SK6608 : Church of All Saints, Beeby
taken 7 years ago, near to Beeby, Leicestershire, England
An attractive ironstone church, with a number of interesting features.
The church consists of aisled nave with chancel, west tower and south porch.
The bulk of the church is 14th and 15th century, although some of the south aisle is probably earlier. The aisle windows have a variety of good specimens of Decorated tracery. The tower is a fine example of Perpendicular work, with double-tier 3-light openings to the bell chamber. The truncated spire was never completed. The tower is set within the body of the church, probably due to the lack of space between the end of the church and the churchyard wall. The clerestory is from this period also.
The chancel is a well preserved example of late Georgian work, rebuilt in brick in 1819 under the Rev'd George Calvert. It has a fine east window in Decorated style, created in Warwickshire red sandstone, an unusual choice for the district. The stained glass is an early work (1843) by Thomas Willement, one of the pioneers of the revival of medieval stained glass techniques in the 19th century. It depicts a number of Old Testament figures.
Calvert was responsible for most of the carved stone figures around the church, including those at the springings of the arcade hood moulds, and those alongside the east window. Other items attest to his antiquarian interests.
The font consists of a bowl of indeterminate date, but possibly 17th century, supported by a 13th century pedestal comprising 4 collonettes with nail-head and dog-tooth decoration. The font cover is probably 18th century.
The oak chancel and south aisle screens are unusually early dating from the 14th century with Decorated style tracery based on the reticulated style. The rood cross is a 19th century addition by W D Caröe who restored the screen and chancel in 1893.
The ornate early 19th century commandments board takes its inspiration from the same source.
The seating is a mixture of early-mid 19th century box pews and plain bench pews from the 1893 restoration.
The royal arms appear in the form of a stone sculpture above the tower arch. They date from the reign of William IV and are unusual in showing the arms of his consort, Queen Adelaide, alongside
The only monument of note is a small tablet alongside the east window with an extensive Latin panegyric to Rector Edward Lawrence who was the incumbent at the time of the deposition of Charles I. He died in 1645 as a result of the treatment he received from the Puritan rebels for upholding his faith.
The church is Listed Grade II*.
Since 1990 it has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust Link . In addition to the standard handy leaflet, the trust provides a more comprehensive guide to the church.
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link