All Saints Church, Boltongate
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church, Boltongate, is in the village of Boltongate
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
. A former fortified church
, it has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
from an earlier church. The bellcote
was moved to its present position in 1812.
describes the church as "one of the architectural sensations of Cumberland
". Externally it is Perpendicular in style, while internally it is more Scottish with French influences. The church is built in limestone
; the roof of the nave
has sandstone
slates, while that of the chancel
is in green slate
. Its plan consists of a two-bay
nave with north and south porches and chapels forming north and south transept
s, and a three-bay chancel with a north vestry
. At the west, but set back from the west front, is a twin bellcote. A plain parapet
runs round the walls of the nave and a cross finial
stands on the east gable
. At the northeast junction of the nave and chancel is a hexagonal stair turret
that leads to a walkway around the parapet; the turret is surmounted by a slate-covered spire. In the south wall of the chancel is an arched priest's doorway. The nave has a stone barrel-vaulted
roof. This indicates that this was a fortified building, and it is said to be the only stone barrel-vaulted church in England. The chancel has an open timber roof. Corbel
s at the west end support the bellcote and the parapet walk. The corbels elsewhere in the nave have an uncertain function.
e in both transepts; the piscina in the south transept has an ogee
arch and recesses for aumbries
. There is another piscina in the south wall. The font
dates from the 14th century. Around the walls are plaques
dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the windows is stained glass dated 1864 and 1884 designed by R. B. Edmundson. On the west wall are boards dating from the 19th century that carry the Creed and Lord's Prayer
. The organ was built by the Casson Positive Organ Company.
Boltongate
Boltongate is a village in Cumbria, England. It is situated about north-east of Cockermouth.All Saints Church, Boltongate has a stone tunnel-vaulted roof said to be the only one of its kind in England. The nearby Rectory incorporates a 15th century pele tower....
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. A former fortified church
Fortified church
Churches have often shown potential to be used for defensive purposes.Europe has a substantial legacy of fortified churches which were used for defensive purposes in time of war...
, it has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
History
The church dates mainly from the late 14th century, and it is built on a plinthPlinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
from an earlier church. The bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
was moved to its present position in 1812.
Exterior
The architectural historian Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
describes the church as "one of the architectural sensations of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
". Externally it is Perpendicular in style, while internally it is more Scottish with French influences. The church is built in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
; the roof of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
slates, while that of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is in green slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. Its plan consists of a two-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave with north and south porches and chapels forming north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s, and a three-bay chancel with a north vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. At the west, but set back from the west front, is a twin bellcote. A plain parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
runs round the walls of the nave and a cross finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
stands on the east gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
. At the northeast junction of the nave and chancel is a hexagonal stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
that leads to a walkway around the parapet; the turret is surmounted by a slate-covered spire. In the south wall of the chancel is an arched priest's doorway. The nave has a stone barrel-vaulted
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
roof. This indicates that this was a fortified building, and it is said to be the only stone barrel-vaulted church in England. The chancel has an open timber roof. Corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s at the west end support the bellcote and the parapet walk. The corbels elsewhere in the nave have an uncertain function.
Interior
There are piscinaPiscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
e in both transepts; the piscina in the south transept has an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
arch and recesses for aumbries
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
. There is another piscina in the south wall. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 14th century. Around the walls are plaques
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the windows is stained glass dated 1864 and 1884 designed by R. B. Edmundson. On the west wall are boards dating from the 19th century that carry the Creed and Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
. The organ was built by the Casson Positive Organ Company.