The Milton Mausoleum is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Milton,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, England. It is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and is under the care of The

Churches Conservation Trust The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...

. The church, which stands on a hill and is visible from the Markham Moor junction on the A1 road, has also been known as All Saints Church, West Markham, and been confused with the medieval parish church of All Saints' Church, West Markham.

History

The building was commissioned by the 4th Duke of Newcastle in memory of his wife. It was designed by Sir Robert Smirke and completed in 1833. Most of the building served as a family mausoleum, with the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

. It was consecrated by the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

on 27 December 1833. It closed as a parish church in the 1950s, and was

vested In law, vesting is the point in time when the rights and interests arising from legal ownership of a property is acquired by some person. Vesting creates an immediately secured right of present or future deployment. One has a vested right to an ...

in the Churches Conservation Trust. It is the only surviving mausoleum in Nottinghamshire.

Architecture

Exterior

The mausoleum is designed in Neoclassical style, and constructed in ashlar stone with lead roofs and set on a

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

. It has a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly describe ...

plan, with a Doric

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s at each corner supporting an entablature and

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. It contains a

, tomb chambers to the north and south acting as

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

s, and a mausoleum at the east end. At the crossing is an octagonal lantern set on a square base. It has two stages, the lower stages consisting of a

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

of eight Doric columns with rectangular windows in the walls between them. The top stage consists of an octagonal drum containing eight louvred openings, and this is surmounted by a dome with a cross. Two steps lead to a central doorway in the west front. The doorway is flanked by pilasters and has a moulded architrave. On the north and south sides of the nave are five rectangular windows. There are similar windows on the north and south sides on the transepts. The east front contains a portico with four free-standing Doric columns.

Interior

Inside the west entrance is a porch, with a doorway on the south side, and steps leading up to a gallery to the north. At the east end of the nave is a screen in Ionic style with a

dentil A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian R ...

cornice containing boards painted with biblical texts. In the nave are

box pew A 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 centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...

s. Its ceiling is panelled, and on the south wall is a monument dated 1863. Beyond the screen is a rotunda with four round archways alternating with four round-arched niches. In the south chamber is a mid 19th-century memorial to the Dukes of Newcastle, carved by

William Grinsell Nicholl William Grinsell Nicholl (London 1796–1871) was a British 19th-century architectural and monumental sculptor. Life He was born in Marylebone, London in 1796. In 1822 he attended the Royal Academy Schools. He exhibited in the Royal ...

. On its south wall is a board containing seven brass memorial plaques. The eastern arch leads by a passage to the east door. On its south side is a door leading to the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

, and on the north side a similar door leads to steps down to the burial vault.

References

{{Reflist Milton Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire Mausoleums in England Buildings and structures completed in 1833 19th-century Church of England church buildings Churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust Neoclassical church buildings in England

History

Architecture

Exterior

Interior

See also

References