St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne
| St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coordinates: 53°00′59″N 1°44′10″W / 53.01641°N 1.73612°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church/Central |
| Website | www.ashbournechurch.org |
| History | |
| Dedication | Oswald of Northumbria |
| Dedicated | 24 April 1241 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Designated | 1240 |
| Architectural type | Perpendicular Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 212 feet (65 m) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Ashbourne |
| Diocese | Diocese of Derby |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Oswald's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Ashbourne, in the county of Derbyshire, England.
The church is named after Oswald of Northumbria. A brass plaque in the chapel on the south side of the church commemorates its dedication on 24 April 1241 by Hugh de Pateshull, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
Architecturally, it dominates the small town with its 212-foot spire which was referred to by George Eliot as the "finest single spire in England". It is said to have been started in 1240 by Bishop Hugh de Pateshull. Construction probably lasted until the early 14th century. It replaced an earlier Saxon church, and possibly a second Norman one. (A Norman crypt was discovered during excavations in 1913.)
From 1837 to 1840, it was restored by Lewis Nockalls Cottingham, and then in the 1870s by George Gilbert Scott, who added the battlements to the chancel.
Until Ashbourne Hall was partially demolished, it and St Oswald's were the town's major monuments, standing at either end of the main street. The entrance to the hall's grounds continued the main street through high gates. What remains of the hall houses the local lending library and some unrelated offices. As they were before the 18th century when the Boothby's rebuilt and refurbished their home, St Oswald's and its tower are once again the major landmark, and the church is the town's main attraction. The church is a Grade I listed building.
There is much stained glass in the church and these include a Christopher Whall window dated 1905. It was given to the church by Mr and Mrs Peveril Turnbull of Sandybrook Hall and it commemorates their daughters who died in a local fire. The window consists of three lights and contains representations of the Martyr Saints, St Cecilia, St Monica and St Dorothea. St Cecilia is seen falling asleep to the sounds of celestial music; an exquisite symbol of death. Girls play the organ dressed in medieval clothes with flowers and crowns in their hair and the celestial city is visible in one panel, viewed through a thicket of thorns. Whall's signature on this stained glass was his own thumbprint.
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Wikipedia