St Mary the Virgin's Church, Yazor
Encyclopedia
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Yazor, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of Yazor
, Herefordshire
, 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 cost £3,883 (£ as of ). Its main architect was George Moore, and the rector Rev R. L. Freer designed the spire and fittings inside the church. It was built to replace an older church sited "a field away".
with Welsh slate
roofs. Its plan is cruciform, with an apsidal
chancel
at the west end, and a tower at the east end containing a porch. The nave
is in three bays
, with single-bay north and south transept
s. The tower is in two stages, with gable
d buttress
es. Its lower stage is "extremely tall". The upper stage contains two-lancet
bell openings. Above these is a cornice
supported on a corbel
table, and a octagonal broach spire
. On the spire are two tiers of lucarne
s and a finial
with a wrought iron
cross. Fours steps lead to a doorway on the east side of the tower. On each side of the nave there are three lancet windows, and between them are buttresses. On the north and south sides of the transepts are three stepped lancet windows, and on the east sides are single blind lancets. On the west side of both transepts is a small porch, each of which contains a pair of rectangular windows. Under the windows of the north porch, a doorway leads down to a crypt
. In the apse of the chancel are five lancet windows. On the apex of the chancel gable is an elaborate wrought iron cross in a circle. Along the sides of the porch in the base of the tower are stone benches.
above the chancel steps. There is much painting in the chancel, including the corbel
s, under which there are stripes in different colours. Around the chancel is a painted plaster
dado
which includes eight rows of rampant lions. Beneath each of the apse windows is a metal plaque; these contain inscriptions of the Magnificat
, the Creed, the Ten Commandments
, the Lord's Prayer
, and the Nunc Dimittis
. Above the central wall of the apse is a carved oak canopy
. Between the nave and the transepts are carved oak screens. The walls of the nave are plastered but uncoloured. The pulpit
is incorporated within the southern screen; it is polygonal and supported on a carved corbel. Above it is a tester
decorated with the emblems of the Four Evangelists
. The font
probably dates from the 15th century, and consists of an octagonal bowl on an octagonal base.
The stained glass in the five windows of the apse is by William Warrington
and dates from about 1845. The central window contains depictions of the Ascension, the Crucifixion
, and the Resurrection
. In the south window is the Annunciation
and the Nativity
, and the north window contains the Magi
, and the scene of a miracle
. The windows between them contain the emblems of the Four Evangelists. The stained glass in the transept windows dates from 1866 and consists of grisaille
, blue squares and red triangles. The windows at the west end of the nave commemorate Foxley family weddings in 1866; that on the north side depicts Ruth
, and the window on the south side shows the Marriage at Cana
. Both windows were made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
. The memorials include monuments to Sir Uvedale Price, his son, Sir Robert, who died in 1857, and Rev Freer. The two-manual
organ was made in 1845 by Gray and Davison
, but when it was surveyed in 2000 it was unplayable.
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 Yazor
Yazor
Yazor is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire. The hamlet of Yarsop lies about a mile to its north at ....
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county 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 Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, 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...
.
History
The church was built between 1843 and 1855. It was paid for by Sir Uvedale Price and his son Sir Robert PriceSir Robert Price, 2nd Baronet
Sir Robert Price, 2nd Baronet was a British baronet and Member of Parliament.Robert Price was the only son of Sir Uvedale Price, the writer on the Picturesque, by Lady Caroline Carpenter, fourth daughter of George Carpenter, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel.He was MP for Herefordshire from 1818 until 1841...
. The church cost £3,883 (£ as of ). Its main architect was George Moore, and the rector Rev R. L. Freer designed the spire and fittings inside the church. It was built to replace an older church sited "a field away".
Exterior
St Mary's is constructed in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with Welsh slate
Slate
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 is cruciform, with an apsidal
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
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...
at the west end, and a tower at the east end containing a porch. 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...
is in three bays
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:...
, with single-bay north and south transept
Transept
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...
s. The tower is in two stages, with 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...
d buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. Its lower stage is "extremely tall". The upper stage contains two-lancet
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
bell openings. Above these is a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
supported on a corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
table, and a octagonal broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
. On the spire are two tiers of 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 a 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...
with a wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
cross. Fours steps lead to a doorway on the east side of the tower. On each side of the nave there are three lancet windows, and between them are buttresses. On the north and south sides of the transepts are three stepped lancet windows, and on the east sides are single blind lancets. On the west side of both transepts is a small porch, each of which contains a pair of rectangular windows. Under the windows of the north porch, a doorway leads down to a crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
. In the apse of the chancel are five lancet windows. On the apex of the chancel gable is an elaborate wrought iron cross in a circle. Along the sides of the porch in the base of the tower are stone benches.
Interior
The ceiling contains decorations including a pair of carved wooden angels, and a large bossBoss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
above the chancel steps. There is much painting in the chancel, including the corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s, under which there are stripes in different colours. Around the chancel is a painted plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
dado
Dado (architecture)
In architectural terminology, the dado, borrowed from Italian meaning die or plinth, is the lower part of a wall, below the dado rail and above the skirting board....
which includes eight rows of rampant lions. Beneath each of the apse windows is a metal plaque; these contain inscriptions of the Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
, the Creed, 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,...
, 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 Nunc Dimittis
Nunc dimittis
The Nunc dimittis is a canticle from a text in the second chapter of Luke named after its first words in Latin, meaning 'Now dismiss...'....
. Above the central wall of the apse is a carved oak canopy
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....
. Between the nave and the transepts are carved oak screens. The walls of the nave are plastered but uncoloured. The 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 incorporated within the southern screen; it is polygonal and supported on a carved corbel. Above it is a tester
Sounding board
A sound board, or soundboard, is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge. The resonant properties of the sound board and the interior of the instrument greatly increase loudness over the string alone.The sound board operates by the...
decorated with the emblems 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...
. 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:...
probably dates from the 15th century, and consists of an octagonal bowl on an octagonal base.
The stained glass in the five windows of the apse is by William Warrington
William Warrington
William Warrington, , was an English maker of stained glass windows. His firm, operating from 1832 to 1875, was one of the earliest of the English Medieval revival and served clients such as Norwich and Peterborough Cathedrals...
and dates from about 1845. The central window contains depictions of the Ascension, the Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
, and 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"...
. In the south window is 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...
and the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, and the north window contains the Magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
, and the scene of a miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
. The windows between them contain the emblems of the Four Evangelists. The stained glass in the transept windows dates from 1866 and consists of grisaille
Grisaille
Grisaille is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many grisailles in fact include a slightly wider colour range, like the Andrea del Sarto fresco...
, blue squares and red triangles. The windows at the west end of the nave commemorate Foxley family weddings in 1866; that on the north side depicts Ruth
Ruth (biblical figure)
Ruth , is the main character in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible.-Biblical narrative:Ruth was a Moabitess, who married Mahlon, the son of Elimelech and Naomi, but Elimelech and his two sons died...
, and the window on the south side shows the Marriage at Cana
Marriage at Cana
In Christianity, the transformation of water into wine at the Marriage at Cana or Wedding at Cana is the first miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of John....
. Both windows were made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
. The memorials include monuments to Sir Uvedale Price, his son, Sir Robert, who died in 1857, and Rev Freer. 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 in 1845 by Gray and Davison
Gray and Davison
Gray & Davison was a large-scale manufacturer of church and cathedral pipe organs, based in London. The company was active between 1841–1973 and had its heyday between 1905–1930....
, but when it was surveyed in 2000 it was unplayable.