St Bartholomew's Church is an Anglican church in

Wednesbury Wednesbury ( ) is a market town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England; it was historically in Staffordshire. It is located near the source of the River Tame, West Midlands, River Tame and ...

in West Midlands, England. It is in 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 ...

."St Batholomew's: More information"
''A Church Near You''. Retrieved 30 May 2024. The building, with medieval remains, was rebuilt and much modified in later centuries. It is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

History and description

The church is built of sandstone

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

. The

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 ...

has north and south aisles, and five-bay arcades, and there is a

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

. 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 ...

, lower than the nave, has a three-sided

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The west tower has an

embattled A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

parapet and an octagonal stone spire. The earliest reference to a church in Wednesbury is in the

plea rolls Plea rolls are parchment rolls recording details of legal suits or actions in a court of law in England. Courts began recording their proceedings in plea rolls and filing writs from their foundation at the end of the 12th century. Most files wer ...

of 1210–1211; there is no evidence of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the late 15th or early 16th century. Early features include the tower arch, thought to date from the 14th century; the pulpit bears the date 1611, and there is a 17th-century

table tomb A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a deceased person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms ranging from a simple commemorative plaque or mural tablet affixed to a wall, to a large ...

in the west end of the nave, on which are alabaster effigies of Richard Parkes (died 1618) and his wife Dorothy."St Bartholomew's Church"
historywebsite.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2024."Wednesbury St Bartholomew"

GENUKI GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. It "provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland". It gives access to a large collection of information, with the emphas ...

. Retrieved 29 May 2024. The church was partially restored in the mid-18th century: the top 16 feet of the tower was rebuilt, and the nave roof was repaired. In 1775 part of the south transept was enclosed to form a vestry. In 1827 the north transept was created and the nave was extended; a new font, presented by the Rev. Isaac Clarkson, was installed. The spire was raised by 12 feet in 1878. The interior was restored in 1885 and the galleries were removed, and there was restoration of the north and south transepts in 1902–03. Sixteen windows have stained glass, of the late 19th and early 20th century, by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lychg ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wednesbury, Saint Bartholomew's Church Grade II listed churches in the West Midlands (county) Church of England church buildings in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures in Sandwell Diocese of Lichfield Saint Bartholomew's Church