Saint Alkmund's Church is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

in Duffield,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

History

It dates back to the first millennium, and is situated on the banks of the River Derwent to the south of

Duffield, Derbyshire Duffield () is a village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, north of Derby. It is nucleated village, centred on the western bank of the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent at the mouth of the River Ecclesbourne. It is within the ...

, England. It is the parish church of Duffield, and is associated with the nearby church of St Paul's in

Little Eaton Little Eaton is a village and civil parish in the borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was 2,430. The name originated from Anglo Saxon times and means the "little town by the water". It is on th ...

. In times past, the Parish of Duffield was much larger than it is now, covering the area known as

Duffield Frith Duffield Frith was, in medieval times, an area of Derbyshire in England, part of that bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers (or Ferrars) by King William, controlled from his seat at Duffield Castle. From 1266 it became part of the Duchy of Lancaster ...

. The church's distance from the centre of the village is thought be because it was next to Duffield Bridge, which was used by pilgrims and other travellers. The church is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The current building dates from the 14th century, but was restored in 1847 by

James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident Victorian restoration, restorations. Early life St Aubyn was ...

and in 1896–97 by

John Oldrid Scott John Oldrid Scott (17 July 1841 – 30 May 1913) was a British architect. Biography He was the son of George Gilbert Scott and his wife Caroline (). His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gilbert Scott were also prominent ...

. Its

weathercock A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , me ...

was installed in 1719 by ironsmith Robert Bakewell. The church is in a joint ecclesiastical parish with St Paul's Church, Little Eaton, which was formerly part of

Bells

During the restoration of 1887, the peal of eight bells was augmented to ten by a gift from

Sir Arthur Heywood, 3rd Baronet Sir Arthur Percival Heywood, 3rd Baronet (25 December 1849 – 19 April 1916) is best known today as the innovator of the fifteen-inch minimum-gauge railway, for estate use. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Percival Heywoo ...

. St Alkmund's is one of only a few churches outside the larger centres so endowed.

Organ

The church has a pipe organ by Cousans dating from 1972. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duffield Church of England church buildings in Derbyshire Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire

History

Bells

Organ

See also

References

External links