St Laurence's Church, Ludlow, 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
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...
,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
, England. It is a 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 ...
.
The church is a member of the
Greater Churches Group
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* ( ...
and is the largest parish church in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
. It was one of only 18 churches given a five-star rating in ''England's Thousand Greatest Churches'' by
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992.
Jenkins chaired the National Trust from 20 ...
(1999) and is described as the "cathedral of the
Marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...
". It is the 13th most popular free visitor attraction in the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, with 70,000 visitors per year.
Background
The parish church was established as a place of worship in association with the founding of Ludlow by the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
in the late 11th century. It is situated atop the hill around which the medieval town developed. The church was rebuilt in the year 1199 and has had several later additions and modifications. The tower is 157 feet (48 metres) high to the top of the pinnacles, and commands expansive views of the town and surrounding countryside. Notable features include an extensive set of
misericord
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a par ...
s in the
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
stalls as well as fine
stained glass window
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
s.
History
![St Laurence interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/St_Laurence_interior.JPG)
Original
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
traces were found beneath the south porch, indicating some extant foundations exist from the 11th century AD.
[Lloyd, David ''Historic Ludlow: the Parish Church of Saint Laurence, a History and a Guide'', ]Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England: SP Print, 1980 After its initial construction the church was expanded and rebuilt in 1199 to accommodate a growing town population. In the late
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
considerable wealth accrued to the town based upon the
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
trade. Correspondingly the church underwent several further additions in that era. The major works occurred between 1433 and 1471 with a virtual re-building of the nave, tower and chancel elements. The tower took on a Perpendicular style which was the preferred style of the late 15th century in England. The
Saint John's Chapel on the north side was the chapel of the Palmers' Guild, which thrived in the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
. The Palmers' Window within St John's Chapel illustrates the legend of
King Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.
Edward was the son of Æthe ...
and
St John the Evangelist by eight panels and was inspired by the Ludlow Palmers’ 13th century pilgrimage to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
.
In 1540,
John Leland called the church ''very Fayre and large and richly adorned and taken for the Fayrest in all these parts.''
The large east window of the chancel underwent restoration in the year 1832; this window depicts the
martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...
of
St Laurence. The most extensive repairs and re-ordering occurred in the period 1859 to 1861, which included new roofs, masonry glazing repairs as well as renewing all floors and seating. Further major restorations took place on the tower in 1889–91, and to the roof in 1953–59.
In 2008, a ''Vision for St Laurence's'' was launched to address much needed repairs and improve community use of the building. Approximately £850,000 of repairs and other work have been completed including urgent conservation, high level masonry, roofs, as well as new heating and lighting. Target 3, the re-ordering of the nave, will be tackled in two phases beginning in 2016. The nave will be reorganised with moveable seating and will be made available for wider community use. Phase 2 will include a new nave floor, kitchen, toilets, shop and other facilities as well as conservation to historic stained glass and timber.
Architecture
![Stlaurencewindow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Stlaurencewindow.jpg)
The dominant exterior feature is the square
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
, which houses the historic and famed bells of the church. The
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
contains the medieval choir stalls adorned with numerous
misericord
A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a par ...
s. Many of these fine
wood carving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
s are of
heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
and others are
genre scene
Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...
s of common life. Typical sizes of the misericords and upper bench carvings are 25 centimetres wide by 12 centimetres high; the carvings have very deep relief (up to two centimetres). Some of the elements of the carving are repeated on roof adornments.
The chancel has a number of impressive
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
s, most of which contain the remains of people involved with
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...
’s
Council of the Marches
The Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same, commonly called the Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, was a regional administrative body based in Ludlow Castle w ...
. Other than the large east window, there are other notable windows within the chancel; the most remarkable one depicts the
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
, the six remaining panels demonstrate commandments being broken.
The
hexagon
In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
Regular hexa ...
al south porch derives from the 14th century and serves as the main entrance to the church; this porch is one of only three of such a six-sided design in all of England. The other interior chapels are
St Catherine’s Chapel and the Lady Chapel, the latter of which has a large filled-in door that was once used for the Ludlow
fire engine
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
at an earlier era. Exterior features include a stone memorial tablet to the
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
(set in the north church wall near the West Door) and the Samuel Burgess Memorial Garden. Above the interior stone
lantern
A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...
there is a splendid vault.
Notable burials
Following his death at Ludlow Castle in April of 1502, the
bowels
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...
(called euphemistically "the heart") of
Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1489. As ...
, son of
Henry VII and older brother of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, were buried in a lead box in the choir but were noted in 1723 to have been ''taken up not long since''.
His body was buried at
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...
.
Ambrosia Sidney, (1565–1574), sister of
Sir Philip Sidney
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
and
Mary Sidney
Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (born Sidney, 27 October 1561 – 25 September 1621) was among the first Englishwomen to gain notice for her poetry and her literary patronage. By the age of 39, she was listed with her brother Philip Sidney ...
who died at Ludlow Castle, aged nine, is buried near the altar under an impressive memorial bearing the arms of
Sir Henry Sidney
Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received ...
, (1530–1586), president of the Council of Wales and the Marches. His heart was brought from Worcester where he died and buried in a small leaden urn in an oratory near his daughter's tomb. The rest of his remains were buried with his wife
Mary Dudley at
Penhurst
Penhurst is a village and civil parish, sharing a parish council with neighbouring Ashburnham, in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Weald, 4 miles (7km) west of Battle. The parish touches Ashburnham, Battle, Brig ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
Sir
John Bridgeman (1568/69 – 1638), a Chief Justice of The Marches in the 17th century is buried in St Laurence's church, within a tomb monument attributed to
Francesco Fanelli.
Admiral
James Vashon
Admiral James Vashon (9 August 1742 – 20 October 1827)Memorial plaque in St. Laurence Churchyard, Ludlow. Find a Grave memorial I160048028/ref> was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He saw service during the Seven Years' War, the American ...
is also buried at St Laurence's.
The ashes of poet
A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
, whose poem "The Recruit" repeatedly mentions the church tower, are buried in the church grounds. The stump of a
cherry tree
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
(planted in memory) marks their location; a replacement cherry tree was planted nearby in 2003. The ashes of sculptor
Adrian Jones are also buried in the church grounds, his memorial tablet is on the outside north wall near to that of Housman.
Contents
Chancel stalls and misericords
St Laurence's Church has twenty eight misericords in the chancel which are of a quality usually associated with great cathedrals such as
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
or
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
. Carved on the underside of the hinged seats each misericord is fashioned from a piece of timber some long, deep and thick. Sixteen of the misericords are older than the rest dating from around 1425. Eight have an unusual carvers mark in the form of an uprooted plant and a distinctive profile to the moulding running round the edge of the corbel. The remainder were carved in matching style around 1447 which was when the Palmers Guild bought one hundred planks of oak from
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
to construct the stalls.
File:St Laurence cellerer misericord.JPG, A drawer of ale
File:St Laurence wrestlers misericord.JPG, Wrestlers
Image:Ludlow Green Man misericord.jpg, Detail of a Green Man
The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of a face which is ...
File:St Laurence mermaid misericord.JPG, A mermaid
Image:Laurencecarve.jpg
The misericords have a wide variety of themes. One shows a Green Man, another a mermaid. Many show scenes of town life including a wrestling match where two pairs of wrestlers are stripped to the waist while a horse is tied up on one side and a wool sack and a purse hang on the other. One shows a figure drawing ale from a cask and another shows a dishonest ale-wife being carried off to hell by demons, one of whom plays bagpipes. One complex carving shows a prosperous householder with tools of various trades in the centre while a seated woman holds a child on the left and a grave and burial implements are on the right. This has been interpreted as the Palmers Guild caring for spiritual needs from cradle to grave.
Ludlow then being a royal stronghold there is a royal influence shown in a number of misericords. An antelope, gorged and chained, was the badge of
Henry VI in whose reign the misericords were carved. A Hart at Rest was the badge of
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
and three ostrich feathers were then recognised as the badge of Richard's father the
Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...
. A swan represents the Bohun family and through
Mary de Bohun
Mary de Bohun (c. 1369/70 – 4 June 1394) was the first wife of King Henry IV of England and the mother of King Henry V. Mary was never queen, as she died before her husband came to the throne.
Early life
Mary was a daughter of Humphrey de Boh ...
's marriage to
Henry IV passed to Henry V and Henry VI.
![St Laurence organ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/St_Laurence_organ.JPG)
The choir stalls were originally constructed at a number of dates in the 15th century. In 1447, after the chancel had been lengthened, the stalls were doubled in number to thirty two. The stalls were restored in the 19th century under the direction of
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
when canopies removed during the reformation were replaced. The
poppyheads are finely carved with four being from 1447. Carved figures include a
Pieta, one of only two known in Shropshire, and various saints. One group possibly represents a
Boy Bishop
Boy bishop is the title of a tradition in the Middle Ages, whereby a boy was chosen, for example among cathedral choristers, to parody the adult Bishop, commonly on the feast of Holy Innocents on 28 December. This tradition links with others, ...
and
Lord of Misrule
In England, the Lord of Misrule – known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the ''Prince des Sots'' – was an officer appointed by lot during Christmastide to preside over the Feast of Fools. The Lord of Misrul ...
involved in new year celebrations.
Porch
Above the porch on the first floor is the Parvis room, which houses a small history museum pertinent to the church. The porch itself contains the parish war memorial, consisting of six bronze plaques listing townsmen who died serving in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, with deaths from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
added later in turn, and three wooden 'battlefield crosses' that temporarily marked graves of two soldiers killed in World War I and a
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
who died in 1921.
Nave and aisles
At St. Catherine's Chapel (the south transept) some floor-stones in the area honour recent congregation members. In the Lady Chapel is a board giving the Ten Commandments, dating from the time of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
during the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
.
In 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 ...
and
aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...
area, there are several noteworthy contents, including:
*The royal
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
from the year 1628.
*Wall hanging: ''
A Shropshire Lad'' located near the south door.
*The west window illustrating some of the historical figures involved with
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...
.
*The
white ensign
The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...
from
HMS ''Ludlow''.
Organ
In the north transept is the
John Snetzler
John Snetzler (or Schnetzler) was an organ builder of Swiss origin, who worked mostly in England. Born in Schaffhausen in 1710, he trained with the firm of Egedacher in Passau and came to London about 1741. When he retired in 1781, his business ...
organ. Through the generosity of
Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis
Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis PC (before 9 April 1703Baptism date. – 10 September 1772), known as Henry Herbert until 1743 and as The Lord Herbert of Chirbury between 1743 and 1748, was a British peer and politician.
Background
A me ...
, this organ was installed in 1764 at a cost of £1,000. Originally it was located in a gallery beneath the tower and had three manuals with 19 stops.
In the 19th century,
Gray and Davison
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
restored the organ and enlarged it, at the same time moving it to its present position in the North Transept. By this time, a fourth manual had been added.
The organ was restored in the 1980s by
Nicholson & Co (Worcester) Ltd
Nicholson & Co. Ltd manufactures pipe organs. It was founded in 1841 by John Nicholson. Its work encompasses the creation of new instruments as well as historical restorations, rebuilds and renovations. In 2013, the firm completed the first whol ...
.
In 2006, thanks largely to a grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
, further work was carried out to clean the instrument, improve the console, and to add a new
mounted cornet. More recent work has included new keyboards and toe sweep, as well as overhauling the blowing plant and gilding the facade pipes.
List of organists
*Edmund White c. 1473
*Thomas Sherman 1492–1508
*John Perche c. 1493
*Maurice Phillips c. 1551
*John Broke c. 1549 – 1559
*Thomas Tanner c. 1566
*Thomas Cope 1568–1579
*John Cooke 1578–1583
*John Harrison 1584–1597
*George Pingle 1597–1604
*Richard Crumpe 1605–1620
*
Benjamin Cosyn Benjamin Cosyn (also ''Cosens'', ''Cousins'' or ''Cowsins''; c.1580 - c. 14 September 1653) was an English composer, organist and virginalist. He was organist of St Laurence's Church, Ludlow (1621 to 1622), Dulwich College (1622 to 1624) and Charte ...
1621–1622
*Mr. Perkings 1623
*Marmaduke Pardoe 1623–1626
*Walter Gibbs 1626–1628
*Edward Smith 1627–1630
*Edward Standley 1630–1634
*John Maylard 1634–1635
*Berkeley Wrench 1636–1637 (then organist of
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
before reappointment in 1642).
*John ap Evan 1638
*Thomas Heardson 1637–1642
*Berkeley Wrench 1642–1645
*''interregnum'' 1645–1672
*Benjamin Moone 1672–1704
*Henry Hall 1704–1707
*William Hine 1707
*Josias Preist 1708–1711
*John Childe 1711–1712
*John Salter 1712–1713
*Benjamin Sharrett 1713–1716
*David Langton 1716–1730
*David Valentine 1730–1764
*
Joseph Harris 1764–1771 (then organist of
St Martin in the Bull Ring
St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Church of England parish church in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is the original parish church of Birmingham and stands between the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the markets.
The church is ...
, Birmingham)
*Miles Coyle 1771–1789 (then organist of
Hereford Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England.
A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...
)
*
John Clarke Whitfield
John Clarke-Whitfeld (13 December 1770 – 22 February 1836) was an English organist and composer.
Life
He was born John Clarke at Gloucester, and educated at Oxford under Dr Philip Hayes.
In 1789 he was appointed organist of the parish ...
1789–1794 (later organist of
St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)
St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh ( ga, Ardeaglais Phádraig, Ard Mhacha) is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland, located in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The origins of the site are as a 5th-century Irish stone monastery, founded by St Patrick. Throu ...
)
*Charles Evans 1794–1823
*Adam Ree 1823–1841 – 1851–1856
*Miss Francis Ree 1856–1858
*William Walter Ridley 1858
*Robert Bartholomew 1858–1891
*Joseph Humphrey Anger 1892–1893 (then Instructor of Harmony and Theory at the
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edward ...
,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
)
*
Ivor Atkins
Sir Ivor Algernon Atkins (29 November 1869 – 26 November 1953) was the choirmaster and organist at Worcester Cathedral from 1897 to 1950, as well as a composer of songs, church music, service settings and anthems. He is best known for editi ...
1893–1897 (then organist of
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...
)
*
Clement Charlton Palmer
Clement Charlton Palmer (1871–1944) was a cathedral organist, who served at Canterbury Cathedral.
Background
Clement Charlton Palmer was born on 26 April 1871 in Barton-under-Needwood in Staffordshire. His father, Dr. Clement Palmer, was the ...
1897–1908 (then organist of
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...
)
*Norman Charles Woods 1908–1911 (then organist of
St. Michael's College, Tenbury)
*
Harold Carpenter Lumb Stocks
Harold Carpenter Lumb Stocks (21 October 1884 – 1956) was an English Organist#Classical and church organists, cathedral organist, who served in St Asaph Cathedral.
Background
Stocks was born in Essendon, Hertfordshire. He was the son of Ma ...
1911 –1917 (then organist of
St Asaph Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn, commonly called St Asaph Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llanelwy), is a cathedral in St Asaph, Denbighshire, north Wales. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of St Asaph. The cathedral d ...
)
*Frank Edgar Bastick 1917 – c. 1921 – 1948
*Edgar Sydney Landen 1948–1951
*Gilbert W. Whitehouse 1951–1970
*Richard J. E. Francis 1971–1974
*George Baker 1974–1976
*Keith Anthony Morgan 1976–1978
*Morwen Byram-Wigfield 1978–1980
*Richard J. E. Francis 1980–2007
*Shaun Ward 2007–2019
*Michael Oakley 2019–present
List of rectors
The senior priest and
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
of the parish is titled the
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
.
*
The Reverend
The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...
Prebendary
A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
Brian Curnew (1994 to 2009)
*
The Venerable
The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christianity, Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. ...
Colin Williams (2010 to 2015)
* The Reverend Kelvin Price (May 2017 to present);
Priest-in-Charge and Rector
See also
*
Grade I listed churches in Shropshire
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also ref ...
*
Listed buildings in Ludlow (northern area)
*
Bishop of Ludlow
The Bishop of Ludlow was an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford, which is within the Province of Canterbury, England.
The See of Ludlow was erected under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888 by Or ...
*
Archdeacon of Ludlow
The Archdeacon of Ludlow is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Hereford. Prior to 1876 the post was known by its previous title of Archdeacon of Shropshire or alternatively as the Archdeacon of Salop in the Diocese of Hereford.
...
*
Wool church
A wool church is an English church financed primarily by donations from rich merchants and farmers who had benefitted from the medieval wool trade, hoping to ensure a place in heaven due to their largesse.
Wool churches are common in the Cotswold ...
*
Fulk FitzWarin
Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludlow, Saint Laurence
12th-century church buildings in England
Churches completed in 1471
15th-century church buildings in England
Grade I listed churches in Shropshire
Church of England church buildings in Shropshire
Diocese of Hereford
Buildings and structures in Ludlow
Churches completed in 1199