St Giles' Church, Cambridge
St Giles' Church | |
---|---|
The Church of St Giles with St Peter | |
Victorian Gothic | |
Years built | 1875 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Ely |
Clergy | |
Rector | The Rev'd Canon Philipa King |
The Church of St Giles is a Grade II*-listed church in Cambridge, England.[1] It is a Church of England parish church in the Parish of the Ascension of the Diocese of Ely, located on the junction of Castle Street and Chesterton Road. It was completed and consecrated by the Bishop of Ely in 1875, to replace an earlier church founded in 1092. The church, which added "with St Peter" to its appellation when the neighbouring St Peter's Church became redundant, is home to both an Anglican and a Romanian Orthodox congregation[2] and is used as a venue for concerts and other events.[3] The church is kept open daily for visitors.
The war memorial in the churchyard, designed by Bodley and Hare and unveiled in 1920, is Grade II-listed.[4]
History
Foundation
St Giles' Church was founded in 1092 by an endowment from Hugolina de Gernon, the wife of
The church was initially served by a group of six
Under
The land within the parish boundary of St Giles (about 1,370 acres) remained largely unenclosed until the beginning of the 19th century. Under the enclosure act of 1802, 33 acres went to the Vicar of St Giles, in compensation for the loss of small tithes, and 165 acres to the Bishop of Ely, as an "appropriator of the Rectory of St Giles", in compensation for great tithes. More than half the enclosed land went to the colleges, and remained largely as pasture until the 1870s.[10]
Reconstruction
The original structure of the medieval church became almost entirely obscured or pulled down by a large
According to former county archaeologist Alison Taylor, the church was serving the impoverished and fast-growing community of the upper town,[11] in the neighbourhood of the castle mound, and its shire hall (assize court) (1842) and prison, when a new building was planned, incorporating elements from the previous church.[7][12] The new Victorian building, standing a little north of the one it replaced, was erected to the design of T. H. and F. Healey, architects, of Bradford. In the new church, the early 12th-century chancel arch of the older church was reset between the south aisle and the south chapel, and a late 12th-century doorway was reset between the north aisle and the vestry.[1] The stone Carr Monument (early 17c.), commemorating Nicholas Carr, appointed the University's second Regius Professor of Greek in 1547, was reset in the south wall of the south chapel (the Lady Chapel).[7][13]
Revival
The church is constructed of brick with Doulton stone dressings and a
Historic England, recording St Giles' Grade II*-listed status, describes it as being "of outstanding quality by virtue of its collection of medieval and C18 survivals, together with C19 fittings by many of England's leading church decorators".[1] The interior was decorated in the style favoured by the Oxford Revival,[15] with Sir Charles Kempe and Sir Ninian Comper commissioned to provide much of the design work,[16] and the church still houses works after Michelangelo and a copy of Chatsworth House version of the Adoration of the Magi by Paolo Veronese. Much of the wood carvings were supplied in the late 19th century by Bavarian wood-carvers from Oberammergau. The early-18th-century altar rails came from the English Church in Rotterdam.
The eighteen stained glass windows of the nave by Robert Turnhill of
Team ministry
The church is now part of a team ministry benefice,[18] for St Giles with St Peter; St Luke the Evangelist (Victoria Road) and St Augustine's (Richmond Road).[19]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Church of St Giles (1331828)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ "St John the Evangelist Romanian Orthodox Parish in Cambridge, UK". Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "St Giles w St Peter, Cambridge". A Church Near You. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "St Giles War Memorial (1428626)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b "St Giles Church: A Brief History" (PDF). Church at Castle. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ISBN 9781859838082
- ^ ISBN 9780752414362
- ISBN 9780752414362
- ^ a b BHO The city of Cambridge: Churches
- ^ Philomena Guillebaud, The Enclosure of Cambridge St Giles: Cambridge University and the Parliamentary Act of 1802.[1]
- ISBN 9780752414362
- ^ 'The New Saint Giles', in A Brief History
- ^ St Giles' Church A Brief History
- ^ Saint Giles' Church, "The Chancel"
- ^ "History - Friends of St Giles' Church, Cambridge". www.fosgc.org. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ "Art & Architecture - Friends of St Giles' Church, Cambridge". www.fosgc.org. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ Sylvia Pick, The Nave Windows of St Giles, Cambridge, 2014
- ^ "Diocese of Ely". Archived from the original on 1 June 2016.
- ^ "Our Churches". Churchatcastle.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.