St Mary's Church, Ilkeston is a

Grade II* listed 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 ...

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

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 ...

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. Built in the 14th century, it is known as the "Mollis Chapel" because of a stained glass window which shows the rising sun above the cross which was fixed to it by the local saint.

History

Nave of St Mary's Church, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire

NicholasCantilupe Died1266 StMary'sChurch Ilkeston Derbyshire

The church was founded in 1150, the oldest visible part of the fabric being the three Norman arches in the south arcade which date from the close of the 12th century when the Norman Stye was changing into early English. An architectural report in 1855 said that 'no church in englan possesses any euql to them and they can never be surpassed in the lightness of their tracery. Also remarkable is the arcade between the chancel and Peter Chapel with its Early English Arches whose capitals are decorated with small bossy leaves in which can be seen the impish faces of the green men of the forest. Between the chancel and the Peter Chapel is the recumbent stone effigy and

chest tomb Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and comm ...

of Sir Nicholas de Cantilupe (d.1266) of Withcall in Lincolnshire, Greasley in Nottinghamshire and Ilkeston in Derbyshire, who married Eustachia FitzHugh, daughter and heiress of Ralph FitzHugh of Greasley. His son was

William de Cantilupe, 1st Baron Cantilupe William de Cantilupe, 1st Baron Cantilupe (1262-1308) of Greasley Castle in Nottinghamshire and of Ravensthorpe Castle in the parish of Boltby, North Yorkshire, was created Baron Cantilupe in 1299 by King Edward I. He was one of the magnates ...

(1262-1308) of Greasley and of Ravensthorpe Castle in the parish of Boltby, North Yorkshire. The monument would once have stood in a central position and was mentioned as being in the chancel in 1662 and again in 1716. The spire on the tower was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1714. It was extensively restored between 1853 and 1855 by

Thomas Larkins Walker Thomas Larkins Walker (c.1811–1860) was a Scottish architect. Life Baptised on 20 May 1811 in Dysart, Fifeshire, the son of Adam Walker, he was a pupil of Augustus Charles Pugin, and an executor of his will. In practice initially with Benjam ...

. The north and south aisles were rebuilt, and they were restored to their original length towards the west. The chantry chapel was rebuilt to accommodate nearly 300 children. The chancel arch was restored and the tower was re-cased. A new vestry was added on the foundations of the old sacristry, adjoining the south wall of the chapel. New seating and flooring was fitted, and new heating and lighting was installed. The contractor was Lindley and Fearn of Leicester. It was reopened on 18 October 1855. The west end was enlarged and rebuilt between 1909 and 1910 by

Percy Heylyn Currey Percy Heylyn Currey FRIBA (November 1864 – 5 March 1942) was an English architect based in Derby. Life He was born in November 1864, the son of Benjamin Scott Currey and Helen Heygate. He was educated at Derby School from 1875 to 1883, and was ...

when the tower was removed stone by stone and rebuilt as it is seen today. It was reopened for worship on 20 September 1910 by the Bishop of Southwell.

Organ

The church contains an organ by Bishop dating from 1831 which was originally in the church of St John the Evangelist in Paddington where it was reputedly played by Mendelssohn. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*Cecil Wyer 1919 - ????

Bells

The church has eight bells (tenor 17cwt), which were recast by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1910. They underwent an extensive restoration, including rehanging, in 2015.

References

External links