St Boniface Church, Bonchurch is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

located in

Bonchurch Bonchurch is a small village in the civil parish of Ventnor, to the east of the town of Ventnor, now largely connected to the latter by suburban development, on the southern part of the Isle of Wight, England. One of the oldest settlements on the ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

History

The church dates from 1847 and 1848 by the architect Ferrey.''The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight''.

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

It was built to replace Old St Boniface Church, Bonchurch, which nevertheless has escaped demolition. The church is cruciform in shape with a south porch and two north vestries and an organ chamber. The bell turret contains a single bell which weighs 4cwt and is tuned to the key of E''b''. Much of the funds for building the Church were paid for by Captain Swinburne, father of

Algernon Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...

, the poet. The highly formidable Tractarian family, the Sewells, were deeply involved in the formation of this Church. On the screen dividing the Rector's Stall from the nave is a memorial to Lord Admiral

Earl Jellicoe Earl Jellicoe is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Brocas, of Southampton in the County of Southampton, on 29 June 1925 for Admiral of the Fleet John Jellicoe, 1st Viscount J ...

of the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...

, who worshipped here.

Triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

East Windows are an early work by William Wailes and depicts various scenes of Christ's life on earth. The roundel window crowning the triptych depicts The Angels appearing to the Shepherds announcing Christ's birth. The windows around the church feature many saints including the East Anglian saints, St

Benedict Biscop Benedict Biscop ( – 690), also known as Biscop Baducing, was an Anglo-Saxon abbot and founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory (where he also founded the famous library) and was considered a saint after his death. It has been suggested that B ...

, tutor to the Venerable Bede, and St

Edith of Wilton Edith of Wilton ( – ) was an English saint, nun and member of the community at Wilton Abbey, and the daughter of Edgar, King of England (r. 959–975) and Wulfthryth of Wilton, Saint Wulfthryth. Edith's parents might have been married and Edg ...

. Much of the

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

is by

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was an English Victorian painter of historical genre and landscapes, also a stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, many of whom he knew. ...

and Shrigley and Hunt.

Parish Status

The church is within a group which includes: * Old St Boniface Church, Bonchurch *St Boniface Church, Bonchurch * Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor * St Catherine's Church, Ventnor

Burials

Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...

1909. Poet * Henry De Vere Stacpoole 1951. Author The Reverend James White and family, devoted friends of Alfred Lord Tennyson who used to visit them in this parish. Also Commonwealth War Graves, listed.

Organ

The church has a pipe organ by Forster and Andrews dating from 1872. It is a two manual tracker organ and pneumatic pedal board. The beautiful organ casing painted with Fleur-de-lis and Tudor Roses was brought forward on a canopy above the console in the 1930s by Herbert Morris which hold the Great Open Diapason pipes. The organ has 21 stops and is Grade II listed. It was restored in 1995 in memory of a former parishioner. The first organist of the Church was Miss Elizabeth Sewell whose brother William was the founder of

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley or the College of St. Peter at Radley, is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent boarding school) for boys near the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingd ...

, near Oxford. Miss Gwladys Williams LRAM FRCO was Organist and Choir mistress from 1921 to 1978. Mr. Ian D. Snow MBE LRAM FRCA LTCL was organist and Choirmaster from 1978 until 2006. The Church has a strong musical tradition and is affiliated to the RSCM.

References

External links

* A specification for the church organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boniface, St Boniface Church of England church buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade II listed churches on the Isle of Wight