St Margaret's Church, Abbotsley
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St Margaret's Church is a historic
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in the village of Abbotsley, Cambridgeshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands in the centre of the village, to the south of the B1046 road.


History

The earliest record of a church on the site is in about 1138, but the earliest surviving fabric in the present church dates from about 1300–10. The church at that time consisted of a nave, a chancel and a south aisle. About twenty years later a north aisle was added. Towards the end of the 14th century the tower was built, the nave was extended and the
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
was added. A clock was added to the tower in the early 17th century. The church was
restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...
in 1854. A further restoration was carried out in 1861 by William Butterfield, in the process of which the chancel, north vestry and north porch were rebuilt. The tower was restored in 1884. Although the church is now
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, its chancel is still used as a parish church.


Architecture


Exterior

The church is constructed mainly in
pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...
stone, with dressings in stone and clunch. It is roofed in stone and lead. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a north porch, a chancel with a north vestry, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages. It is set on a plinth, and has four buttresses and a staircase at the southwest angle. In the lowest stage is a west door, above which is a three-light window. The third stage contains one-light windows in the north and west walls, and a quartrefoil window in the south wall. There is a two-light bell opening on each side of the top stage. The summit has a battlemented parapet, with gargoyles in the centre of each side. At the corners, rather than
pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...
s, there are statues of kings. These are said to represent the English kings Harold and William the Conqueror, and the Scottish kings
Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
and
Malcolm III Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head" ...
. The north aisle has a 14th-century two-light window in the west wall, and two similar windows in the north wall. Also in the north wall is a doorway, and a
niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
with a pointed head. In the east wall is a 15th-century three-light window, and two brackets supported by carved angels. The clerestory has five two-light square-headed windows on each side. In the north wall of the chancel are a two-light window and a small door. The west wall of the vestry contains a re-set 15th-century niche with a crocketed canopy, and another bracket supported by angels. The chancel east window has three lights, and in the south wall is a two-light window. In the east wall of the south aisle is a three-light window. The south wall contains two two-light windows, and a doorway with a 16th-century stoup to its east. In the west wall is another two-light window.


Interior

Both arcades have four bays. The
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
of the north arcade consist of four grouped shafts, while those of the south arcade are octagonal. In the south wall of the chancel is a piscina and a sedilia. In the south wall of the south aisle is an elaborately carved tomb recess dating from the 14th century. Above the recess are two
coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
. The 13th-century
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 ...
consists of a tapering octagonal limestone bowl set on an octagonal base. Under the chancel arch is a 16th-century oak screen with three bays, including the central opening. There is a
ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
of five bells, the oldest being dated 1575.


External features

In the churchyard is a table tomb dated 1688. It is constructed in limestone and on its sides are panels carved with emblems of mortality. The tomb is listed at Grade II.


See also


The Churches Conservation Trust: St Margaret's Church, Abbotsley, Cambridgeshire


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbotsley, St Margaret's Church Grade II* listed churches in Cambridgeshire Church of England church buildings in Cambridgeshire English Gothic architecture in Cambridgeshire Gothic Revival architecture in Cambridgeshire Churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust Churches in Huntingdonshire