Holy Cross Church, Burley
Encyclopedia
Holy Cross Church, Burley, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Burley
, Rutland
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It stands adjacent to Burley-on-the-Hill House.
, chancel
and north aisle
. During the following century the south aisle was added. In the 14th century the tower was built. The church was restored in about 1796 when square-headed windows were inserted, and box pew
s were added. In 1869–70 the church was extensively restored by J. L. Pearson
. This included rebuilding the east end, replacing all but one of the windows, and adding a new porch. The church was declared redundant on 1 May 1984, and was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 17 February 1988.
nave with a clerestory
, north and south aisles, a three-bay chancel, a north porch, and a west tower. The nave measures 44 in 9 in (13.64 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m), the chancel 39 feet (11.9 m) by 13 in 6 in (4.11 m), the north aisle 10 in 6 in (3.2 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m), and the south aisle 11 in 3 in (3.43 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m). The tower is in three stages separated by string courses. It is set on a moulded
plinth
, and has paired buttress
es at the corners. On the west side of the bottom stage is a two-light window with Decorated tracery
, and on the north side in the middle stage is a clock face. On each side of the top stage is a tall two-light transomed
bell opening. At the top of the tower is a battlement
ed parapet
, under which is a moulding carved with flowers and animals' heads. There is a gargoyle
at each corner. The east window has five lights and geometrical tracery. All the windows along the clerestory and the aisles are flat-headed. On the north wall of the church is a chimney and a priest's doorway.
are of different age and style. The north arcade dates from the 12th century and is Norman
in style with round arches, while the south arcade is Gothic
, dating from the 13th century with pointed arches. Between the nave and the chancel is a low screen in pierced stone. The octagonal font
is Perpendicular in style. The stained glass in the east window dates from about 1870 and is by Clayton and Bell
, while that in the west window is by Westlake
. In the church is a alabaster
monument with mutilated effigies
dating from the late 15th century. There is also a memorial by Chantrey to Lady Charlotte Finch
who died in 1813, and who had been governess
to the children of George III
. In the tower is a single bell, cast in 1705 by Alexander Rigby of Stamford.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the village of Burley
Burley, Rutland
Burley, or Burley-on-the-Hill, is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located two miles north-east of Oakham....
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. It stands adjacent to Burley-on-the-Hill House.
History
Building of the church started in the 12th century. By the end of that century it consisted of a naveNave
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...
, 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...
and north aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
. During the following century the south aisle was added. In the 14th century the tower was built. The church was restored in about 1796 when square-headed windows were inserted, and box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s were added. In 1869–70 the church was extensively restored by J. L. Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
. This included rebuilding the east end, replacing all but one of the windows, and adding a new porch. The church was declared redundant on 1 May 1984, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust on 17 February 1988.
Exterior
Holy Cross is constructed in stone of differing colours, and has red tile roofs. Its plan consists of a four-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave with a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, north and south aisles, a three-bay chancel, a north porch, and a west tower. The nave measures 44 in 9 in (13.64 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m), the chancel 39 feet (11.9 m) by 13 in 6 in (4.11 m), the north aisle 10 in 6 in (3.2 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m), and the south aisle 11 in 3 in (3.43 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m). The tower is in three stages separated by string courses. It is set on a moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
, and has paired buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es at the corners. On the west side of the bottom stage is a two-light window with Decorated tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
, and on the north side in the middle stage is a clock face. On each side of the top stage is a tall two-light transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
bell opening. At the top of the tower is a battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, under which is a moulding carved with flowers and animals' heads. There is a gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
at each corner. The east window has five lights and geometrical tracery. All the windows along the clerestory and the aisles are flat-headed. On the north wall of the church is a chimney and a priest's doorway.
Interior
The two arcadesArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are of different age and style. The north arcade dates from the 12th century and is 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...
in style with round arches, while the south arcade is Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
, dating from the 13th century with pointed arches. Between the nave and the chancel is a low screen in pierced stone. The octagonal 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:...
is Perpendicular in style. The stained glass in the east window dates from about 1870 and is by Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
, while that in the west window is by Westlake
Nathaniel Westlake
Nathaniel Hubert John Westlake was a 19th-century British artist specializing in stained glass.-Career:Westlake began to design for the firm of Lavers & Barraud, Ecclesiastical Designers, in 1858, and became a partner ten years later, making the firm Lavers, Barraud and Westlake, of which he...
. In the church is a 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...
monument with mutilated effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
dating from the late 15th century. There is also a memorial by Chantrey to Lady Charlotte Finch
Lady Charlotte Finch
Lady Charlotte Finch was governess of the children of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, King and Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. She was the daughter of Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl of Pomfret, and Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys. Charlotte, on 9 August 1746, married the Hon. William...
who died in 1813, and who had been governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
to the children of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. In the tower is a single bell, cast in 1705 by Alexander Rigby of Stamford.