St Mary And St Nicolas, Spalding
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The Church of St Mary and St Nicolas is an active
Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...
in Spalding,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, England. It was built 1284 on the site of an earlier church, and is a Grade I listed building.


History

After the
Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
in 1066, monks from the Abbey of Saint Nicolas in
Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...
, in France, were sent to take control of
Spalding Priory Spalding Priory was a small Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine house in the town of Spalding, Lincolnshire, Spalding, Lincolnshire, dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, St Mary the Virgin and St Nicholas. It was founded as a cell of Croyland A ...
. In 1284 Prior William of
Littleport Littleport is a town in East Cambridgeshire, in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about north-east of Ely and south-east of Welney, on the Bedford Level South section of the River Great Ouse, close to Burnt Fen and Mare Fe ...
laid the foundations for a new parish church to replace the earlier parish church which was situated on the Priory boundary, on the site of the Sheep Market. The record states that the new church was to be built “on the other side of the water towards the east, in the great cemetery where was formerly a certain chapel which was called the Chapel of the blessed Thomas the Martyr”. The church was completed after the death of Prior William by his successor Clement of Hatfield (1293-1318). The building was cruciform. It consisted of an aisled nave with six bays, aisled
transepts 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") churches, in particular within the Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architectu ...
of two bays, a
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 ...
without an
aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
and a bell tower. In 1360, the west aisle of the south transept and the south aisle of the nave were widened, and the outer south aisle added. Also, at this time, the south porch and the tower were built. In the middle of fifteenth century the chancel screen and a
rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixio ...
were added, reached by a spiral staircase. The pillars were heightened by six feet and the
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' ...
windows were added. The great west window was built in the Perpendicular style and a
hammerbeam roof A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called "the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter". They are traditionally timber framed, using short beams proj ...
with angels was constructed. High
box pews A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...
with galleries above them and a three-decker
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
were installed during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, giving the church a very different appearance from today. These features were removed during the extensive restoration in 1865–67, under the direction of
Sir George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
. The
rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
was reconstructed by
John Oldrid Scott John Oldrid Scott (17 July 1841 – 30 May 1913) was a British architect. Biography He was the son of George Gilbert Scott and his wife Caroline (). His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott were also prominent ...
in 1875 and incorporates parts of the fifteenth-century screen. The twentieth-century additions included four modern stained glass windows, the decoration of the chancel ceiling by
Stephen Dykes Bower Stephen Ernest Dykes Bower (18 April 1903 – 11 November 1994) was a British church architect and Gothic Revival designer best known for his work at Westminster Abbey, Bury St Edmunds Cathedral and the Chapel at Lancing College. As an architec ...
, rebuilding and re-siting the organ, the shop and visitor centre, and a
vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
on the south side of the chancel. In 2013 the main entrance was relocated to the west door and an internal glazed porch was fitted. At the same time, a new stone floor was laid and the steps were removed from the font. In 2017 a servery was installed at the west end of the nave. The stipend for the Vicar of Spalding is paid by the Spalding Rectory Feoffees, a charity established on 1 March 1620.


Gallery

Suspended Cross in the Chancel Arch.jpg, Chancel cross Chancel of St Mary & St Nicolas.jpg, Chancel Etchin on glass of St Thomas Becket.jpg, Engraving of St
Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...
Presentation depicted in East Window of St Thomas Chapel.jpg, Candlemas Carved pew end.jpg, Poppy head pew end Transfiguration window in St George's Chapel.jpg, St George's Chapel Angel corbel.jpg, Angel corbel Great West Window of Christ and the Apostles.jpg, West window BBC outside broadcast van at West entrance.jpg, BBC outside broadcast van at the West front View from Ayscoughfee Gardens.jpg, View from Ayscoughfee


References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Saints Mary and Nicholas Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas Church of England church buildings in Lincolnshire Grade I listed churches in Lincolnshire 13th-century church buildings in England