St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church in

Chaddesden Chaddesden, also known locally as Chadd, is a large residential suburb of Derby, United Kingdom. Historically a separate village centred on Chaddesden Hall and the 14th century St. Mary's Church, Chaddesden, St Mary's Church, the area was signif ...

, a suburb of Derby, England. One of the oldest churches in the city, it is a Grade I listed building dating back to the mid-14th century.

History

St Mary's was rebuilt by Henry Chaddesden,

Archdeacon of Leicester The Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominati ...

, in approximately 1347; the chancel dates from this period. The church contains a 15th-century

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

and an unusual chalice-shaped

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which may be over 600 years old. The church has long been associated with the Wilmot family, who formerly owned much land around the then village of Chaddesden from the Mediaeval period. The monuments of several members of the family can be seen in the churchyard. The Wilmots' seat was the now demolished Chaddesden Hall, close to the church; the former grounds of the house form the modern Chaddesden Park, adjacent to St Mary's. One member of the family, Robert Wilmot, founded the

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s which once stood outside the church; these are now demolished, although a hump on the ground indicate their location. The churchyard contains the war graves of a Royal Navy sailor and a General Service Corps soldier of World War II.
CWGC Cemetery Report, details from casualty record.

Present day

On 20 June 1952, the church was designated a Grade I listed building. In 2018 the church was put on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register which described it as being in 'poor' condition due to problems with the roof. As of 2019, however, the roof of the main part of the building has been entirely replaced with Westmorland Green Slate in a £250,000 project, largely funded by Historic England among others. St Mary's Church is within the

Conservative Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

tradition of the Church of England.

Organ

The church pipe organ was built by Isaac Abbott of Leeds in 1876. The organ was erected to the memory of the parents of

Sir Henry Wilmot, 5th Baronet Colonel Sir Henry Wilmot, 5th Baronet (3 February 1831 – 7 April 1901) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonweal ...

and the opening recital was given on 28 September 1876. A specification of the organ as recorded in 1996 can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

The bells

The peal of three bells dates from ca. 1499 (Mellours), 1652 (George Oldfield) and 1742 (Thomas Hedderly), and is currently unringable.

References

External links