St Oswald's Church, Dean
Encyclopedia
St Oswald's Church, Dean, is in the village of Dean
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Derwent, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
was added in the 15th century and the sanctuary in the 17th century. An extensive restoration was carried out between 1967 and 1973, which included new pews and a pulpit
.
and has green slate
roofs. The roofs have coped
gable
s and cross finial
s. Its plan consists of a three bay
nave
with a south aisle
and a south porch, and a three-bay chancel with a north vestry
. On the gable between the nave and the chancel is a twin open bellcote. Gargoyle
s stretch from the eaves
of the chancel. The lower courses
of the north wall of the nave and a blocked doorway date from the 12th century, and a medieval
cross slab is built into this wall. The remainder of the fabric of the nave is from the 13th century. The chancel dates from the 15th century and in its east wall is a Tudor
three-light window. The vestry dates from the 20th century. The arcade
consists of four rounded-headed arches on round piers
. The south wall of the aisle has recesses for a tomb and for an aumbry
, and there is an aumbry in the south wall of the chancel. The bowl of the font
is Norman
, supported on a 20th-century shaft. The stained glass in the west window dates from the 19th century. The single-manual
organ was built in 1975 by Eric Mason of Bolton
.
dating from the medieval era. The cross dates probably from the 17th century and it carries a sundial
dated 1825. It is constructed in calciferous sandstone and consists of seven octagonal steps on which is a cross base surmounted by the sundial, the brass plate of which is missing. It has been designated as a Grade II listed building. The cross is traditionally linked with Calder Abbey
. It is a scheduled ancient monument
.
Dean, Cumbria
Dean is a village and civil parish in the Allerdale District, in the county of Cumbria. Dean has a Church of England School, a church called St Oswald's Church, Dean and a pub. Nearby settlements include the town of Workington, the village of Ullock and the hamlet of Deanscales...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. 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 deanery of Derwent, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. 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.
History
St Oswald's dates from the 12th century, with an extension in the following century. The chancelChancel
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 added in the 15th century and the sanctuary in the 17th century. An extensive restoration was carried out between 1967 and 1973, which included new pews and a pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
.
Architecture
The church is built in blocks of calciferous sandstoneCalciferous sandstone
Calciferous sandstone is a geological term relating to strata at the base of the Carboniferous formation, below the entire sequence of coal measures...
and has green 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...
roofs. The roofs have coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s and cross finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. Its plan consists of a three 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...
with a south 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...
and a south porch, and a three-bay chancel with a north 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....
. On the gable between the nave and the chancel is a twin open bellcote. Gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s stretch from the eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
of the chancel. The lower courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
of the north wall of the nave and a blocked doorway date from the 12th century, and a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
cross slab is built into this wall. The remainder of the fabric of the nave is from the 13th century. The chancel dates from the 15th century and in its east wall is a 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...
three-light window. The vestry dates from the 20th century. The arcade
Arcade (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....
consists of four rounded-headed arches on round piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The south wall of the aisle has recesses for a tomb and for an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
, and there is an aumbry in the south wall of the chancel. The bowl of 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 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...
, supported on a 20th-century shaft. The stained glass in the west window dates from the 19th century. The single-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1975 by Eric Mason of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
.
External features
In the churchyard is a preaching cross. Its base originated as a calvaryCalvary (sculpture)
A calvary is a type of monumental public crucifix, sometimes encased in an open shrine, most commonly found across northern France from Brittany east and through Belgium and equally familiar as wayside structures provided with minimal sheltering roofs in Italy and Spain...
dating from the medieval era. The cross dates probably from the 17th century and it carries a sundial
Sundial
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...
dated 1825. It is constructed in calciferous sandstone and consists of seven octagonal steps on which is a cross base surmounted by the sundial, the brass plate of which is missing. It has been designated as a Grade II listed building. The cross is traditionally linked with Calder Abbey
Calder Abbey
Calder Abbey in Cumbria was a Savigniac monastery founded in 1134 by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester and moved to this site following a refoundation in 1142. It became Cistercian in 1148. It is near to the village of Calder Bridge.- History :...
. It is a scheduled ancient monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.