St Modwen's 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 situated in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011, it had a ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, England. It is part of the

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

. The church is dedicated to St Modwen, or Modwenna, a nun who founded an abbey at Burton in the 7th century. It replaced the remains of the church of

Burton Abbey Burton Abbey at Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, England, was founded in the 7th or 9th century by St Modwen or Modwenna. It was refounded in 1003 as a Benedictine abbey by the thegn Wulfric Spott. He was known to have been buried in the abbey ...

which was used by the town after the dissolution of the abbey.

St Modwen's New Church

The current church building, which overlooks Burton's market square, was begun in 1719, first used for services in 1723, and finally completed by 1728. It is built in red sandstone and comprises an aisled five-bay nave with galleries on the north, west, and south, an apse, and a western

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

with central tower, north and south gallery stairs, and internal porch. Designed in a Classical style by the brothers Richard and William Smith of

Tettenhall Tettenhall is an historic village within the City of Wolverhampton, England. Tettenhall became part of Wolverhampton in 1966, along with Bilston, Wednesfield and parts of Willenhall, Coseley and Sedgley. History Tettenhall's name derives fro ...

, it is similar to St Alkmund's Church at

Whitchurch, Shropshire Whitchurch is a market town in the north of Shropshire, England. It lies east of the Welsh border, 2 miles south of the Cheshire border, north of the county town of Shrewsbury, south of Chester, and east of Wrexham. At the 2011 Census, the ...

, built by William to the designs of John Barker. William died in 1724 and Richard in 1726, and the church was completed by their younger brother

Francis Smith of Warwick Francis Smith of Warwick (1672–1738) was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England. Smith of Warwick may refer also to his brothers, or his son. Architectura ...

. In the 1730s Richard Wilkes, a Staffordshire

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

, described the church as 'elegant and beautiful', giving 'pleasure to all that behold or enter it'. The west tower is of three stages and has a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

with urns and round windows with radial glazing bars. The apse has wide

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

at the opening and between the windows. The nave arcades have tall Doric piers without an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

, the flat ceiling has a deep cove, and the nave galleries cut across the high, arched windows of the aisles.British History Online ''Burton-upon-Trent: Established church.'' A History of the County of Staffordshire: Volume IX, Nigel J. Tringham (Editor) (2003)
/ref> The church is

Grade I 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 ...

and contains a 15th-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 ...

, an organ case built in 1771 for an organ made by

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 ...

and a monument to Lady Fowler by Sir

Richard Westmacott Sir Richard Westmacott (15 July 17751 September 1856) was a British sculptor. Life and career Westmacott studied with his father, also named Richard Westmacott (the elder), Richard Westmacott, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor ...

of 1825. Anthony Greatorex was the organist at St Modwen's from 1771 and was succeeded as organist by his son, the composer Thomas Greatorex. His son, Thomas the younger, went on to be organist at Holy Trinity, Burton on Trent. Regular service are on Sunday mornings at 11 am: Holy Communion (first and third Sundays) and Matins (second and fourth); and Wednesdays at 1045: Holy Communion (1662). The church is open most Saturdays between 1000 and 1200 when refreshments are available. The vicar is also vicar of St Paul's and St Aidan's.

References

External links

St Modwen's
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton Upon Trent, Saint Modwen's Church Church of England church buildings in the Borough of East Staffordshire Saint Modwen Grade I listed churches in Staffordshire 18th-century Church of England church buildings

St Modwen's New Church

See also

References

External links