St Andrew's Church, Tarvin
Encyclopedia
St Andrew's Church, Tarvin, is in the village of Tarvin
, Cheshire
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice
is united with that of St Peter, Duddon.
date from this time. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century and the chancel
was restored in the 18th century. The tower was built in the 15th century and the north aisle
was added after this. Further restorations took place in the 18th and 19th centuries, followed by one in 1908 by F. P. Oakley.
with a Welsh slate
roof. Entry is through the west wall of the west tower. The plan consists of a five-bay
nave
and a two-bay chancel
, a north aisle with a chapel (the Bruen chapel) at its east end, and a south aisle with a south porch. The doorway to the tower is Tudor
in style, the second storey has deeply recessed quatrefoil
windows and a clock on all four sides. The top is embattled
, and the remains of former pinnacle
s are at the corners.
in design and is dated 1650. It was covered in lath and plaster
during the 18th century and its structure was brought to light again in the 1891 restoration. Over the south aisle is a single framed roof dating from 1380, which is the only one of its type in the county. The octagonal font
dates from the 15th century. Most of the furniture and fittings were removed during restorations, but the two-tier brass candelabrum dating from the 18th century is still present. In the chancel is a Flemish reredos
from around 1500 and a copper memorial tablet to Henry Hardware who died in 1584. The east window of 1892 is by Kempe
. The west window was donated in 2006 and was designed by Fiona Banner
and Roy Coomber.
At the entrance to the Bruen chapel is a 14th-century wooden screen. On its south wall is a squint
with a carved image, known as the "church imp", who looks through the squint. During the first quarter of the 17th century all the pre-Reformation
glass was removed from the chapel by John Bruen because he considered it to form "superstitious images and idolatrous pictures". The altar table dates from the 17th century. The chapel contains memorials to John Bruen and others. In the church are five memorial boards which are believed to have been painted by members of the Randle Holme
family of Chester
. The parish registers begin in 1563 but are incomplete between 1682 and 1687. The ring
consists of six bells cast by Thomas Rudhall
in 1779.
dating from the mid-18th century, the tombchests of John Minshull and his daughter, William and Elizabeth Hilton, William Sandbach and others, and the tombstone of Beatrix Hollinsworth.
Tarvin
Tarvin is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It had a population of 2,693 people at the 2001 UK census, and the ward covers about .-Location:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The church 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. 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 diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is united with that of St Peter, Duddon.
History
The original church on the site was built in the 12th century. It was remodelled in the 14th century and the south wall and south arcadeArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
date from this time. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century and 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...
was restored in the 18th century. The tower was built in the 15th century and the north aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
was added after this. Further restorations took place in the 18th and 19th centuries, followed by one in 1908 by F. P. Oakley.
Exterior
The church is built in red sandstoneSandstone
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,...
with a Welsh 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...
roof. Entry is through the west wall of the west tower. The plan consists of a five-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
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 two-bay 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...
, a north aisle with a chapel (the Bruen chapel) at its east end, and a south aisle with a south porch. The doorway to the tower is Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
in style, the second storey has deeply recessed 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...
windows and a clock on all four sides. The top is embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
, and the remains of former pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s are at the corners.
Interior
The nave roof is arch-brace and hammerbeamHammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
in design and is dated 1650. It was covered in lath and plaster
Lath and plaster
Lath and plaster is a building process used mainly for interior walls in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States. In the United Kingdom, lath and plaster was used for some interior partition...
during the 18th century and its structure was brought to light again in the 1891 restoration. Over the south aisle is a single framed roof dating from 1380, which is the only one of its type in the county. The octagonal 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 15th century. Most of the furniture and fittings were removed during restorations, but the two-tier brass candelabrum dating from the 18th century is still present. In the chancel is a Flemish reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
from around 1500 and a copper memorial tablet to Henry Hardware who died in 1584. The east window of 1892 is by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. The west window was donated in 2006 and was designed by Fiona Banner
Fiona Banner
Fiona Banner is an English artist, who was short-listed for the Turner Prize in 2002. In 2010, she produced new work for a Duveen Hall commission at Tate Britain. She is one of the Young British Artists.-Life and work:...
and Roy Coomber.
At the entrance to the Bruen chapel is a 14th-century wooden screen. On its south wall is a squint
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
with a carved image, known as the "church imp", who looks through the squint. During the first quarter of the 17th century all the pre-Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
glass was removed from the chapel by John Bruen because he considered it to form "superstitious images and idolatrous pictures". The altar table dates from the 17th century. The chapel contains memorials to John Bruen and others. In the church are five memorial boards which are believed to have been painted by members of the Randle Holme
Randle Holme
Randle Holme was a name shared by members of four successive generations of a family who lived in Chester, Cheshire, England from the late years of the 16th century to the early years of the 18th century. They were all herald painters and genealogists and were members of the Stationers' Company of...
family of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The parish registers begin in 1563 but are incomplete between 1682 and 1687. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells cast by Thomas Rudhall
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
in 1779.
External features
In the churchyard are a number of items listed Grade II. These are the gates and gate piers to the churchyard, a sandstone sundialSundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dating from the mid-18th century, the tombchests of John Minshull and his daughter, William and Elizabeth Hilton, William Sandbach and others, and the tombstone of Beatrix Hollinsworth.