St Werburgh's Church, Spondon

The Parish Church of St Werburgh, Spondon
The Parish Church of St Werburgh, Spondon
	52°55′09″N1°24′35″W / 52.91915°N 1.40977°W
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Inclusive Anglo-Catholic
Website	www.stwerburgh.com
History
Dedication	St. Werburgh
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II listed building
Architectural type	Gothic
Completed	1390
Specifications
Spire height	35 metres (115 ft)
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Diocese of Derby
Parish	Spondon
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Canon Julian Hollywell
Assistant priest(s)	Fr. Paul Waters
Honorary priest(s)	Rev. Eleanor Berry; Rev. Pat Gower
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Mr Andrew Rose
Churchwarden(s)	Mr. Jonathan Clewes; Mrs. Kate Leatherbarrow

Last updated December 09, 2024

St. Werburgh's Church, Spondon, is a parish church in the Inclusive Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England located in Spondon, Derbyshire.^[1]

History

The present church dates from around 1390, when it replaced an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1340. It was re-listed as Grade II in 2012.

The main body of the church, both nave and chancel, along with the 35 metre high tower and spire, date to 1390, although the north wall of the nave was damaged by subsidence and was rebuilt in 1826.

The church was restored in 1892 which removed many of the changes made in 1826.^[2] The flat roof of 1826 was replaced with a pitched roof, and other roofs were raised in height. The north aisle was rebuilt and the exterior wall was moved out by 5 ft. Plaster from the walls and the pillars was removed, to reveal the original stonework. The arch under the tower was opened up, and the galleries were removed. The architect was John Oldrid Scott of London, and the contractor was Rudd of Grantham.

There have been recent extensive renovations to the tower and spire funded partly through Heritage Lottery funding. An ongoing project will restore the floor of the nave, improve welcome facilities and reorder the sanctuary adding permanent nave altar in front to the choir stalls on an extended nave altar platform.

Previous incumbents include Canon Richard Andrews, who now serves as Canon Precentor of Derby Cathedral, and the Very Reverend Geoffrey Marshall who went on to become Dean of Brecon in the Church in Wales. The Reverend TEM Barber was vicar from March 1939 until May 1986 and is known to have been the longest serving vicar in the Church of England at that time, and also the longest-ever serving vicar of Spondon.

During his time as vicar, the church congregations flourished. He taught strictly from the Book of Common Prayer with High Church ritual, and was renowned for his work with the sick and dying, and for his work with young people. One of his greatest works was with the Spondon Church Boys' Club, which he founded in 1939 and ran until his death in 1988. A feature of the club was the annual summer camp to various venues, but latterly to Sidmouth. Following his resignation due to ill health at the age of 79 he was, thanks to his many friends, able to continue to run Spondon Church Boys' Club until his death two years later. His funeral was packed by his parishioners, past and present, whom he had served for 50 years.

Features

Adjacent to the main altar is a recessed sedilia, nearby a priest's sanctus window and there are four piscinas within the church.

There is a First World War memorial located in the Lady Chapel and a newer Tower Chapel. The royal arms displayed over the north door is dated between 1702 and 1707 because it displays the arms of Queen Anne before the union with Scotland.

Externally can be found the remains of a decorated cross shaft said to date to around 870, though it was not originally located in the churchyard.

In the nearby former vicarage grounds is what is considered to be a holy well.

Bells

There is a peal of six bells, one of which is 16th century, one 17th, and the remaining four of the 19th century.

Organ

A new organ was installed and opened by W.E. Gover of St Werburgh's Church, Derby on 21 April 1839.^[3]

The organ by the builder James Jepson Binns was opened on 14 June 1905^[4] and has a case by John Oldrid Scott. The total cost was £1,100 (equivalent to £149,200in 2023).^[5] The electric action was fitted by M.C. Thompson in 1989. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Related Research Articles

Spondon is a ward of the city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as British Celanese.

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.

Southwell Minster, strictly since 1884 Southwell Cathedral, and formally the Cathedral and Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the mother church of the diocese of Southwell and Nottingham; it is governed by a dean and chapter. It is a grade I listed building.

All Saints' Church, Bakewell, is the parish church of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.

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.

St Werburgh's Church is the name of two separate churches in the village of Warburton, Greater Manchester, England. The older church is located to the west of the village, and may date back as far as the middle of the 13th century. It is now a redundant church but services are held in the summer months. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The authors of the Buildings of England series call this church "a lovable muddle".

St James' Church is in the village of Christleton, 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 Chester. It is the only Cheshire church designed by William Butterfield.

Chesterfield Parish Church is an Anglican church dedicated to Saint Mary and All Saints, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Building of the church began in 1234 AD, though the present church dates predominantly from the 14th century. Designated a Grade I listed building in 1971, St Mary's is best known for its twisted and leaning spire. It is the largest parish church in the Diocese of Derby and forms part of the Archdeaconry of Chesterfield. In 1994, it also became the UK's only representative in the Association of the Twisted Spires of Europe; of the 72 member churches, it is deemed to have the greatest lean and twist.

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.

Wakefield Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, is a co-equal Anglican cathedral with Bradford and Ripon Cathedrals, in the Diocese of Leeds and a seat of the Bishop of Leeds. Originally the parish church, it has Anglo Saxon origins and, after enlargement and rebuilding, has the tallest spire in Yorkshire. Its 247-foot (75 m) spire is the tallest structure in the City of Wakefield. The cathedral was designated a Grade I listed building on 14 July 1953.

St Peter's in the City is a Church of England parish church in the city of Derby, Derbyshire, England. It is one of Derby's city centre churches which is in full use for worship. The church building dates from the 11th century. The tower has a peal of eight bells, which are rung before the Sunday morning services.

The church of St John the Baptist in Tideswell is a Church of England parish church.

All Saints' Church, Kedleston, is a redundant Anglican Church located 4 miles north-west of Derby in Derbyshire, England. It is all that remains of the medieval village of Kedleston, which was demolished in 1759 by Nathaniel Curzon to make way for the adjacent Kedleston Hall, a country house in Derbyshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Kedleston Hall is owned by the National Trust, and the church is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Kedleston Hall has been occupied by the Curzon family for over 700 years.

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.

St. Peter and St. Paul, known commonly as Dagenham Parish Church, is a Church of England parish church in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, England, formerly part of Essex. It is of medieval origin, largely rebuilt at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

St Mary the Virgin is a parish church in the Church of England in Wirksworth, Derbyshire. It is a Grade I listed building. The existing building dates mostly from the 13th–15th centuries, but notable survivals from the Anglo-Saxon period indicate a church has stood on this site since at least the 8th century AD. It was restored in 1820, then in 1870 by Sir Gilbert Scott.

St Mary's Church is on Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ludlow, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of six local parishes to form the Cleobury Benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is notable for its shingled twisted spire.

St James’ Church, Swarkestone is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Swarkestone, Derbyshire.

St Mary's Church, Ilkeston is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Built in the 14th century, it is known as the "Mollis Chapel" because of a stained glass window which shows the rising sun above the cross which was fixed to it by the local saint.

All Saints’ Church, Glossop, is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Glossop, Derbyshire, England.

References

↑ The Buildings of England. Derbyshire. Nikolaus Pevsner
↑ "Reopening of Spondon Church". Nottingham Evening Post. Nottingham. 18 October 1892. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
↑ "Spondon" . Derbyshire Courier. England. 27 April 1839. Retrieved 4 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ "Dedication of a new organ at Spondon Church" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 16 June 1905. Retrieved 4 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.

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.

[1] The Buildings of England. Derbyshire. Nikolaus Pevsner

[2] "Reopening of Spondon Church". Nottingham Evening Post. Nottingham. 18 October 1892. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

[3] "Spondon" . Derbyshire Courier. England. 27 April 1839. Retrieved 4 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.

[4] "Dedication of a new organ at Spondon Church" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 16 June 1905. Retrieved 4 June 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.

[inflation-UK-5] UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]