galleries and box pews were removed) the pulpit was moved and the matching sounding board was thrown out. The latter was rescued from a builder's yard and given to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. There it remained until 1960 when it was restored to the church "on loan". [3]

The Crucifix on the pillar behind the pulpit was carved at Oberammergau in 1934 by Willy Bierling, who played St John the Evangelist in the Oberammergau Passion Play that year. The rood hanging in the chancel arch was added in 2002 and was formerly in St Oswald's Church, Small Heath in Birmingham where it had been given as a war memorial. The stone and marble reredos was made in 1878 and is carved with a relief of the Last Supper by the sculptor Harry Hems. The wooden figure of the Virgin Mary to the right of the altar steps was carved by French nuns, while the bronze figure of St Michael to the right of the chancel steps is by Mother Concordia of St Mildred's Abbey in Thanet. At the east end of the south aisle is a small Tudor room that survived the 1646 blast and now used as the vestry; this may be the Tudor library mentioned in records, the books from which have long disappeared. [3]

Chapel of St James

The Chapel of St James Chapel of St James Torrington.jpg
The Chapel of St James
The font made in 1914 Font at St Michael and All Angels Torrington.jpg
The font made in 1914
The pulpit is typically 17th-century Pulpit at St Michael and All Angels Torrington.jpg
The pulpit is typically 17th-century
The stone and marble reredos made in 1878 Reredos St Michael and All Angels Torrington.jpg
The stone and marble reredos made in 1878

The Chapel of St James in the South Transept is named after the demolished chapel at Torrington Castle, and was furnished as a memorial to Frank Emlyn Jones, Vicar 1894-1934 and latterly Archdeacon of Barnstaple. This is where the original tower stood before the rebuilding of the early 19th-century. The chapel altar is 17th-century, while the figures on the reredos are (from left to right): St Michael (for Great Torrington), St Giles (for Little Torrington), St Mary the Virgin, St James, St Mary Magdalene (for Taddiport), and St Gabriel (for St Gabriel's Mission in the town, which no longer exists). The oil painting above the altar is a copy of Caravaggio's 'Ecce Homo'. The icon to the left of the altar is a version of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the original being in Poland. It hangs here as a result of a court case which made legal history. The Chancellor of the Diocese, David Calcutt, refused permission for its installation but in 1984 the parish appealed to the Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved, which had never sat before, and the Chancellor's decision was reversed. The window in the chapel is a memorial to the apothecary and inventor Thomas Fowler. The border shows two of his inventions: the thermosiphon (the founder of the central heating systems) and a calculating machine, a forerunner of the modern computer, and which was admired by his contemporary Charles Babbage. [3]

Exterior

Some of the victims of the 1646 blast lie in a mass grave under the cobbled mound opposite the main entrance, while a stone commemorating the disaster is to the entrance's right. The current tower and spire were built in 1828, [8] about which time the old tower was taken down. The tower is the work of W.B. Cock, a local builder who also designed the nearby Pannier Market; his initials are set into the cobbles of the path outside the South West door. The carved stone heads by the West door are 19th-century and represent Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII. The churchyard has been closed to burials since 1850. [3]

Notable clergy

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Saint John the Baptist, Liverpool</span> Church in Liverpool, England

The Church of Saint John the Baptist is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Liverpool and lies in the archdeaconry of Liverpool and the deanery of West Derby. It is situated on the corner of West Derby Road and Green Lane, in Tuebrook, Liverpool, England. It was built in the 1860s to a design by GF Botley and is Grade I listed, as a building of exceptional architectural interest. The site also contains the Victorian vicarage and a mortuary house, also by Botley and both Grade II listed. It is also the site of the Brockman Memorial Hall, an early venue of the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Andrew's Church, Roker</span> Church in Sunderland, England

St Andrew's, Roker (1905–7), is a Church of England parish church in Sunderland, England. It is recognised as one of the finest churches of the first half of the twentieth century and the masterpiece of Edward Schroeder Prior. The design of St Andrew's drew together many of the strings of Prior's philosophy and approach to design and building. Three years before commencing St Andrew's, Prior had written that the architect's first purpose was to provide;

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Laurence's Church, Frodsham</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Laurence's Church is in Church Road, Frodsham, Cheshire, England. The church stands, not in the centre of the town, but in the elevated area of Overton overlooking the town. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Frodsham.

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

St Peter's Church, Plemstall stands in an isolated position at the end of a country lane near the village of Mickle Trafford, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice is combined with that of St John the Baptist's Church, Guilden Sutton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Macclesfield</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Michael and All Angels Church overlooks Market Place in the town of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Macclesfield. It forms a team parish with three other Macclesfield churches: All Saints, St Peter's and St Barnabas'. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Chester</span> Church in Cheshire, England

The Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury is an active Anglican parish church situated in the City of Chester, in an area of the city informally known as "The Garden Quarter", a densely populated area, close to the University. The church was built in 1872, but the parish of St. Oswald which it serves is much older, dating back to about 980 AD. One of the earliest references to St. Oswald's can be found in Bradshaw's. The parish registers date back to 1580. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The church is part of the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. The patrons of the parish are the dean and chapter of Chester Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Augustine's, Kilburn</span> Church in London, England

Saint Augustine's, Kilburn, is a Church of England church in the area of Kilburn, in North London, England. Because of its large size and ornate architecture, it is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the Cathedral of North London", although the church is not a cathedral in any official sense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Matthew's Church, Stretton</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Matthew's Church is in the village of Stretton, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. Its benefice is combined with that of St Cross, Appleton Thorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James' Church, Louth</span> Church in Louth, Lincolnshire, England

St James' Church, Louth, is the Anglican parish church of Louth in Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for having the third tallest spire in the whole of the United Kingdom. The church was the site of the Lincolnshire Rising, starting in October 1536 and led by the vicar, who was hanged, drawn and quartered for his actions.

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

St Saviour's is an Anglo-Catholic church in Pimlico, City of Westminster, London, England, located at the north end of St George's Square. It was constructed in the 1860s as part of Thomas Cubitt's development of the area on behalf of the Marquess of Westminster. The church was designed by Thomas Cundy, who had previously built St Gabriel's Pimlico a short distance away. As with St Gabriel's, St Saviour's was designed in the Gothic style and built in ragstone to emphasise the contrast with the classical stucco of its secular neighbours. The church is Grade II listed.

Frank Ernest Howard was an English architect who worked exclusively in the area of ecclesiastical furnishings and fittings.

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

The ParishChurch of St Mary, more commonly known as St Mary's, is the main Church of England parish church for the town of Bridgwater, Somerset. Originally founded well before the Norman Conquest, the present church is a large and impressive structure dating primarily from the 14th and 15th centuries, with both earlier remains and later additions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Kentigern's Church, Crosthwaite</span> Church in Cumbria, England

Crosthwaite Parish Church is a church at Great Crosthwaite on the outskirts of Keswick in Cumbria, England. It is dedicated to St Kentigern and is the Anglican church of the parish of Crosthwaite. Since 1951 it has been a Grade II* listed building. The church has an evangelical tradition.

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

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, the Trust designated St Mary's as its first Conservation Church in 2015. It is the largest church in Shrewsbury. Clifton-Taylor includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Lawrence's Church, Evesham</span> Church in Worcestershire, England

St Lawrence's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the centre of the town of Evesham, Worcestershire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands close to All Saints Church, and to the bell tower of the former Evesham Abbey.

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

St Peter'sChurch, Sudbury is a former Anglican church in the town of Sudbury, Suffolk, England, which now serves as an Arts Centre. The building is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The building stands in the heart of the town in a dominating position on Market Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicholas' Church, Sturry</span> Church in Kent, England

St Nicholas' Church, Sturry, is a joint Anglican and Methodist church standing on a bank beside the River Stour, in the village of Sturry, near Canterbury, in East Kent. The Local Ecumenical Partnership enables the congregation to be of mixed denomination - either Methodist or Anglican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw</span> Anglican church in North Yorkshire, England

The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw, North Yorkshire, England, also known as Beckwithshaw Church, is an Anglican church built and furnished between 1886 and 1887 by William Swinden Barber in the Gothic Revival style as part of the Arts and Crafts movement. The stained glass windows in the same style were added in 1892. The church is listed as a Grade II historic structure; it is a pristine and unchanged example of an Arts and Crafts church retaining all its original furnishings, apart from one missing statue. However, in 2018 the church officers gained planning permission for changes which included removing all of the original pews. The first vicar of this church, from 1887 to 1894, was Charles Farrar Forster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Stephen's Church, Prenton</span> Church in Merseyside, England

St Stephen's Church is in Prenton Lane, Prenton, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Birkenhead, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Andrew's Church, Fulham</span> Church in London, England

St. Andrew's Church, Fulham, also known as St. Andrew's Church, West Kensington, is a Church of England church located in West Kensington, near Fulham in southwest London. The church was founded in 1873. The church is notable for the fact that some of its parishioners were responsible for establishing Fulham Football Club. It has been Grade II listed since 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Church of St Michael and All Angels (Grade II*) (1104787)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "A guide to the Church". St Michael & All Angels, Great Torrington. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels, Torrington: a brief guide (ND)
  4. ↑ Archbishops' Council. "St Michael and All Angels, Great Torrington". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "A little local history". Great Torrington. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Church of St Michael, Great Torrington - Torridge". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 Scott, John (8 September 2010). "Great Torrington S Michael". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers . Central Council for Church Bell Ringers . Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Pevsner & Cherry 1989, p. 460.

Bibliography

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Michael and All Angels Church, Great Torrington at Wikimedia Commons

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.