St. Stephen's Church, Sneinton

St. Stephen's Church, Sneinton is a parish church in the Church of England.

St. Stephen's Church, Sneinton
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo Catholic
History
DedicationSt. Stephen
Administration
ParishSneinton
DioceseSouthwell and Nottingham
ProvinceYork
Clergy
Vicar(s)Fr Colin Rushforth

The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.[1] The parents of D.H. Lawrence married in the church on 27 December 1875.[2]

History

The church dates back to medieval times, and was served from Lenton Priory. From the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church was served mostly by clergy from St. Mary's Church, Nottingham until it became a parish is its own right in 1866.

The church from The History and Antiquities of Nottingham by James Orange, 1840

The current building dates from 1837 and it was designed by Thomas Rickman and built by W. Surplice of Nottingham.[3] It was one of the earliest Gothic Revival buildings in Nottinghamshire.[4] It is a Commissioners' church, having been given a grant towards the cost of its construction by the Church Building Commission; the full cost of the church was £4,511 (equivalent to £400,000 in 2019),[5] towards which the Commission granted £1,303.[6] The clock was installed by Reuben Bosworth.

The church's early catholic liturgy was noted by Wylie in 1853, and it was the first church in Nottingham to introduce a surpliced choir - There is a male choir, the members of which are dressed in surplices. This is the only Protestant place of worship in the neighbourhood where this and other kindred practices, such as intoning the prayers, prevail..[7] Compare this with nearby St Mary's Church, Nottingham which did not introduce surplices for the choir until 1868[8]

The church was extended between 1909 and 1912 and Cecil Greenwood Hare to designs by George Frederick Bodley.

Following the closure of St. Matthias' Church, Nottingham in 2003 the parish is now known as St. Stephen and St. Matthias.

Features

The reredos to the high altar was designed by George Frederick Bodley and carved in Oberammergau. It features scenes from the life of Christ.

The choir stalls date from the fourteenth or fifteenth century and were originally from St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. They were acquired by the organist of St. Stephen's in 1848. They contain fine medieval misericords which have carved figures.[9]

Incumbents

Pathe News

The church featured in a 1959 British Pathe newsreel, which showed Reverend John Tyson, the local vicar, encouraging young people back to church. They helped with the cleaning, attended evening service and in return were able to build a cafe and rock 'n' roll club in the vicarage.[12]

Organ

The small pipe organ obtained in 1840 was sold in 1871 to St Giles Church, West Bridgford. The church replaced this at a cost of £450 with an organ by Brindley & Foster in 1872.[13] The organ was dedicated at Harvest Festival on 19 September 1872 when it was played by Herbert Stephen Irons, Rector Chori and Organist of Southwell Minster.[14]

This organ was enlarged in 1888. Further work was carried out by Cousans and Sons in 1901 when it was moved from the chancel and rebuilt. Later Ernest Wragg and Sons undertook further work.[15]

Organists
  • William Henry Willcockson ???? - 1848
  • Thomas Smith 1848 - 1864[16]
  • W.F. Horners ca. 1881[17]
  • Charles F.C Hole 1882[18] - ????
  • H.G. Hamilton 1903 - ????
  • Jabez Hack ca. 1920 - ca. 1941

References
  1. Images of England: Church of St Stephen, Nottingham, English Heritage, retrieved 10 May 2010
  2. Worthen, John (1991). D. H. Lawrence: The Early Years 1885-1912: The Cambridge Biography of D. H. Lawrence. Cambridge University Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780521254199.
  3. Old and New Nottingham by William Howie Wylie. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1853. p. 364
  4. The Buildings of England, Nottinghamshire. Nikolaus Pevsner
  5. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  6. Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 340, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
  7. Old and New Nottingham By William Howie Wylie. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1853. p364
  8. The Organs and Organists of St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Andrew Abbott and John Whittle. Rylands Press 1993. p.22
  9. St Stephens Church pamphlet
  10. "Former Sneinton Vicar". Nottingham Journal. England. 18 June 1938. Retrieved 27 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Former Sneinton Vicar". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 18 November 1933. Retrieved 27 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Teddy Boys Help Church http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=41687
  13. "NPOR K00292". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  14. "Opening of the New Organ at Sneinton Church". Nottingham Journal. England. 20 September 1872. Retrieved 27 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "NPOR D05459". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  16. "Obituary Mr Thomas Smith". Nottingham Evening Post. Nottingham. 14 September 1905. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  17. Nottinghamshire Guardian - Friday 14 October 1881
  18. "Former Nottingham Headmaster". Nottingham Evening Post. Nottingham. 12 December 1935. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

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