St Luke's Church, Hodnet
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

St Luke's Church is in the village of
Hodnet Hodnet ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town of Market Drayton lies 5.7 miles (9.2 km) north-east of the village. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1534. History Evidence of a ...
,
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, England. It is an active
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
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 deanery of Hodnet, the archdeaconry of Salop, and the
diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...
. Its
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
is united with those of The Epiphany, Peplow, and St Luke, Weston under Redcastle. The church is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
as a designated Grade I
listed building 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 ...
. It overlooks the park of
Hodnet Hall Hodnet Hall is a country house and estate in Hodnet, Shropshire, England. Hodnet Old Hall was a timber-framed manor house surrounded by the park which was recorded on Christopher Saxton's Map of Shropshire in the late 16th century. Historicall ...
.


History

The church originated in the 12th century, the
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
of that church being the south
aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
of the present church. In the 14th century the nave was remodelled by the addition of a chapel, and a wide north aisle, a
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
, and a tower were built. In 1846–47 the aisle and chapel were reconstructed by John Laing, and in 1870 a burial chapel was added to the north of the church. In 1883 the church was remodelled, the north aisle being converted to form the nave and chancel, and the former nave becoming the south aisle.


Architecture


Exterior

left, The octagonal tower of the church St Luke's is constructed in
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
with tile roofs. Its plan consists of a five-
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
nave and south aisle, a two-bay chancel with a south chapel, a south porch and
vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
, a chapel to the north of the chancel, and a west tower. The tower is entirely octagonal, from the bottom to the top, and is the only tower of this type in Shropshire. The tower is in three stages, with shallow
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es on the angles, slit windows in the lower stages, two-light bell openings in Decorated style, and a
battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
ed
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
. On the northeast and southeast sides of the tower are clock faces. The nave, aisle, and north chapel each have separate roofs, resulting in an east end of three
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s, an unusual arrangement in the county. Along the south side of the church are two windows above which are blocked
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
-style arches. The east window, dating from 1846 to 1847, has five lights and is in Decorated style.


Interior

Between the nave and the aisle is a five-bay
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...
carried on alternate circular and octagonal
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
with
chamfer A chamfer ( ) is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces. Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...
ed bases and
capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
. In the south wall of the aisle is a
piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...
(or an
aumbry An ambry (or ''almery'', ''aumbry''; from the medieval form ''almarium'', cf. Lat. ''armārium'', "a place for keeping tools"; cf. O. Fr. ''aumoire'' and mod. armoire) is a recessed cabinet in the wall of a Christian church for storing sacred vesse ...
). The
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
has both Norman features and features from a later date, possibly the 17th century. It is thought that it originated in the 12th century and was embellished later. Flanking the east window are boards inscribed with the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
, each with Ionic
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s, under round arches. The hexagonal wooden
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
stands on a stone base, and dates probably from the 18th century. Also in the church is a pair of 17th-century parish chests, and a poor box. The east window of the chancel contains stained glass by
William Warrington William Warrington, (1796–1869), was an English maker of stained glass windows. His firm, operating from 1832 to 1875, was one of the earliest of the English Gothic revival, Medieval revival and served clients such as Norwich and Peterboro ...
dated 1849. In the east window of the south chapel is glass by David Evans depicting the
Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...
dating from about 1846. Elsewhere in the chapel is a window of 1853 by
William Wailes William Wailes (1808–1881) was the proprietor of one of England's largest and most prolific stained glass workshops. Life and career Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England's centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. ...
, and in the north chapel is a window of 1906 by Powell's. The oldest monument dates from 1697, and there are more monuments from the 18th and 19th centuries. One of these is to
Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, Bishop of Calcutta until his de ...
, at one time rector of the church, a hymn writer, and later the Bishop of Calcutta, who died in 1826; it is by Chantrey with an inscription by
Robert Southey Robert Southey (; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic poetry, Romantic school, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth an ...
, and is dated 1829. Another is the recumbent effigy of Blanche Heber (died 1870), which was sculpted by her cousin,
Reginald Cholmondeley Reginald Cholmondeley (20 April 1826 – 10 February 1896) of Condover Hall, Shropshire, was an English landowner, artist and collector. He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire and held the rank of Major (United Kingdo ...
. Within the west end are two memorial Rolls of Honour from
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
listing men from the parishes of Hodnet,
Stoke upon Tern Stoke on Tern is a village located in Shropshire, England, on the River Tern. The civil parish is known as Stoke upon Tern. History Stoke on Turn was a substantial Domesday manor well-established by at least the later 1000s. Roger de Lacy i ...
and
Stanton upon Hine Heath Stanton upon Hine Heath is a village and parish in Shropshire, England. The River Roden flows through the village. Author Mary Webb (1881–1927) lived with her parents in Stanton from 1896 to 1902, at house then called The Woodlands, later c ...
who died serving in the war. The two- manual
pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...
dating from 1878 is by Nicholson and Lord. There is a
ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
of eight bells. Six of these were cast in 1769 by Thomas Rudhall, and two by Taylor's of
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...
in 1947.


External features

upright=1.3, The lychgate of St Luke's, viewed from the churchyard At the entrance to the churchyard is a
lychgate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...
dating from about 1870. It is constructed in
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
, has a tile roof, and is in Decorated style. It is approached by six steps from the east, and at the eastern entrance is a pair of wooden gates. Inside the lychgate are stone benches. It is listed at Grade II. Outside the east end of the church is the granite parish war memorial cross which lists local dead from both world wars and one from the Palestine campaign of 1948. It stands in a large area paved with old gravestones moved from elsewhere in the churchyard.


Recent history

In 2006 the church was damaged by people apparently seeking clues towards the discovery of the
Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...
, the subject of the book ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons'' ...
'' by
Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon (book series), Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), '' ...
. The damage was caused to stonework beneath the stained glass window depicting the Four Evangelists, which shows Saint John with an apparently feminine appearance.


See also

*
Grade I listed churches in Shropshire Shropshire is a Counties of England, county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. In 2009, the Historic counties of England, historic county was divided into two Unitary authorities of England, unitary authorities, Shr ...
* Listed buildings in Hodnet, Shropshire


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodnet, St Luke's Church Grade I listed churches in Shropshire Church of England church buildings in Shropshire English churches with Norman architecture English Gothic architecture in Shropshire Gothic Revival architecture in Shropshire Diocese of Lichfield