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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of Nottinghamshire

by Peter Kessler, 3 April 2011. Updated 22 January 2020

Rushcliffe Part 1: Churches of Colston Bassett to Broughton Sulney

St Peter's Parish Church of East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire

St Peter's Parish Church of East Bridgford stands in the western wedge formed by the junction of Kirk Hill and Trent Lane on the south-western side of the village. The first church on this site was built in the seventh century for the Middle Angles. That church is mentioned in Domesday Book. It apparently survived until the thirteenth century as there is no architectural evidence of either the Saxon or a Norman building. In the thirteenth century the church was entirely rebuilt.

St Peter's Parish Church of East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire

Aid for the work was provided by the Chapter of Rouen Cathedral, but the chancel is the only remaining feature of this rebuild. The nave was enlarged by the Caltofts and a chantry was founded by William Dayncourt in the fourteenth century. Further work in the nave was undertaken by adding clerestory windows in the fifteenth century. By the later part of the eighteenth century the church was very dilapidated, so in 1778 the tower was rebuilt and the roof replaced.

St Mary's Church, Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire

St Mary's Church, Colston Bassett, stands on a prominent plot surrounded by open fields. It can be found on the south-eastern side of New Road, midway between Wash Pit Lane and Hall Lane, immediately north-west of the village. The Bassetts were a powerful and wealthy Norman family who held large estates, including the manor of Colston, between about 1100-1390. The village then was probably closer to the church, and perhaps moved following the Black Death.

St Mary's Church, Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire

The Norman church was built about 1130, in rough blocks of blue lias limestone, probably preceded by a Saxon church. It consists of a four-bay nave with west tower, south transept and an aisled chancel. The south porch was removed at a post-medieval date and the north aisle, possibly along with the north transept, was demolished in 1774 and the arcade filled in. The south arcade collapsed following the church's closure and the removal of its roof between 1892-1899.

St Luke's Church, Broughton Sulney, Nottinghamshire

St Luke's Church, Broughton Sulney, stands on the north side of Rectory Drive, to the east of the Melton Road. It's a small village church built in brown ironstone and with a heavily weathered appearance. There is no mention in Domesday Book of a church here but there is evidence in the porch for a Norman building in the form of a fragmentary tympanum with a crude figure in the right-hand corner. There were originally two aisles but the south one was demolished in 1733.

St Luke's Church, Broughton Sulney, Nottinghamshire

One bay of that lost south aisle survives, built into the wall and giving a date of about 1200. The north arcade dates to the 1200s, although the rest of the aisle was rebuilt in 1855, as was the chancel. The west tower is also of the 1200s, and there is a fourteenth century font with some carved tracery. The churchyard contains many fine slate headstones of the 1700s, typical of the 'Belvoir' school of carving. Today's dedication replaces the older St Oswald's Church name.

Four photos on this page kindly contributed by Ken Hawley, and two originally published on Lynne's 'Echoes of the Past' blog and reproduced here with permission. Additional information from 'Echoes of the Past'.

 

 

     
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