St. Wulfram's Church, Grantham
Encyclopedia
St Wulfram's Church, Grantham is a parish church
in the Church of England
in Grantham
in Lincolnshire
.
In his book, England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins
describes St Wulfram's Church as having the finest steeple in England.
, the rector of Welbourn
gave £100 for a small library of books for the clergy and literate laity of Grantham. Two hundred and fifty of the original volumes remain and are kept in the parish church.
in 1952, Cousans in 1972, and by Wood in 1994.
The current organ specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
and for the clock chimes. It is unusual in that the ring consists of a diatonic ring of 10 with two additional bells to make a lighter 8.
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 Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
In his book, England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
describes St Wulfram's Church as having the finest steeple in England.
Spire
The church is dominated by its spire, 282 feet (86 m) high. It is- the sixth highest in the country.
- the fourth highest of any parish church in the UK, after Church of St. Walburge, Preston, St. James Church, LouthSt. James Church, LouthSt. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.-History:...
, and St Mary RedcliffeSt Mary RedcliffeSt. Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of the English port city of Bristol, close to the city centre. Constructed from the 12th to the 15th centuries, the church is a Grade 1 listed building, St...
. - the third highest of any Anglican parish church in the UK, after St. James Church, LouthSt. James Church, LouthSt. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.-History:...
and St Mary RedcliffeSt Mary RedcliffeSt. Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of the English port city of Bristol, close to the city centre. Constructed from the 12th to the 15th centuries, the church is a Grade 1 listed building, St...
, - the second highest in Lincolnshire (after St. James Church, LouthSt. James Church, LouthSt. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.-History:...
).
Library
The church is also home to the country's first public library. In 1598, Francis TriggeFrancis Trigge Chained Library
Francis Trigge Chained Library is a library in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England which was founded in 1598.In 1598 Francis Trigge, Rector of Welbourne in Lincolnshire, arranged for a library to be set up in the room over the South Porch of St. Wulfram's Church, Grantham for the use of the clergy and...
, the rector of Welbourn
Welbourn
Welbourn is a village in North Kesteven, central Lincolnshire on the A607 between Leadenham and Wellingore.-Village:The village church is St Chad's, part of the Loveden Deanery of the Diocese of Lincoln: the incumbent is the Revd Dr Alan Megahey....
gave £100 for a small library of books for the clergy and literate laity of Grantham. Two hundred and fifty of the original volumes remain and are kept in the parish church.
Organ
The organ dates from 1736 by John Harris and John Byfield but has had several re-builds including those by George Pike England in 1809, and 1833, Forster and Andrews between 1845 and 1868, Norman and Beard in 1906 and Rushworth and DreaperRushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its bankruptcy, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed...
in 1952, Cousans in 1972, and by Wood in 1994.
The current organ specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
Organists
- ?
- William Dixon ???? - 1856 - 1863 - ????
- George Dixon 1865 - 1886 (previously organist of St. James Church, LouthSt. James Church, LouthSt. James' Church, Louth is a parish church in the Church of England in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. It is notable for its tall spire.-History:...
) - Richard Thomas Back ???? - 1892 - 1909 - ????
- Frank Radcliffe 1911 - 1914 (afterwards Organist of St. Mary's Church, NottinghamSt. Mary's Church, NottinghamThe Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....
) - ?
- Edward Brown ???? - 1921 - 1937 - ????
- ?
- Stephen John Mundy 1941 - 1961
- Philip Joseph Lank 1961 - 1983 (previously assistant organist of Peterborough CathedralPeterborough CathedralPeterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
- Nicholas Kerrison 1984 - 1988
- John Ball 1988 - 1992
- John Wilkes 1992 - 1996
- Ian Major 1996 - 1997
- Philip Robinson 1997 - 2001
- Michael Sands 2002 - 2007
- Tim Williams 2008 -
Bells
The church has a ring of 12 bells, recently upgraded from 10, used for English change ringingChange ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
and for the clock chimes. It is unusual in that the ring consists of a diatonic ring of 10 with two additional bells to make a lighter 8.
Sources
- England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins
- The Buildings of England, Lincolnshire, Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus PevsnerSir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...