Church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermaston
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Aldermaston is the Church of England parish church
of Aldermaston
in Berkshire
. The church, which is dedicated to St Mary
, dates from the mid-12th century and has examples of Norman
and Jacobean architecture
. The building has had a number of extensions, particularly in the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th centuries.
was built in the mid 12th century. The Norman
building was altered throughout the following millennium. The 12th century building now comprises the current nave
, with additions seen in the Forster Chapel and chancel
(13th century), the steeple
(14th century), and vestry (17th century). The 17th century Jacobean
pulpit
is an unusual heptagonal design. Various additions were made to the structure in the 14th and 15th centuries, primarily to the walls and ogee
windows. A scratch dial
was added to the south-west buttress
in the 14th century.
In 1896 Charles Keyser oversaw and funded the church's renovation, which was guided by Edward Doran Webb
. Alongside the routine repairments to paving and roofing, the renovation uncovered evidence of an early water drainage system in the sill of a window. This was converted into a piscina
. Also, the repairs to the walls of the nave showed that they were lined plaster upon a wooden framing – this was removed, and after repairs, the walls were decorated with tempera
artwork. The stained glass in the chancel
is the work of C.E. Kempe
.
Further repair work to the roof and tower was undertaken in the 1950s, with surveying overseen by Frederick Ernest Briant Ravenscroft of Reading. Ravenscroft was in his 70s when the work began and died before the work was finished. The completion documents were signed off by his fellow architect George William Judd. The church font
dates from the mid 19th century, and the lectern
is a memorial to the Second World War.
On 11 September 2010, the church was opened to the public as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme. The current vicar is Rev. Becky Bevan, who succeeded Rev. Pete Steele in October 2010.
of the church was added in the 13th century. Now called the Forster Chapel, the lady chapel
contains the alabaster
effigial monument
of Sir George Forster and his wife Elizabeth, which was built in 1530. Part of the effigy was damaged when part of the church's roof collapsed; George's face, however, remained undamaged. The chapel may originally have been a chantry
dedicated to St Nicholas.
The two roundels in the north window portray the Annunciation
the Coronation of the Virgin
. These date from the 13th century and are the oldest glass in Berkshire.
of eight bells. The oldest are the fourth and sixth bells, which were founded in 1681 by Henry Knight of Reading. The seventh dates from 1786 and was made by W & T Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
. The third and fifth were cast by Mears in 1860. The second bell was cast by Warner in 1895, with the treble and tenor bells being cast five years later.
Between 1900 and 2005 the church rang 210 peal
s. In 1977, the church rang a quarter-peal (1260 changes
) of Plain Bob Doubles for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
. On 9 July 1979, a peal of Grandsire Triples was run to mark the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to AWRE. A peal of Oxford Bob Triples was rung in on 15 November 1980 to commemorate the new vicar, Rev. Richard Millar. The peal lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes.
The present organ at St Mary's church is located in the south chancel and was built in 1880 by Martin & Coate of Oxford. The organ has 16 stops
, with pipes of spotted metal (an alloy of lead
and tin
):
The organ has four couplers – swell to pedal, swell to great, swell octave to great, and great to pedal. The wind system uses a Discus electric blower. The pedal keyboard is laid out in a concave-parallel design.
In 1938, the tremulant
was added to the swell division. In addition to this, the swell to great coupler was changed and detail to the console
was added. In 1997, the organ was cleaned and renovated by Foster Waite of Newbury, but no changes were made.
to learn gossip. The hare was shot in the leg by the gamekeeper
, and Hale reportedly had a limp thereafter. Other rumours suggest that she cursed villagers' gardens when they refused her request for flowers, and that she bestowed illness upon her son when he left home for Windsor
so that he would return.
The United Kingdom Census of 1871 listed Hale as living in Mortimer. At that time the census divided the county into subdivisions, and Aldermaston was within the Mortimer division. She died 8 years later in 1879, and was buried south-west of the church's entrance beside a yew tree. Her coffin was supposedly weighed down with stones and bricks, and the gravediggers jumped on the grave to ensure that she would never rise. It is rumoured that placing a pin in the church door and running around the church three times will summon her ghost.
Charles Keyser, Daniel Burr, and John Stair are buried in the Aldermaston churchyard.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Aldermaston
Aldermaston
Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The church, which is dedicated to St Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, dates from the mid-12th century and has examples of Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
and Jacobean architecture
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
. The building has had a number of extensions, particularly in the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th centuries.
History
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
was built in the mid 12th century. The Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
building was altered throughout the following millennium. The 12th century building now comprises the current nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, with additions seen in the Forster Chapel and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
(13th century), the steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
(14th century), and vestry (17th century). The 17th century Jacobean
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is an unusual heptagonal design. Various additions were made to the structure in the 14th and 15th centuries, primarily to the walls and ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
windows. A scratch dial
Sun Dial
Sun Dial is a British space rock band formed in 1990 by Gary Ramon.-History:The precursor to Sun Dial was Ramon's the Modern Art, formed in the mid-'80s with a loose lineup that never played gigs but did see the release of two studio albums...
was added to the south-west buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
in the 14th century.
In 1896 Charles Keyser oversaw and funded the church's renovation, which was guided by Edward Doran Webb
Edward Doran Webb
Edward Doran Webb was a British ecclesiastical architect. Based in Wiltshire, he worked on churches in Salisbury, Finchley, and Aldermaston. He designed Birmingham Oratory....
. Alongside the routine repairments to paving and roofing, the renovation uncovered evidence of an early water drainage system in the sill of a window. This was converted into a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
. Also, the repairs to the walls of the nave showed that they were lined plaster upon a wooden framing – this was removed, and after repairs, the walls were decorated with tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
artwork. The stained glass in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is the work of C.E. Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.
Further repair work to the roof and tower was undertaken in the 1950s, with surveying overseen by Frederick Ernest Briant Ravenscroft of Reading. Ravenscroft was in his 70s when the work began and died before the work was finished. The completion documents were signed off by his fellow architect George William Judd. The church font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the mid 19th century, and the lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
is a memorial to the Second World War.
On 11 September 2010, the church was opened to the public as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme. The current vicar is Rev. Becky Bevan, who succeeded Rev. Pete Steele in October 2010.
Forster Chapel
The south transeptTransept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
of the church was added in the 13th century. Now called the Forster Chapel, the lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
contains the alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
effigial monument
Church monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
of Sir George Forster and his wife Elizabeth, which was built in 1530. Part of the effigy was damaged when part of the church's roof collapsed; George's face, however, remained undamaged. The chapel may originally have been a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
dedicated to St Nicholas.
The two roundels in the north window portray the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
the Coronation of the Virgin
Coronation of the Virgin
The Coronation of the Virgin or Coronation of Mary is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove,...
. These date from the 13th century and are the oldest glass in Berkshire.
Bells
The church tower has a pealChange ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of eight bells. The oldest are the fourth and sixth bells, which were founded in 1681 by Henry Knight of Reading. The seventh dates from 1786 and was made by W & T Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
. The third and fifth were cast by Mears in 1860. The second bell was cast by Warner in 1895, with the treble and tenor bells being cast five years later.
Between 1900 and 2005 the church rang 210 peal
Peal
A peal is the name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing. The precise definition of a peal has changed considerably over the years...
s. In 1977, the church rang a quarter-peal (1260 changes
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
) of Plain Bob Doubles for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms...
. On 9 July 1979, a peal of Grandsire Triples was run to mark the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to AWRE. A peal of Oxford Bob Triples was rung in on 15 November 1980 to commemorate the new vicar, Rev. Richard Millar. The peal lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes.
Organ
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
, with pipes of spotted metal (an alloy of lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
):
| Division | Stop | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Pedal | Bourdon | 16' |
| Great | Open Diapason | 8' |
| Stopped Diapason | 8' | |
| Dulcian Dulcian The dulcian is a Renaissance bass woodwind instrument, with a double reed and a folded conical bore. Equivalent terms include "curtal" in English, "dulzian" in German, "bajón" in Spanish, "douçaine"' in French, "dulciaan" in Dutch, and "dulciana" in Italian.... a |
8' | |
| Principal | 4' | |
| Swell | Horn Diapason | 8' |
| Gamba | 8' | |
| Lieblich Gedact Gedackt Gedackt is the name of a family of stops in pipe organ building. They are one of the most common types of organ flue pipe. The name is a German word, meaning "capped" or "covered".- History :... |
8' | |
| Gemshorn | 4' | |
| Tremulant Tremulant A tremulant is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions . This causes their pitch to fluctuate, producing a vibrato effect. A large organ may have several tremulants, affecting different ranks of pipes... |
4' |
The organ has four couplers – swell to pedal, swell to great, swell octave to great, and great to pedal. The wind system uses a Discus electric blower. The pedal keyboard is laid out in a concave-parallel design.
In 1938, the tremulant
Tremulant
A tremulant is a device on a pipe organ which varies the wind supply to the pipes of one or more divisions . This causes their pitch to fluctuate, producing a vibrato effect. A large organ may have several tremulants, affecting different ranks of pipes...
was added to the swell division. In addition to this, the swell to great coupler was changed and detail to the console
Organ console
thumb|right|250px|The console of the [[Wanamaker Organ]] in the Macy's department store in [[Philadelphia]], featuring six manuals and colour-coded stop tabs....
was added. In 1997, the organ was cleaned and renovated by Foster Waite of Newbury, but no changes were made.
Notable burials
Maria Hale (occasionally written as Martha Hale) was born in 1791, and lived in Park Cottage on the edge of the court's parkland. It was rumoured that she was a witch, and would turn herself into a hare and sit outside the Falcon pub in TadleyTadley
Tadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
to learn gossip. The hare was shot in the leg by the gamekeeper
Gamekeeper
A gamekeeper is a person who manages an area of countryside to make sure there is enough game for shooting, or fish for angling, and who actively manages areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife in general.Typically, a gamekeeper is...
, and Hale reportedly had a limp thereafter. Other rumours suggest that she cursed villagers' gardens when they refused her request for flowers, and that she bestowed illness upon her son when he left home for Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
so that he would return.
The United Kingdom Census of 1871 listed Hale as living in Mortimer. At that time the census divided the county into subdivisions, and Aldermaston was within the Mortimer division. She died 8 years later in 1879, and was buried south-west of the church's entrance beside a yew tree. Her coffin was supposedly weighed down with stones and bricks, and the gravediggers jumped on the grave to ensure that she would never rise. It is rumoured that placing a pin in the church door and running around the church three times will summon her ghost.
Charles Keyser, Daniel Burr, and John Stair are buried in the Aldermaston churchyard.