St Mary's Church, Barnstone 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

Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, headed by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. It covers all the English county of Nottinghamshire and a few parishes in South Yorkshire. It is b ...

of 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, ...

, situated in

Barnstone Barnstone is an English village in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, forming part of Langar cum Barnstone parish. It lies on the border with Leicestershire. The nearest retail stores, schools and railway station are in Bingham (4.5 mi ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. It was completed as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

for

St Andrew's Church, Langar St Andrew's Church, Langar-cum-Barnstone, is a parish church in the Church of England in Langar, Nottinghamshire. It is Grade I listed as a building of outstanding architectural or historic interest. History The church is often called the "C ...

in 1857 in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style.

The building

The inscription above the entrance describes the chapel as being "rebuilt" in that year by T. D. Hall. This is confirmed by ''Kelly's Directory of Nottinghamshire'', 1904: "The chapel of ease is a small building of stone in the Gothic style, consisting of chancel and nave, with a turret containing 2 bells; it was rebuilt by the late Thomas Dickinson Hall Esq. of Whatton Manor, in 1855, and has 100 sittings." (The year 1855 was probably the year construction started and 1857 the date of completion. Hall had been

High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Nottinghamshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centu ...

in 1843.) The cost of construction was £1,200. The church indeed consists of a nave and a chancel. The turret at the east end contains two bells. There are memorials inside to the fallen in two world wars, and small amounts of Victorian stained glass: the east window with five

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of differ ...

s, and the upper lights of the three pairs of windows in the nave. The pews, lectern, pulpit and communion rail are made of oak. There are 15 small coats of arms hanging on the walls, one brought from the earlier chapel. Light on the earlier chapel is shed by ''White's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Nottinghamshire'', 1832:

Secular use

The church was closed in 2017. In October 2019, plans were submitted to

Rushcliffe Rushcliffe is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. The borough also includes the towns of Bingh ...

Borough Council to convert the church into a five-bedroom home.

Parish status

St Mary's Church, Barnstone is not currently in use. It belongs to the Wiverton group of parishes,Wiverton Group
/ref> which includes: *

St Giles's Church, Cropwell Bishop St Giles' Church, Cropwell Bishop, is a Church of England parish church in the village of Cropwell Bishop, Nottinghamshire, England. The building is Grade I listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as of outstanding arch ...

All Saints' Church, Granby All Saints', Granby is a Church of England parish church in Granby, Nottinghamshire, England. The building is Grade I listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for outstanding architectural or historic interest. History ...

Holy Trinity Church, Tythby Holy Trinity Church, Tythby is a parish church in the Church of England in the English village of Tithby, Nottinghamshire. The building is Grade I listed. History Holy Trinity is a medieval church built in the 13th century in Early English ...

* St John's Church, Colston Bassett *

St Michael and All Angels' Church, Elton on the Hill St Michael and All Angels' Church, Elton on the Hill is a parish church in the Church of England in Elton on the Hill, Nottinghamshire. It is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as a building of special ar ...

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marys Church Barnstone

Victorian architecture in England 19th-century Church of England church buildings Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham Churches completed in 1857 1857 establishments in England