Christchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory | |
---|---|
Priory Church of the Holy Trinity, Christchurch | |
Holy Trinity | |
Specifications | |
Length | 311ft (91m) |
Tower height | 120ft (37m) |
Bells | 13 |
Tenor bell weight | 27-0-0 |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Winchester |
Parish | Christchurch |
Clergy | |
Vicar(s) | The Revd Charles Stewart |
Laity | |
Organist/Director of music | Simon Earl |
Organist(s) | Geoffrey Morgan |
Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset (formerly in Hampshire). It is one of the longest parish churches in the country and is as large as many of the Church of England Cathedrals.
Early history
The story of Christchurch Priory goes back to at least the middle of the 11th century, as the
Twelfth to fourteenth centuries
In 1150
In 1330
In the 13th century there was a frenzy of building: the nave aisles were vaulted, the
Although there is no documentary evidence relating to a central tower, the massive piers and arches at the corners of the transepts seem to indicate provision was made for one. A central tower would have been consistent with a Norman conventual church.[4]
Fourteenth to sixteenth centuries
Work continued in the 14th century. The nave roof reached its present height no later than 1350 and towards the end of the 14th century work on the Lady Chapel was started. It was completed in the early 15th century and its pendant vaulting is thought to be the first of its kind in England. Also in the 15th century, the original quire was replaced and extended so that it joined onto the new Lady Chapel. This may have been as a result of the Norman tower collapsing, but this is not certain. What is certain is that the tower was rebuilt between 1470 and 1480. The Draper and Salisbury chantry chapels were completed by 1529. By this time, the church looked much as it does today.
Christchurch Priory Cartulary
Much of what is known about Christchurch between the Norman Conquest and the mid-14th century comes from the Christchurch Priory Cartulary, which contains copies over 1,300 of the monastery's most important documents. Most of it was written by just two clerks, one completing more than half before a second concluded the task in 1372. Further amendments and updates were added in the following decades.
The existence of the cartulary in the Priory library was recorded by
Efforts to translate the whole Cartulary began in the late 20th century, but not until 2007 was this task completed by Katharine Hanna and published by Hampshire County Council.[5]
Miraculous beam
The legend of the miraculous beam dates to the early 12th century. The story is that a beam was found to have been cut too short when it was hoisted into place. This would have been embarrassing for the carpenters since the wood was expensive and would be difficult to replace. There was however a mysterious carpenter who had worked and eaten alone. The following day the carpenters returned and found the beam was now fitted in place. The unknown carpenter was never seen again, and the story came to be that it was
Misericords
The Priory has 39
Dissolution
On 28 November 1539, John Draper, the last prior of Christchurch, surrendered the priory, and it was
The conventual buildings of the priory were pulled down soon after the dissolution. The
Post-Dissolution
After the Dissolution a corporation known as 'The Sixteen' was formed which became responsible for the temporal and ecclesiastical affairs of the parish, with the vicar and churchwardens being the principal officers.
In 1788 Gustavus Brander gave the priory a pipe organ, which was installed on the quire screen. It was removed in 1848.
In 1819 lath and plaster vaulting was installed in the nave, but a year later the vaulting of the south transept was found to be unsafe and had to be dismantled. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries extensive repairs were carried out, which included the insertion of tie-rods in the tower and the underpinning of the nave and south choir aisle walls in 1906. In 1912 a new floor was laid in the nave consisting of 6" of concrete, an inch of fine cement and wooden blocks on top.[7]
A monument to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, created by the sculptor Henry Weekes, was erected in the Priory church by the poet's son, Sir Percy Shelley, 3rd Baronet, in 1854, thirty-two years after his father's death. This monument was first offered to St Peter's Church, six miles away in Bournemouth, where Mary Shelley and other family members are buried. However, it was declined because of its size and possibly due to the unspoken disapproval of Shelley's reputation by the incumbent and churchwardens.[8]
The War Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1922.
Electric lighting was installed in June 1934.[9]
Modern history
In 1976
In 1999 a window celebrating the 900th anniversary of the priory was installed, which shows a starry night in which the Cross of Christ dominates, surrounded by a pattern of circles, the symbols of Eternity and Perfection, and the
In the 21st century The Times described it as 'the least appreciated of the Great Churches of England'.[citation needed]
In March 2021, a carving of a mask-wearing NHS worker was placed on the priory as a permanent tribute to the National Health Service's efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carved by Rory Young, the stone feature is part of an ongoing project to replace damaged gargoyles and grotesques. The concept was inspired by a photograph of a doctor in an intensive care unit, wearing her PPE at the beginning of the pandemic, an image to represent all NHS workers for centuries to come.[10]
Bells
The Priory has a ring of 12 bells plus a 6th flat. The Bells are rung twice on Sundays and Monday nights and for extra services. They are in the Key of D and the Tenor (largest) weighs 30cwt (1½ Tons). The two oldest bells in the ring were cast in 1376 by John Rufford.
Brief history
Seven bells were recorded at the time of the
Despite a ten bell frame being installed at Christchurch in 1885, it was not until 1904 that the ring was augmented, the trebles being cast by Llewellins & James of Bristol. In 1931 the 6th was replaced, with the old bell (cast in 1663 by William Purdue III of Salisbury bell foundry) being retained in the bellchamber. In 1932 the ring was augmented to twelve, with the 1904 trebles of ten being removed from the ring and placed, with their fittings, on a stand in the bell chamber and two new bells being cast to replace them. The old 6th of ten was scrapped in 1976, and in the same year the metal from the 1904 trebles of ten was used towards the casting of a flat 6th, with the inscriptions from the two bells being copied onto this. The new bell was cast and hung by Taylor's. More recently, in 1991, Whitechapel Bell Foundry overhauled the fittings and replaced the gudgeons and bearings.
Framework and fittings
The front four bells, the flat 6th and the 8th were cast with flat tops. The 5th and 6th have cable patterned canons, the 7th angular canons, and the remaining bells have had their canons removed.
The frame is of timber, and is basically that installed by Taylor's in 1885. A new foundation of RSJs was inserted beneath the frame in 1932, and two timber pits, which now contain the treble and 3rd, were added to the East side. A single cast iron lowsided pit for the flat 6th was added on the south side in 1976. The additions of 1932 and 1976 were both carried out by Taylor's.
The fittings are rather a mixture. The four trebles and the flat 6th have Taylor fittings contemporary with them and consisting of cast iron headstocks, ball bearings, traditional wheels, stays and sliders.. The back eight have timber stocks, presumably dating from either 1885 or 1904, traditional wheels by Llewellins & James and dating from 1904, and traditional stays and sliders. The bells were rehung on ball bearings by Taylor's in 1932, and the gudgeons and bearings were replaced by Whitechapel in 1991. There is also an
Bell | Date | Founder | Diameter | Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|
Treble | 1932 | John Taylor & Co | 25.5" | 5-0-24 |
2nd: | 1932 | John Taylor & Co | 27" | 5-3-12 |
3rd: | 1932 | John Taylor & Co | 28" | 6-0-14 |
4th: | 1932 | John Taylor & Co | 30.5" | 7-1-20 |
5th | 1755 | Abel Rudhall | 33" | 7-0-0 |
6th | 1755 | Abel Rudhall | 34" | 7-2-14 |
7th | 1885 | John Taylor & Co | 35.5" | 9-3-20 |
8th | 1931 | John Taylor & Co | 37.5" | 10-2-19 |
9th | c1376+ | John Rufford | 39.63" | 11-0-0 |
10th | c1376+ | John Rufford | 43.25" | 15-0-0 |
11th | c1730+ | Abel Rudhall | 48.88" | 20-0-0 |
Tenor | c1730+ | Abel Rudhall | 53.88" | 30-0-0 in D Major |
Flat 6th | 1976 | John Taylor & Co | 33.5" | 8-1-0 |
Music
Choir
The choir at the priory consists of a boys choir, a girls choir, and a men's choir. The children of the choir can earn medals as they gain experience and skill, the rank of chorister is: probationer – full choir member (given surplice) – light blue medal – dark blue medal – red medal – purple medal (Yellow for girls) – deputy (green medal) – head (green medal).
The choir sing three services during term time on Sundays:
Eucharist: 9:30 – 10:30
Matins: 11:30 – 12:15
Evensong: 6:30 – 7:30
The men sing all three services while the two children's choirs alternate weekly between morning services and evening service (one week a choir will do eucharist and matins, the next week it will do evensong).
On occasion, such as Christmas and Easter services Both children's choirs will sing alongside the men.
Organ
On 17 July 1999 a new pipe organ was dedicated and installed in the south transept. It is an extensive rebuild by Nicholson of Worcester of the previous organ, weighing around 20
A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
Organists
- Henry Holloway 1933–1936
- Geoffrey Tristram 1949–1979
- Clive Harries 1980–1983
- Roger Overend 1983–1986
- Martin Schellenberg 1986–1995
- Geoffrey Morgan 2002–present
Directors of music
- Geoffrey Tristram 1949–1979
- Martin Schellenberg 1986–1995
- Andrew Post 2001–2009
- Hugh Morris 2009–2015
- Simon Earl 2015–
Girls choir music directors
- Cathy Lamb 2005–2007
- Mary Goodman 2007–present
Assistant organists
- Michael Andrews
- Mark Hammond
- Sean Tucker 1992–1994
Notable burials
- Sir Thomas West (1312 – 3 September 1386) and wife Alice FitzHerbert (died 1395)
- Thomas West, 1st Baron West
- William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon
- John Draper, the last prior of Christchurch
- Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
See also
Gallery
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Photocromprint, 1890-1900
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Christchurch Priory from Wick, across the River Stour
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Christchurch from Wick Fields
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View from Wick, c. 1920
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Christchurch Priory Crucifix sculpture by Laurence Broderick
References
- ^ The Priory Church | Parish of Christchurch, Dorset, England
- ^ The Makers of Christchurch – Michael Stannard p25
- ^ Archer, Edmund (1727). Adami de Domerham Historia de rebus gestis Glastoniensibus. Oxford. p. 75.
- ^ Heath, Sidney (1915). Beautiful England – Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. London, Glasgow & Bombay: Blackie and Son Ltd. p. 51.
- ISBN 978-1-85975-761-1.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ^ Brief History | Fabric and History | Christchurch Priory Archived July 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-85033-901-4.
- ^ "Dorset Historic Churches Trust: Christchurch Shelley Memorial". Archived from the original on 8 November 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ISBN 0-85033-901-4.
- ^ "Covid: NHS worker sculpture added to Christchurch Priory". BBC News. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.