Listed Building record MDR5454 - All Saints' Church, Church Street, Ockbrook
Type and Period (1)
- PARISH CHURCH (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1100 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Ockbrook Church, which is dedicated to All Saints, consists of a wide nave, chancel, and tower surmounted by a low spire at the west end. "That there was a chapel here in the twelfth century, possessing rights of baptism, is proved by the old Norman font, which is now standing in the porch … The small tower… is an interesting example of the transition from the Norman style to the Early English, temp. Henry II 1154-1189. The broached octagon spire is of later date - probably of the time of Edward I. The large square chancel … bears the year MDCCC III above the east window … A tablet at the west end of the nave states that the church was enlarged in 1835 … so we conclude that this is the date of the present debased nave … A view of this church, drawn about 1825 by Mr Meynell, shows a south porch to the nave between two two-light square-headed windows of Perpendicular date. There was also a two-light pointed Decorated window nearer the chancel … There is a handsomely-carved screen of dark oak, separating the chancel from the nave, and there are quire stalls of the same style and date - circa 1500. The screen has been, unfortunately, turned the wrong way; so that the best of the carving faces the east. This woodwork was brought from Wigston's Hospital, in Leicester, about 1810… In the east window of the chancel is some old 16th century glass, representing the four Evangelists and their emblems, which was also brought here from the same hospital. The glass was then restored after a poor fashion …" (1)
The font at Ockbrook dates to approximately 1100-1150 and somewhat resembles the font at Somersall Herbert. It has had a large cavity hewn in its sides and now [in 1905] lies beneath the tower. (2)
The church is in use for public worship. (3)
All Saints Church. Parish church. Late 12th century and early 14th century tower, remainder of church rebuilt between 1800 and 1835, also with minor 20th century alterations. Grade II*. (4)
The chancel of the old church was rebuilt by Thomas Pares in 1803. The nave was widened to the north in 1814-15, to the south in 1835 and given a flat ceiling and a west gallery in two parts, on cast-iron columns. There is a Norman font, tub-shaped, with interlaced arches, and an early 16th century screen from the Wigston Hospital of fine, slender, delicate workmanship. The top part was removed in 1967 and converted into a communion rail, possibly its original use. The west tower is the only other medieval survival, 12th century, with a somewhat later plain broached spire and huge north-east buttress. (6)
With regard to the screen and glass from St Wigstons, Leicester, an article in the Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society (http://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/HamiltonPagesfromvolumeXLVIII.pdf) suggests that somebody (or somebodies), either a trustee or the master acting on their own initiative or maybe the trustees acting in concert, sold off the glass in c.1805, and that this and the screen were either sold or gifted to Ockbrook church. No-one it seems realized what had happened until the early 1820s. There was then a hue and cry, but the windows and screen stayed put in Ockbrook . The windows were damaged in the 1950s, the result of a fire at the nearby Hopwell Hall, and the surviving glass was removed and donated to the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, who may still have it. (7)
A bell in All Saint's Church is of historical significance. The 1653 bell cast by G Oldfield of Nottingham is a good example of the founder's work. (8)
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SDR11672 Bibliographic reference: Cox, J C. 1879. Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire, Vol IV. pp 206-208.
- <2> SDR7988 Article in serial: le Blanc Smith, G. 1905. 'Derbyshire fonts', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 27, pp 41-58. p 55.
- <3> SDR6475 Personal Observation: F1 WW 01-OCT-60.
- <4> SDR5183 Bibliographic reference: Department of the Environment. 1986. District of Erewash, Derbyshire, 2nd May, 1986.
- <5> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. p 293.
- <6> SDR14991 Index: Trent & Peak Archaeological Trust (TPAT). Trent & Peak Archaeological Trust Index. 2542.
- <7> SDR20984 Personal Observation: 2010. Information from the Leicester City Archaeologist, July 26 2010.
- <8> SDR23468 Unpublished document: Church of England. 2007. Identification of bells and bell frames of historic significance.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 4237 3570 (28m by 19m) Centre |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | OCKBROOK, EREWASH, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR3337
- EDR725
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Record last edited
Jan 26 2024 4:36PM