The Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell is a

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 Britai ...

located in Whitwell on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

History

The church is medieval. The Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund in Whitwell is located on rising ground at the South end of the village and adjoins the rectory. Various parts of the church date back to different centuries. Various portions of the church were constructed in the 12th, 13th 15th and 16th centuries. However, the church has some more modern parts as well. The church consists of a

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 ...

which has a south aisle of three bays, a

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. Ov ...

with south aisle in alignment with the east wall, a western tower and a south porch. Looking at the church, it is evident that the original church did not have aisles, and had a narrow chancel, divided by an arch. A narrow south aisle was added in the 13th century which was later widened in the 16th century. When the church was originally formed, it was of two separate manorial chapels. The bells and clock were installed after the death of William Spindler who passed them on to the church, and is now buried in its graveyard. All the bells have the inscription "Cast by John Warner and Sons London 1889". In 2009 the bells underwent a refurbishment by Whitechapel Bell Foundry at a cost of more than £30,000. The refurbishment came along with the 120th anniversary of their installation in 1889. The refurbishment was commemorated in the well dressing celebrations that occur annually in the Summer. The churchyard also contains the Commonwealth war grave of a

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...

soldier of

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 ...

. On Monday 16 April 2007 Whitwell's Post Office re-opened inside the church's bell tower. Although other post offices have been relocated to new locations on the grounds of local churches, it was the first of its kind in the country to be located inside the church. The idea to locate the new post office inside the church came from the church's vicar, after no other suitable location was found. After the Post Office's relocation into the church proved a success, the island's Rural Community Council (RRC) stated they would like to see the model applied elsewhere where village amenities were under threat. Although the post office was also hoped to boost attendance numbers at Sunday church services, this did not happen, with average congregation size remaining at only 23.

Organ

The pipe organ dates from 1860 by the builder Bevington, but has undergone renovation and extension by

Harrison and Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the ...

in 1899. A specification of the organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register

Gallery

Image: Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell interior.JPG, The interior of the Church. Image: Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell alter.JPG, The altar. Image: Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell font.JPG, The font. Image: Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell statue of St. Mary.JPG, A statue of St. Mary. Image: Whitwell angel.jpg , An angel musician in one of the windows.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitwell, St. Mary And St. Radegund Church of England church buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade II* listed churches on the Isle of Wight