All Saints Church, Little Somborne
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church, Little Somborne, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the hamlet of Little Somborne
, Hampshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church is situated some 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Stockbridge
, to the east of the A3057 road.
. The original church had a nave
and a chancel
, but in 1170 the chancel was removed, the nave was extended towards the east, and a very small chancel was added at the east end. The chancel was removed during the 17th century, the chancel arch was filled in with a wall and a window was inserted.
rubble
with stone dressings. The walls have been rendered
and colourwashed. The roof is tiled. Its plan is simple, consisting of a nave and a chancel in a single range, with a weatherboarded
bellcote at the west end. At the east end, within the former chancel arch, is a three-light square-headed window, and above this are two lancet window
s. In the north wall of the chancel is a 12th-century single-light window. To the west of this is a blocked door dating from the same period. Also in the north wall is a Saxon pilaster
strip made in Binstead
stone from the Isle of Wight
. In the south wall of the chancel is a 13th-century lancet window. To the west of this are two single-light square-headed windows. Between these is a Norman
round-headed doorway. The west window dates from the 14th century and has two lights with trefoil
heads, and there is a quatrefoil
window above it.
The plaster has been stripped from the interior of the walls, and the floor has been partly removed and replaced by flags. To the south of the chancel arch is a small round-headed niche
. The font
dates from the 19th century.
, the pioneer aviator
, who developed the Sopwith Camel
, and died in 1989.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
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...
church in the hamlet of Little Somborne
Little Somborne
Little Somborne is a hamlet in the civil parish of Somborne of the Test Valley district in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Stockbridge, which lies approximately 2.3 miles north-west from the hamlet....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. 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 II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church is situated some 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Hampshire
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire, England. It lies on the River Test, in the Test Valley district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road goes through...
, to the east of the A3057 road.
History
All Saints has its origin in the Saxon era, and it is recorded in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The original church had a 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...
and a 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...
, but in 1170 the chancel was removed, the nave was extended towards the east, and a very small chancel was added at the east end. The chancel was removed during the 17th century, the chancel arch was filled in with a wall and a window was inserted.
Architecture
The church is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with stone dressings. The walls have been rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
and colourwashed. The roof is tiled. Its plan is simple, consisting of a nave and a chancel in a single range, with a weatherboarded
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
bellcote at the west end. At the east end, within the former chancel arch, is a three-light square-headed window, and above this are two lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. In the north wall of the chancel is a 12th-century single-light window. To the west of this is a blocked door dating from the same period. Also in the north wall is a Saxon pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
strip made in Binstead
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast of the Island, two kilometres west of Ryde on the main road between Ryde and Newport.-Amenities:...
stone from the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. In the south wall of the chancel is a 13th-century lancet window. To the west of this are two single-light square-headed windows. Between these is a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
round-headed doorway. The west window dates from the 14th century and has two lights with trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
heads, and there is a quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
window above it.
The plaster has been stripped from the interior of the walls, and the floor has been partly removed and replaced by flags. To the south of the chancel arch is a small round-headed niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
. 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 19th century.
External features
In the churchyard is the grave of Thomas SopwithThomas Sopwith
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS was an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman.-Early life:...
, the pioneer aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, who developed the Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
, and died in 1989.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England