St Mary's Church, Cromford, is a

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 I ...

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 Brit ...

Cromford Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is north of Derby, south of Matlock and south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-centur ...

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 ...

History

The current building replaced an ancient chapel. The church was built to the designs of the architect Thomas Gardner for the residents of

Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as ...

’s mill in Cromford. Construction was completed during 1792-97. After Sir Richard Arkwright death (1792), he was buried at the church in

Matlock, Derbyshire Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The town is twinned with the French town of Eaubonne. The former spa resort of Mat ...

, but in 1797, his remains were moved to St. Mary’s; many others of the family were subsequently buried here. The church comprises a nave with chancel, west tower and west

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 narth ...

. It was remodelled in 1858 by

Henry Isaac Stevens Henry Isaac Stevens FRIBA was an architect based in Derby. He was born in London, in 1806, and died in 1873. In the late 1850s he changed his name to Isaac Henry Stevens. Family His parents were Isaac Stevens and Elizabeth Young. He married An ...

. The church's website provides these details:

The original Georgian church apparently consisted of a large rectangular open-plan nave and Sanctuary with the altar at the east end. In the mid-19th century the church was completely redesigned and extensively “Gothicised” in 1858–59 by Henry Isaac Stephens. The new church retained the wide proportions, Georgian nave and a new apsidal chancel and tower were added. The windows were remodelled and an exterior crenelated parapet and new roof added.

The

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

summary states that the church features a "wide nave with lower and narrower chancel, west tower flanked by gallery stair turrets and with west narthex" and that the exterior is "in a lavish free Perpendicular style". The wall paintings were executed by Alfred Octavius Hemming in 1898, when six tubular bells for the tower were added, and new stained glass was inserted. The historic listing summary describes the wall paintings as the "most striking feature of the interior" and adds that "the paintings were restored in 2002".

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with * Holy Trinity Church, Matlock Bath

Organ

The pipe organ was built by William Hill and dates from 1859. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromford Church of England church buildings in Derbyshire Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire Churches completed in 1797

History

Parish status

Organ

See also

References