St. James' Church, Grimsby
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Grimsby Minster is a minster and
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
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
,
North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
, England. Dedicated to
St James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints *James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater *James, son of Alphaeu ...
, the church belongs to 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, ...
and is within the
Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...
.


Background

In 1114, a religious building was transferred to
Robert Bloet Robert Bloet (sometimes Robert Bloett;Knowles ''Monastic Order'' p. 132 died 1123) was Bishop of Lincoln 1093–1123 and Chancellor of England. Born into a noble Norman family, he became a royal clerk under King William I. Under William I's so ...
, the
Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
. The following years he supervised many renovations and developments to the building, resulting in St James, a church containing a nave with six bays. The central tower was added in 1365. In 1586 St James became the parish church of Grimsby, after
John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...
united the parishes of St James and St Mary's. The parish church of the latter was built on Victoria Street. In 1856 Canon Ainslie began a restoration of St James, which included lengthening the
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and rebuilding the south
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
. Later works included the installation of windows with stone tracery and new oak roofs. The next key event in the history of the church, was the opening of the James College in 1883. The predecessor of today's St James' School, it was founded by Canon Young. It was the only choir school in the UK to be attached to a parish church until the restructuring of the choir in September 2013 by Anthony Pinel, opening membership of the choir to boys and girls from any local school. The news that the church was to be granted minster status was announced in the ''
Grimsby Telegraph The ''Grimsby Telegraph'' is a daily United Kingdom, British regional newspaper for the town of Grimsby and the surrounding area that makes up North East Lincolnshire including the rural towns of Market Rasen and Louth, Lincolnshire, Louth. The ...
'' on 15 April 2010. Th
Minster-making ceremony
took place on Sunday, 16 May 2010 led by the Lord Bishop of Lincoln and the Bishop of Grimsby. The Mayor of North East Lincolnshire, Councillor John Colebrook, accepted the official declaration of Minster status on behalf of the Borough.


Parish structure

The Parish of Grimsby, St Mary and St James and St Hugh includes one other church: *St Hugh's Church, Grimsby was built as a 'daughter church' of St James. The churches form a parish with one
Parochial church council A parochial church council (PCC) is the executive committee of a Church of England parish and consists of clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the laity. It has its origins in the vestry committee, which looke ...
. Until 31 August 2022, the parish contained two other 'daughter churches', St Martin's and St Mark's. On 1 September 2022 these two churches were created into the new parish of Grimsby, St Mark's and St Martin's.


Grim's Tomb

In 1913 a
verger A verger (or virger, so called after the staff of the office, or wandsman in British English though archaic) is a person usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches. Etymology ...
is recorded as erroneously presenting this memorial as 'Grim's Tomb'. Local traditions have claimed for many years that the mortal remains of Grim, the town's probably mythical Viking founder, were laid to rest here.Anon., ''A Visitor's Guide to Grimsby Minster'', (ND), p. 4 According to legend a famous story of Viking settlement in England involves Lincolnshire's Viking hero,
Havelok ''Havelok the Dane'', also known as ''Havelok'' or ''Lay of Havelok the Dane'', is a 13th-century Middle English chivalric romance, romance considered to be part of the Matter of England.''Boundaries in medieval romance'', Neil Cartlidge, DS Brew ...
, the Danish prince who came to rule part or all of England. First recorded in the 13th-century Middle English romance ''
Havelok the Dane ''Havelok the Dane'', also known as ''Havelok'' or ''Lay of Havelok the Dane'', is a 13th-century Middle English romance considered to be part of the Matter of England.''Boundaries in medieval romance'', Neil Cartlidge, DS Brewer, 2008, , 97818 ...
'', a lively and fast-moving poem, the tale is frequently funny with important questions about what makes a good ruler and a just society: kindness is rewarded, cruelty punished, and the rightful king restored to his proper place. The recumbent effigy is that of Sir Thomas Haslerton. A 14th-century knight from a family owning land on the north bank of the
Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
, Sir Thomas also held land at Aylseby. Sir Thomas was celebrated locally for his generous patronage, rebuilding St Leonard's Nunnery which had been destroyed by fire. The nunnery was located at the junction of Bargate and Weelsby Road which is today still known as Nun's Corner.


Windows

The stained-glass windows are renowned within the
Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...
. Those in the south aisle reflect the history of the Anglican Church and those in the north aisle the life of Christ from the Adoration of the Magi to the Last Supper.''Visitor's Guide'', p. 6 Installed around 1910, the names of their donors are recorded on brass plaques. All the original windows, except those in the Memorial Chapel, were destroyed by bomb damage in 1943. They were replaced to their original designs thanks to the generosity of a post-war generation of local philanthropists whose names are recorded in script within the glass.


Grimsby Imp

In the south aisle at the top of a column supporting the bell tower is the 12th-century stone carving known as the Grimsby Imp. The legend associates the
imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Music * IMP (band) a Japanese boy band Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The L ...
with the
Lincoln Imp The Lincoln Imp is a grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, ...
, claiming that both were sent by the devil to torment the parishioners of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
where they broke tables and chairs and tripped up the bishop. So successful were the imps in their task that God sent an angel to warn them to cease and repent or suffer the consequences. One imp was so frightened by the threat that he hid under a table; but the other defiantly threw rocks at the angel, and was promptly turned to stone as the Lincoln Imp.The Grimsby Imp
Atlas Obscura website
''Visitor's Guide'', p. 11 The other promised to heed the warning and fled to Grimsby where he resumed his previous bad behaviour, terrorising the innocent parishioners. The angel pursued him and smacked his behind, turning him too into stone. Others are not convinced that the carving represents an imp, believing that it is the figure of a man holding up the beams on his back. In May 2021 an item in ''Grimsby Live'', "The truth behind Grimsby's very own legendary imp" expanded the story to include the twisted spire of Chesterfield Parish Church. It said a vicar at Grimsby Minster "has a more logical and historical explanation for the figure suggesting one of the craftsmen who built the Minster carved the figure of a man bending over supporting the church." In September 2021 North East Lincolnshire Council announced that Grimsby Minster was to be part of the "Lincoln Imp Trail", involving 32 painted sculptures inspired by the Lincoln Imp placed at various sites around Lincolnshire in a venture organised by the Lincoln Business Improvement Group. Grimsby Minster website makes no mention of the imp.


Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel stands on the site of a medieval chapel demolished around 1720. The chapel opened in 1905 as a memorial to Canon James Peter Young, a 19th-century Vicar of Grimsby and founder of schools. The
Hagioscope A hagioscope () or squint is an architecture, architectural term denoting a small splayed opening or tunnel at seated eye-level, through an internal masonry dividing wall of a church in an oblique direction (south-east or north-east), giving wo ...
, or squint window is a medieval relic offering a coveted viewpoint to the Elevation of the Host during Mass at the High Altar in the Chancel. The dedication to 'Our Lady' honours the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.


Memorial Chapel

The Memorial Chapel was completed in 1921 on the initiative of Canon
Algernon Markham Algernon Augustus Markham (15 May 186927 June 1949) was an Anglican bishop, the fifth Bishop of Grantham (a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Lincoln). Family and education Markham was the fourth son of Charles Markham, Rector of Saxby All Sai ...
, a former Vicar. The Roll of Honour, acknowledging the 2,100 local people who gave their lives for King and country during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, is inscribed on gunmetal thanks to the generosity of Sir Alec Black. Also of note is the memorial to the "
Grimsby Chums The Grimsby Chums was a British First World War Pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in and around the town of Grimsby in Lincolnshire in 1914. When the battalion was taken over by the British Army it was officially named the 10th (Service ...
", a
Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regim ...
enrolled in response to Kitchener's 1914 recruitment call to "join now with your pals".''Visitor's Guide'', p. 10 Of the 304 such '
Pals Battalions The pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours an ...
', only that from Grimsby chose to be known as the "Chums".


Organ

The church has two pipe organs. The west end organ is by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd and dates from 1951, built to replace an earlier instrument destroyed by enemy action during the Second World War. Parts of the pre-war instrument were incorporated within the new organ, notably soundboards and some pedal pipes. A specification and pictures of the organ can be seen on th
National Pipe Organ Register
The Walker organ was rebuilt by J. W. Walker in 1976, with significant tonal modifications being made at this time. Given the distance between the west end of the church and the choir, a second organ was installed on the north side of the choir in the 1970s, by Johnson. This two manual and pedal instrument is used for choral services to accompany the choir. The specification and photographs of this instrument can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.


Organists

Former organists include *Edwin Brammer *James Forbes Carter *John Stanley Robson 1924 – 1953 *Eric Arthur Conningsby 1954 – 1955 (formerly organist of
Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and ...
) *
Dennis Townhill Dennis William Townhill (29 May 1925 – 18 July 2008) was an English organist and composer. Born in Lincoln, he was educated at Lincoln School and studied under Dr Gordon Archbold Slater at Lincoln Cathedral. Townhill composed a set of respo ...
1956 – 1961 *
Martin How Martin John Richard How (3 April 1931 – 25 July 2022) was a British composer and organist. Early life and education How was born in Liverpool on 3 April 1931, to the Rev. John How (bishop), John How, who at the time was Rector of Church of ...
1961 – 1964 *Michael Dudman 1964 – 1968
Robert Walker
1968 – 1973 *Christopher Weaver 1974 – 1979 *Andrew Brade 1979 – 1981 *Patrick Larley 1982 – 1987 *Andrew Shaw 1987 – 1993 *
Andrew Cantrill Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick is a British-born organist and choral director. He has held cathedral positions in New Zealand and the United States, and was organist of the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, Suffolk until September 2018. He is a Fellow, ...
1994 – 1996
Steven Maxson
1997 – 2003 *Adrian Roberts 2003 – 2006 *Anthony Pinel 2006 – 2014 *Steven Maxson 2014 – 2021


Assistant organists

*E. Charles Hopkins 1956 – c1958 *Philip Cave 1968–1971 *Anthony Marwood 1971- *Andrew Brade 1977 - 1979 *Stephen Maltby 1979 – 1982 *
Barry Whitfield Barry Whitfield (born 10 April 1954) is an English pianist, organist, jazz musician, musical director and teacher. Early life Barry Whitfield was born in the town of Grimsby and brought up in Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire. He was the onl ...
1991 – 2006 *Steven Maxson 2006 – 2014 *Stefano Golli 2014


Choir

Grimsby Minster was the only parish church in England to have its own choir school, St James' School. The school was founded in 1880 as St James' Choir School by Canon James Peter Young to educate choirboys and it is now a co-educational school of the Alpha Group. Since September 2013, instituted by organist Anthony Pinel, boy choristers have been drawn from across the county of North East Lincolnshire and, in his successor's time, beyond and membership of the choir is also open to girls.


Bells

The minster has 10 bells hung for full-circle ringing. They weigh a total of 4.3 tonnes, the tenor (the largest bell) weighing 18.25cwt and having a diameter of 4 feet. They are tuned to the key of E flat. They date from 1830 when three were cast by William Dobson, and several bellfounders have cast the rest since then, including
John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...
and
John Warner & Sons John Warner and Sons was a metalworks and bellfoundry based in various locations in the UK, established in 1739 and dissolved in 1949. Previous businesses A company was founded by Jacob Warner, a Quaker, in 1739 and originally produced water p ...
, the newest bells (the two lightest) were cast in 1962 by
Mears and Stainbank The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain. The bell foundry primarily made church bells a ...
.


Grounds

The former churchyard is now 'St James Square' and was the subject of a £1.8 million redevelopment in 2021. The square features three permanent artworks: *The 'Fishermen's Memorial' by sculptor Trevor Harries is a bronze statue of a trawlerman pulling in a fishing net. It was installed in the square in 2005. *'Human Murmuration' by Annabel McCourt is mounted on a wall at the east side of the square and features silhouettes of local residents who volunteered to be photographed to create the artwork. *'Come Follow Me' by
Adrian Riley Adrian Riley (b. Leeds, 1971) is a British artist and graphic designer based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Riley has created permanent artworks for the public realm across the UK, including work for The National Trust, English Heritage, NHS, R ...
is a 35m long text artwork etched into the stone paving of the square featuring poetry by local writers.


References


External links

*
Photographs of Grimsby Parish Church

Grimsby Parish Church group on Flickr
{{Major Churches Network Church of England church buildings in Lincolnshire Churches in Grimsby Grade I listed churches in Lincolnshire