St Lawrence's Church, Evesham
Encyclopedia
St Lawrence's Church, Evesham, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the centre of the town of Evesham
, Worcestershire
, 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 close to All Saints Church
, and to the bell tower of the former Evesham Abbey.
monks of Evesham Abbey in the 12th century. The first documentary evidence of the church is in 1195, and it was dedicated
by the Bishop of St Asaph
in 1295. The present church dates from 1470, replacing the earlier church. Initially St Lawrence's was a richer church than All Saints, and it was better endowed
than its neighbour. However after the Reformation
, matters changed and All Saints became the richer. All Saints maintained a high church
tradition of worship, which attracted the wealthier residents, while St Lawrence's was low church
. From 1659 it ceased to have its own vicar and was served by the clergy of All Saints. The fabric of the church deteriorated and by the winter of 1718 it had become unusable. Repairs started in 1737, but these were done badly, and the roof collapsed in 1800. The church was abandoned. In the early 19th century, Edward Rudge commissioned the architect Harvey Eginton, who carried out a major re-building in 1836–37. This included adding a north aisle in a similar style to the south aisle, and rebuilding the roof. During the 20th century, the size of the congregation declined. In 1978 the parish of St Lawrence united with that of All Saints, and St Lawrence's was declared redundant. It was vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust the following year.
roofs. Its plan consists of a four-bay
nave
with a clerestory
and north and south aisles, and a two-bay chancel
. The aisles are almost as wide as the nave and continue beside the chancel, with the east end of the chancel protruding beyond them to form a short sanctuary
. At the west end is a tower with a porch, and there is a chapel on the south side. The tower has diagonal buttress
es, and a stair turret
to its southeast. On the west side is a Perpendicular doorway, over which is a large four-light window. The top stage contains two-light bell openings. At the top of the tower is a parapet
with pinnacle
s, and it is surmounted by a short spire. The Perpendicular east window is large, with six lights, almost filling the east wall of the chancel. There are gable
s at the east and west ends of both aisles, which contain three-light Perpendicular windows. In the north aisle are three-light Perpendicular windows, an ogee
-arched crocket
ted doorway, a pierced parapet, and crocketted finial
s. The chapel projects from the south side of the church, with diagonal buttresses, a pierced parapet, and a five-light transomed
south window.
, with Tudor
-style arches carried on lozenge-shaped piers
, and there is a three-bay arcade between the chancel and the chancel chapels. The stone reredos
dates from 1838 and consists of canopies
over inscriptions of the Creed, the Lord's Prayer
and the Ten Commandments
. There are carved screens between the chancel and the aisles dating from about 1900. The Jacobean
communion table was donated to the church in 1610. The wooden pulpit
is polygonal. It dates from 1906, and contains carved figures of the Four Evangelists
, Bishop Egwin, and Saint Lawrence. The font
is medieval
and consists of an octagonal bowl on an octagonal stem. The south chapel has a stone fan vault
ed rood and a floor of encaustic tile
s. It contains a copy of the medieval font. In the east window is stained glass of 1862 by Thomas Willement
, which includes depictions of the Resurrection
, the Last Supper
, and coats of arms
. The windows in the north and south sanctuary walls are by Gibbs. The east window in the south aisle dated 1847 is by O'Connor, and the east window in the chapel is by Hardman & Co.
In the north aisle are three windows from the early part of the 20th century by Geoffrey Webb, and there are other windows from later in the 20th century by Evans and Co. of Smethwick
, Paul Woodroffe
of Stroud
, A. L. Wilkinson and Francis Skeat
. The two-manual
organ was made by Nicholson of Worcester
in 1867.
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 centre of the town of Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, 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 close to All Saints Church
All Saints Church, Evesham
All Saints Church is an active Anglican church in the centre of the town of Evesham, Worcestershire, England. All Saints and its neighbour St Lawrence's Church were built by the Benedictine monks of Evesham Abbey in the 12th century to serve the people of Evesham...
, and to the bell tower of the former Evesham Abbey.
History
St Lawrence's Church and its neighbour All Saints were built by the BenedictineOrder of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
monks of Evesham Abbey in the 12th century. The first documentary evidence of the church is in 1195, and it was dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
by the Bishop of St Asaph
Bishop of St Asaph
The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
in 1295. The present church dates from 1470, replacing the earlier church. Initially St Lawrence's was a richer church than All Saints, and it was better endowed
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
than its neighbour. However after the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, matters changed and All Saints became the richer. All Saints maintained a high church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
tradition of worship, which attracted the wealthier residents, while St Lawrence's was low church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
. From 1659 it ceased to have its own vicar and was served by the clergy of All Saints. The fabric of the church deteriorated and by the winter of 1718 it had become unusable. Repairs started in 1737, but these were done badly, and the roof collapsed in 1800. The church was abandoned. In the early 19th century, Edward Rudge commissioned the architect Harvey Eginton, who carried out a major re-building in 1836–37. This included adding a north aisle in a similar style to the south aisle, and rebuilding the roof. During the 20th century, the size of the congregation declined. In 1978 the parish of St Lawrence united with that of All Saints, and St Lawrence's was declared redundant. It 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 the following year.
Exterior
The church is constructed in stone with slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. Its plan consists of a four-bay
Bay (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
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 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...
and north and south aisles, and a two-bay 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...
. The aisles are almost as wide as the nave and continue beside the chancel, with the east end of the chancel protruding beyond them to form a short sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. At the west end is a tower with a porch, and there is a chapel on the south side. The tower has diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, and a stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
to its southeast. On the west side is a Perpendicular doorway, over which is a large four-light window. The top stage contains two-light bell openings. At the top of the tower is a 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...
with pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s, and it is surmounted by a short spire. The Perpendicular east window is large, with six lights, almost filling the east wall of the chancel. There are gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s at the east and west ends of both aisles, which contain three-light Perpendicular windows. In the north aisle are three-light Perpendicular windows, an 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....
-arched crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ted doorway, a pierced parapet, and crocketted finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. The chapel projects from the south side of the church, with diagonal buttresses, a pierced parapet, and a five-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...
south window.
Interior
There is no chancel arch. Between the nave and the aisles are four-bay 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....
, with Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
-style arches carried on lozenge-shaped piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
, and there is a three-bay arcade between the chancel and the chancel chapels. The stone reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
dates from 1838 and consists of canopies
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
over inscriptions of the Creed, the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
and the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. There are carved screens between the chancel and the aisles dating from about 1900. The Jacobean
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:...
communion table was donated to the church in 1610. The wooden 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 polygonal. It dates from 1906, and contains carved figures of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
, Bishop Egwin, and Saint Lawrence. The 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 medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and consists of an octagonal bowl on an octagonal stem. The south chapel has a stone fan vault
Fan vault
thumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a [[Victorian restoration]] of the original roof of 1608....
ed rood and a floor of encaustic tile
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tiles are ceramic tiles in which the pattern or figure on the surface is not a product of the glaze but of different colors of clay. They are usually of two colors but a tile may be composed of as many as six. The pattern is inlaid into the body of the tile, so that the design remains as...
s. It contains a copy of the medieval font. In the east window is stained glass of 1862 by Thomas Willement
Thomas Willement
Thomas Willement, 1786–1871, was a British stained glass artist, called “the Father of Victorian Stained Glass”, active from 1811 to 1865.-Biographical:Willement was born on the 18th July 1786 at St Marylebone, London....
, which includes depictions of the Resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
, the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
, and coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. The windows in the north and south sanctuary walls are by Gibbs. The east window in the south aisle dated 1847 is by O'Connor, and the east window in the chapel is by Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
In the north aisle are three windows from the early part of the 20th century by Geoffrey Webb, and there are other windows from later in the 20th century by Evans and Co. of Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, Paul Woodroffe
Paul Woodroffe
Paul Vincent Woodroffe was a British book illustrator and stained-glass artist.Paul Woodroffe was born in Madras and as a young man in London in the 1890s he took up book illustration and then stained glass, and worked with books and windows for the rest of his life...
of Stroud
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
, A. L. Wilkinson and Francis Skeat
Francis Skeat
Francis Walter Skeat is an English glass painter who has created over 400 stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals, both in England and overseas. Skeat is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, and a member of the Art Workers...
. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was made by Nicholson of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in 1867.