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Church News
Contributed by Janet Bowers
The heating system in St Andrew's requires updating (it was becoming unreliable last winter) and to that end quotes have been obtained. We now have to send the proposal to the Diocese and obtain a faculty as it is a listed building. The late Frances Drake left in her will a Bequest to the church and it is proposed to have this work done in her memory if the faculty is granted.
Dedicated to St Andrew, the parish church is one of six within the Spencer Benefice of the Diocese of Peterborough. Built in the 12th/13thcentury the only original parts of the building remaining are the base of the tower and parts of the nave. The remainder of the nave and the upper parts of the tower were built in the later part of the 18th century. A ring of 6 bells was given in 1777 by the patron of the time ~ William Lucas Rose ~ who also paid for their installation and the building work. In 1779 he also gave a gift of communion vessels which are still in use today. Considerable restoration work was carried out in 1878/9 when the chancel was reconstructed and the vestry and organ aisles added. Most of the existing windows were also restored. The tower and nave roofs were restored in 1957/8. The east window contains the only stained glass in the building – the subject is Christ’s Crucifixion and dates from 1878. It is believed to be the work of Burlerison and Gryll – the purple/blue colouring being typical of their work and the stained glass designs used based on those of Germany and the Netherlands around 1500. The Reredos behind the altar is a picture in mosaic depicting the Last Supper – a copy of the painting by Leonardo da Vinci, with the inscription beneath “Do this in remembrance of me”. The mosaic continues on either side depicting on one side ears of wheat, and on the other a grapevine. The church clock is unusual as it was originally a one handed clock divided into ¼ hours and therefore does not have 60 minutes. The church is surrounded by a churchyard of 0.649 acres with lovely country views looking eastwards. The earliest known gravestone is that of Thomas Embry Woolwinder who died in 1687. In April 1994 the 6 bells and the frame were removed. The bells were taken to Whitechapel foundry in London, recast, and 2 new bells added to make a ring of 8.Tenor weight 13-1-5. All the bells have inscriptions on them. The treble having “The Rose Bell, in memory of William Lucas Rose who gave the original six bells in 1777”. The new bells were rung for the first time on August 13th for a village wedding and were dedicated by the Bishop of Peterborough at a special service on September 29th1994. Bell ringers practice on Monday evenings 7.45 – 9.00pm. Anyone from 10 years can learn to ring – contact Justin or Theresa on 01327 844263. Visiting bands of ringers please contact the tower correspondent Janet on 01327 842851. St Andrews is a small church with a friendly atmosphere which welcomes you to any of the services. Special services include Pet Blessing, Christingle and others which rotate around the Benefice. Details can be obtained from the churchwarden on 01327 842851. |
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Our new incumbent, the Rev'd Sue, is settling into the Spencer Benefice and endeavouring to get to know parishioners and connect them with their particular church. This is not an easy task especially when the same person is seen several times in different parishes. Rev'd Sue is very keen to get to know us all and to achieve this, intends visiting social events as often as possible as well as meeting us in church.
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