St Modwen's, Burton upon Trent
Encyclopedia
St Modwen's is the Church of England
town centre parish church for Burton upon Trent
. It is part of the Diocese of Lichfield
.
The church is grade I listed and contains a 15th-century font
, an organ case built in 1771 and a monument to Lady Fowler by Sir Rich Westmacott of 1825.
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...
town centre parish church for Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
. It is part of the Diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
.
St Modwen's New Church
The current church building, which dominates Burton's market square, was(...) begun in 1719, first used for services in 1723, and finally completed by 1728. [The church itself] is built in red sandstone and comprises an aisled five-bay nave with galleries on the north, west, and south, an apse, and a western narthexNarthexThe narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
with central tower, north and south gallery stairs, and internal porch. Designed in a Classical style by the brothers Richard and William Smith of TettenhallTettenhallTettenhall is a historic part of the city of Wolverhampton, England. The name Tettenhall is probably derived from Teotta's Halh, Teotta being a person's name and Halh being a sheltered position...
, it is similar to the church at WhitchurchWhitchurch, ShropshireWhitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
(Salop.) built by William to the designs of John Barker. William died in 1724 and Richard in 1726, and the church was completed by their younger brother Francis Smith of WarwickWarwickWarwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
. In the 1730s Richard Wilkes, a StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
antiquary, described the church as 'elegant and beautiful', giving 'pleasure to all that behold or enter it'. The west tower is of three stages and has a balustrade with urns and round windows with radial glazing bars. The apse has wide DoricDoric orderThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilasters at the opening and between the windows. The nave arcades have tall Doric piers without an entablatureEntablatureAn entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
, the flat ceiling has a deep cove, and the nave galleries cut across the high, arched windows of the aisles.
The church is grade I listed and contains a 15th-century 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:...
, an organ case built in 1771 and a monument to Lady Fowler by Sir Rich Westmacott of 1825.
External links
- St Modwen's & St Paul's