St Mary's Church, Potsgrove
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Potsgrove, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Potsgrove
, Bedfordshire
. England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands at the end of a country lane, north of the A5 road, some 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Leighton Buzzard
.
. The nave
walls had been raised in the 15th century when the present roof was installed, and the chancel
roof is of a later date. There are a few 12th and 13th-century stones incorporated in the fabric of the north wall of the nave, indicating that an earlier church was present on the side.
rubble
with some clunch
, and has ashlar
dressings. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a northwest bell turret
. The east window in the chancel has five lights and contains panel tracery. On the north and south sides of the chancel are two two-light windows. There are similar windows in the nave, two on the north side and three on the south. On the north side is a doorway above which is a dripstone
, its stops being carved with a male and a female head. In the south porch is another doorway with similar carvings. At the west end of the nave is a two-light window, above which is an ogee
-headed niche
containing a statue of the Virgin and Child
. The bell turret is octagonal and has a stone spire. On each side of the turret are two tiers of openings. The spire contains lucarne
s, and is surmounted by a cross finial
.
The chancel is divided from the nave by a wooden screen, the older parts of which date from the 14th century. In the north wall of the chancel is a recessed tomb, and also in the chancel are a piscina
and a sedilia
. There are more piscinae in the nave. The font
is constructed from Purbeck marble
. In the wall of the nave are two brasses
, one dated 1535 and the other from later in that century. In the west window of the nave are pieces of 14th and 15th-century stained glass.
headstone dated (probably) 1711, and the other is a row of six limestone headstones dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
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 Potsgrove
Potsgrove
Potsgrove is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Sheep Lane....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. 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...
. The church stands at the end of a country lane, north of the A5 road, some 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
.
History
The church dates from the 14th century, and was "heavily reworked" in 1880–81 by the architect J. D. SeddingJ. D. Sedding
John Dando Sedding was a noted Victorian church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a ‘crafted Gothic’ style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of whose leading designers studied in his offices...
. The 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...
walls had been raised in the 15th century when the present roof was installed, and 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...
roof is of a later date. There are a few 12th and 13th-century stones incorporated in the fabric of the north wall of the nave, indicating that an earlier church was present on the side.
Architecture
St Mary's is constructed mainly in ironstoneIronstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with some clunch
Clunch
Clunch is a term for traditional building material used mainly in eastern England and Normandy. It is a term which encompasses a wide variety of materials, often locally variable....
, and has ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a northwest bell 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...
. The east window in the chancel has five lights and contains panel tracery. On the north and south sides of the chancel are two two-light windows. There are similar windows in the nave, two on the north side and three on the south. On the north side is a doorway above which is a dripstone
Hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater...
, its stops being carved with a male and a female head. In the south porch is another doorway with similar carvings. At the west end of the nave is a two-light window, above which is 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....
-headed niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
containing a statue of the Virgin and Child
Madonna (art)
Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity where Mary remains...
. The bell turret is octagonal and has a stone spire. On each side of the turret are two tiers of openings. The spire contains lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s, and is surmounted by a cross 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...
.
The chancel is divided from the nave by a wooden screen, the older parts of which date from the 14th century. In the north wall of the chancel is a recessed tomb, and also in the chancel are 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...
and a sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
. There are more piscinae in the nave. 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 constructed from Purbeck marble
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England.It is one of many kinds of Purbeck Limestone, deposited in the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous periods....
. In the wall of the nave are two brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
, one dated 1535 and the other from later in that century. In the west window of the nave are pieces of 14th and 15th-century stained glass.
External features
In the churchyard are two items that have been designated Grade II listed buildings. The first is a limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
headstone dated (probably) 1711, and the other is a row of six limestone headstones dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.