St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead
in Hertfordshire
, United Kingdom, is the parish church
of the town and its oldest place of worship.
It is cruciform in shape, with chancel
, the first part to be built, nave
south and north transept
s, and a tower. A spire
, one of the tallest in Europe was added in the 14th century with a total height of 200 feet. It is topped by a gilded weather vane. The church is built from the local clunch stone
and flint
with some addition of Roman brick
s. The architecture is Norman
throughout apart from porch
es added in the 14th and 15th centuries.
A 19th century vestry
was added on the north east corner.
In 1302 a cell to Ashridge Priory
was founded in Hemel Hempstead and the church had collegiate status until the Dissolution of the monasteries
in 1536. A door at the base of the tower allowed the monks access to the church and avoided them mixing with the townspeople.
It is not known why such a grand church was constructed in what at the time was a small hamlet.
The church contains a memorial to Sir Astley Paston Cooper. There is a Walker organ
which was refurbished in 2008.
The peal
was originally of 5 bells recorded in the reign of Edward VI. None of these remain and the present peal is of 8 bells dating from 1590 to 1767. In 1950, as part of the 800th anniversary, the bells were rehung on steel frames with completely new fittings. They were retuned by Gillet and Johnson of Croyden. The eight bells are inscribed as follows:
1. (Treble) Lester and Pack - 1758
2. Lester and Pack - 1758
3. Chandler made me - 1688
4. Praise the Lord - 1633
5. Lawdate Domini - undated
6. God save King James - 1604
7. Sana Manet Christi - 1617
8. (Tenor) Lester and Pack - 1767
The font
is original Norman, although surrounded by 19th century decoration.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, United Kingdom, is the 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....
of the town and its oldest place of worship.
Background
Its construction was commenced in 1140 and was dedicated in 1150 although construction continued for another 30 years.It is cruciform in shape, with 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...
, the first part to be built, 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...
south and north 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 tower. A spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, one of the tallest in Europe was added in the 14th century with a total height of 200 feet. It is topped by a gilded weather vane. The church is built from the local clunch stone
Clunch
Clunch is a term for traditional building material used mainly in eastern England and Normandy. It is a term which encompasses a wide variety of materials, often locally variable....
and flint
Flint
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...
with some addition of Roman brick
Roman brick
Roman brick can refer either to a type of brick originating in Ancient Rome and spread by the Romans to the lands they conquered; or to a modern type of brick, inspired by the ancient prototypes...
s. The architecture is 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...
throughout apart from porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
es added in the 14th and 15th centuries.
A 19th century 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....
was added on the north east corner.
In 1302 a cell to Ashridge Priory
Ashridge Priory
Ashridge Priory was a medieval abbey of the Brothers of Penitence.The seventeenth century historian Polydore Vergil said that Edmund founded in 1283 a monastery at Ashridge, Hertfordshire, for a rector and twenty canons of "a new order not before seen in England, and called the Boni homines"...
was founded in Hemel Hempstead and the church had collegiate status until the Dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536. A door at the base of the tower allowed the monks access to the church and avoided them mixing with the townspeople.
It is not known why such a grand church was constructed in what at the time was a small hamlet.
The church contains a memorial to Sir Astley Paston Cooper. There is a Walker organ
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
which was refurbished in 2008.
The peal
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...
was originally of 5 bells recorded in the reign of Edward VI. None of these remain and the present peal is of 8 bells dating from 1590 to 1767. In 1950, as part of the 800th anniversary, the bells were rehung on steel frames with completely new fittings. They were retuned by Gillet and Johnson of Croyden. The eight bells are inscribed as follows:
1. (Treble) Lester and Pack - 1758
2. Lester and Pack - 1758
3. Chandler made me - 1688
4. Praise the Lord - 1633
5. Lawdate Domini - undated
6. God save King James - 1604
7. Sana Manet Christi - 1617
8. (Tenor) Lester and Pack - 1767
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:...
is original Norman, although surrounded by 19th century decoration.