SK9214 : Church of St Mary, Greetham
taken 9 years ago, near to Greetham, Rutland, England
The church comprises nave with north and south aisles and south porch, chancel with vestry, and west tower with spire.
The present building dates from the early 13th century, although an earlier church existed and fragments were incorporated in the 19th century. Of the 13th century church, surviving work includes the chancel, the south arcade and aisle, the latter with later windows inserted. The chancel was reduced in length later, possibly in the 14th century, when the church was expanded. This work included the addition of the north aisle, the tower and spire, and the clerestory. The north aisle arcade has four arches compared with the three of the south aisle.
The chancel arch dates from this period and is unusual in being wider than the chancel itself, with the result that the part of the south wall of the chancel was rebuilt at an angle to accommodate it. The lancet window in this section is a 19th century addition, although the other two in the south wall of the chancel are original 13th century.
The tower and spire appear to have been built as a single project, and are a fine example of the Decorated period broach spire of the region. Three tiers of lucarnes are all placed in the cardinal faces, rather than alternating. The deep-set bell-chamber windows show different tracery on the north/south faces compared with the east/west.
There are several items of interest inside the church. The oldest elements are fragments of Saxon and Norman stonework built into the west wall of the south aisle when this was rebuilt in 1897. The south aisle arcade was dismantled and re-erected at this time also.
The font is 13th century in the form of a capital with square top, incorporating carved heads at the corners and dog-tooth moulding. The pulpit is Jacobean, although somewhat restored. Behind it is an ornate wall monument of the early 18th century. Probably also of the Jacobean period are the interesting set of oak panels surrounding the altar. These are not original to the church, and are thought to originate from a church in Sussex. The Victoria County History records them as the gift of Mrs. George Finch, with no date indicated. They display a variety of Old Testament scenes together with a number of heads of apostles, and animals.
On the north aisle wall there is a hatchment of the royal arms from the reign of George I.
The church has a ring of six bells. Five of these were recast in 1923 from the original ring of four by the Croydon firm of Gillett and Johnson. This recasting was done as a memorial to the dead of the First World War. The original bells dated from between 1650 and 1741, and the old inscriptions were transferred to the new bells. A sixth bell was added in 1949. According to The Church Bells of Rutland, Thomas North, 1880, the condition of the bells at that stage was appalling and they could not be rung, so the refurbishment was well needed.
The church is Listed Grade I. Comprehensive details are available in the Victoria County History for Rutland Link
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link