Tuesday, March 01, 2016

St Giles Church, Hartington

As promised in my Five on Friday post last week a bit more about the church in the village of Hartington in Derbyshire.

The foundations of the present church were laid in the early 13th century and the building was completed c. 1250.  It is thought that there was an earlier Anglo Saxon church on the same site.  The tower dates from the 14th century and the walls of the church were made higher sometime in the 15th century.

There were a few gargoyles on the outside of the church some of them were restored in the 19th century and have been adapted from waterspouts to downspouts.

Inside the church was warm and light with the morning sun streaming through the windows.

One of the most interesting things for me were the fragments of wall paintings in quite a few places.  Above and below are two of the larger sections remaining high up on the walls of the nave. 

These remnants were restored in 1985, the restorer, Anna Hulbert, managed to identify some of the texts.  Also identified were at least two royal coats of arms, those of James I and Charles II.

The 14th century font stands in the south transept where it was moved in 2007 from the base of the tower.  It was apparently 'garishly coloured'  but has been cleaned and returned to its original stone.  The south transept used to house the Biggin Chapel there are quite a few interesting items to be found here.

Below the south window is the tomb of a 13th century lady holding a heart in her hands.  This tomb was found and moved from beneath the nave in 1858.  Her identity is a mystery.

On the wall opposite the window is a base drum  which originally belonged to The Hartington Volunteers, a militia company founded in 1875.  The volunteers were later incorporated into The Sherwood Forresters regiment.

In the south window itself  is a roundel depicting the Star of David.  The glass is older than the fabric of the present church and it is thought to have come from the earlier church which stood on the same site.

I hope you have enjoyed having a little look around both inside and out.
With thanks to the unknown writer of the little church guide book we purchsed for the information I have used in this post.

24 comments:

  1. Thanks for that. I've wandered past there on many occasions but never looked inside. Had I known there were wall paintings to be seen I'd have made the effort! Incidentally gargoyles always function as waterspouts, if they don't they're known as "grotesques".

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    1. We too had wandered by many times but decided to try the door, I'm always surprised when churches are open (a sad sign of the times I suppose)I'm glad we did venture in as it was full of fascinating things:)

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  2. What a interesting Church, they are amazing places with so much to see, I like the photos of the fragments of wall paintings and the drum on the wall.
    You might all ready visit but RAGGED ROBIN'S NATURE NOTES (found on my blog list) does like a good church.. Take a look.
    Amanda xx

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    1. Glad you enjoyed a look inside the church. I haven't come across the blog you mention but will certainly have a look, thanks for the link:)

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  3. A beautiful church in a beautiful place. I like your photo with the sun streaming in and the stained glass window. :-)

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    1. The sun streaming in certainly did make the place seem very special:)

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  4. Well that was lovely, thanks Rosie. I expecially enjoyed the wall painting, fascinating; and your photo of the church from the graveyard is beautiful, well done. x

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    1. Thank you Mrs T - glad you enjoyed seeing the inside as well as the outside:)

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  5. The church looks as if its located in a beautiful area of the village. From your photos it seems to have a lovely atmosphere. Thank you for sharing the interesting details, especially the stained glass window, the wall paintings and the 13th century tomb.

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    1. You can look over the rooftops of the village from the hill the church is on - it is very beautiful up there:)

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  6. It looks such an interesting church. I love the wall paintings and it's a shame we don't know the story behind the lady in the tomb.

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    1. Yes, it would be fascinating to know who the lady with the heart is:)

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  7. I always enjoy the old English churches, we have nothing to compare with them.

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    1. They give a fascinating insight to the history of the surrounding community as well:)

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  8. Mustn't it have been wonderful to unearth those wall paintings. I would have loved to have seen them when they were new in all their full glory! x

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    1. It is wonderful to see the little bits that are left and imagine them as they used to be. churches were much more colourful and decorated inside than they are now:)

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  9. Oooh, this is where I stayed when we had a holiday in Derbyshire- I remember this church! Great photos!x

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    1. It must be a lovely place to stay for a few days, Kezzie - hope I brought back some happy memories for you:)

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  10. It looks amazing. There's so much to see inside. A lot of churches I've visited lately have been a bit sparse - or full of modern things like children's corners and book stands that were in the way of the old details.
    The wall paintings look wonderful. I assume you've seen the ones at Haddon Hall chapel?

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    1. There is a little 'teddy' corner for the children and the pots of plants and etc but mostly everything can be spotted. Yes, the chapel wall paintings at Haddon are wonderful:)

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  11. This is such a beautiful church Rosie. I love old English churches and always find the graveyards fascinating to visit. There is something about the tranquility of these buildings and the sense of history which is very peaceful and reassuring. Thank you for sharing your visit.

    Marie x

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    1. The church is lovely and the graveyard has that timeless quality that you get in small villages and they blend in with the houses around it, as if the departed are still part of the living village:)

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  12. What a lovely church ... thanks so much for sharing your photos with us.

    Brenda

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    1. Hello Brenda and welcome, so glad you enjoyed the photos of the church:)

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