The Church of St Andrew is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
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, ...
in the centre of
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, in
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, England. It is a
grade II* 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 ...
.
It is unique in having two peals of bells hung in separate towers and is part of the
Major Churches Network
The Major Churches Network, founded in 1991 as the Greater Churches Network, is a group of Church of England parish churches defined as having exceptional significance, being physically very large (over 1000m2 footprint), listed as Grade I, II* ( ...
.
History
The first record of a church at the site was from 1140, originally as a
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
of the mother church at nearby
Clifton-upon-Dunsmore
Clifton-upon-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the Rugby borough of Warwickshire in England on the north-eastern outskirts of Rugby, approximately from Rugby town centre. The population of the parish taken at the 2011 census was 1,304. ...
, until Rugby became a
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in 1221. Nothing remains of the original church, as it was rebuilt in either the 13th or 14th century. The oldest surviving part of the church is the high west tower, which is unusual in that its appearance and construction bears strong resemblance to that of a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
tower, meaning it was likely built to serve a defensive as well as religious role. According to a local legend, the tower was built from stones from a castle at Rugby, which had been demolished on the orders of
Henry II, who
forbade private fortifications without royal approval, however there was no prohibition against
fortified church
A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedra ...
es, and so the tower may have been constructed, nominally as an addition to the church, but in reality as a way to provide a place of defence, while still conforming to the statute. The west tower is usually dated to the 14th century, but was possibly built during the reign of
Henry III (1216–1272), and is Rugby's oldest building. The church has other artefacts of medieval Rugby including the 13th-century parish chest, and a medieval
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
.
In order to cater for the growing population of the town, the church was
extensively rebuilt on a much larger footprint in the 19th century, to the designs of
William Butterfield
William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy.
Biography
William Butterfield was born in Lon ...
, retaining only the tower and nave arcade from the medieval church. These works were carried out between 1877 and 1879. From 1895 to 1896, further additions were made to the church by
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery. He was Architect to the Ecclesiastical Commiss ...
to Butterfield's original designs, including a new east tower, added in 1895 which has a
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
high.
Very unusually, both of the church towers have
ringable bells, the main peal of bells (all cast in 1896 by
Mears & Stainbank Mears or Meares may refer to:
People
*Ainslie Meares (1910–1986), Australian psychiatrist and authority on medical hypnotism
* Anna Meares (born 1983), Australian cyclist
*Ashley Mears (born 1980), American sociologist
*Brian Mears (born 1932), B ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) being located in the eastern tower, and the old peal (all cast in 1711 by Joseph Smith of
Edgbaston
Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre.
In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...
) located in the western tower.
On 11 October 1949, the church was designated a
grade II* 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 ...
.
Architecture
The church is built from Bath stone with some detailing in red Alton stone, and is set under a grey slate roof.
It has been described as representing "a competent Victorian design with distinctive elements and style strongly influenced by early medieval English architecture."
The design of the church's east tower and spire bears resemblance to Butterfield's other works, such as
Adelaide Cathedral.
Present day
St Andrew's stands in the
liberal catholic tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
.
Notable clergy
*
Robin Gill, theologian, served his curacy here from 1968 to 1971
*
Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy
Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy (27 June 1883 – 8 March 1929) was an English Anglican priest and poet. He was nicknamed "Woodbine Willie" during World War I for giving Woodbine cigarettes to the soldiers he met, as well as spiritual aid t ...
, known as "Woodbine Willie", served his
curacy
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
here before the First World War.
Gallery
St Andrew's Church from Regent Street, Rugby, 3.21.jpg, The east tower spire seen from Regent Street
St Andrew's Church, Rugby (1825 drawing).jpg, Drawing of the church from 1825, prior to its expansion and addition of the second tower
St Andrew's Church 3.21.jpg, The church seen from the south
Old tower St Andrews Church, Jan 2006.jpg, Close up of the Medieval west tower
Interior of St Andrew's Church, Rugby (2) 10.21.jpg, Interior
References
External links
Church websiteA Church Near You entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugby, Saint Andrew
Grade II* listed churches in Warwickshire
14th-century church buildings in England
William Butterfield buildings
Buildings and structures in Rugby, Warwickshire
Church of England church buildings in Warwickshire
Anglo-Catholic church buildings in Warwickshire
Fortified church buildings in England