St George's Church, Little Thetford

St George's
St George's Church, Little Thetford

Outside view looking at the east gable of the chancel

East gable of the chancel
Map of Cambridgeshire showing location of St George's near Ely in East Cambridgeshire
St George's
Location in Cambridgesire
Coordinates: 52°21′47″N 0°14′53″E / 52.363°N 0.248°E / 52.363; 0.248
OS grid reference TL 530 764
Location Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Website Little Thetford, St George
History
Founded c. 14th century
Dedication Saint George
Events Major restoration 1863
Architecture
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 5 February 1952
Architectural type Church
Style Gothic
Completed 1867
Specifications
Capacity 140[1]
Length 19.5 metres (64 ft)
Width 4 metres (13 ft)
Nave width 6.75 metres (22.1 ft)
Materials Fieldstone & limestone rubble & dressed limestone with plain tiled roof having end parapets
Administration
Parish Little Thetford with Stretham
Diocese Diocese of Ely
Province Province of Canterbury
Clergy
Bishop(s) Bishop of Ely
Vicar(s) Rev. Chris Hill

St George's Church, Little Thetford, is an Anglican church in the village of Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire, England.

History

St. George's Church is a 14th-century stone building with slate roof.[2] In 1751 it was recorded as a chapel of ease attached to Stretham served by the rector there.[3] The roof was thatched until 1863, when the church was heavily restored.[4] In 1886, it was struck by lightning and required extensive rebuilding.[5] Today, the church consists of a chancel, nave, north porch, and south vestry. The 14th-century octagonal bowl font still has an original lead lining.[6] St. George's Church, a Grade II* listed building,[4][7] is part of the Ely Team Ministry.[8] The complete registers start in 1654 and are kept at the Cambridge Records Office.[9][10][11]

Architecture

Exterior

The previously thatched roof has been plain tiles since the extensive restorations of 1863.[6] The east gable of the nave, rebuilt in 1665, is of narrow local brick.[2] The 19th-century west gable end has a gabled double bellcote with two-centred arches and one bell installed. The 19th-century west window has three trefoil lights. The North and South walls of the nave have, in each wall, one window of three cinquefoil lights in ogee arches and square head. The clunch tracery and the mullion and architrave are of limestone, which may indicate they are part of an earlier restoration. The gabled, brick and rubblestone north porch is 19th century. The chancel has in the north wall two windows, each of two cinquefoil lights in four centred arch. The restored east window has three cinquefoil lights and has an original label with mask stops. The windows in the south wall were restored c. 1980.[6]

Interior

In a survey recorded in 1751, two bells were noted in the west end and the nave and chancel were thatched.[3] The present single bell, marked "chapel of Ely house, London", is dated 1769. The 19th-century roof is of collar rafter type. The two centred chancel arch, 19th century, have two moulded orders, the inner on engaged colonnettes.[6] The 1980 vestry conversion included toilet, refreshment facilities and improved access for the disabled.[12]

Inside St George's
Chancel east three-light window
Nave looking east towards chancel

References

  1. assumes 6 people per pew; 14 pews and 56 free standing chairs
  2. 1 2 Pevsner, Nikolaus (1970), Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) (2nd ed.), Yale University Press, p. 417, ISBN 978-0-300-09586-9
  3. 1 2 Francis Blomfield (1751). "Hamlet or Town of Thetford". Collectanea Cantabrigiensia, or Collections relating to Cambridge, University, town, and county. Francis Blomfield. p. 25. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Church of St George, Thetford". British Listed Buildings. English Heritage. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  5. "Ely". The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald. 4 May 1886. p. 8.
  6. 1 2 3 4 T.D. Atkinson, Ethel M. Hampson, E.T. Long, C.A.F. Meekings, Edward Miller, H.B. Wells, G.M.G. Woodgate (1953). Pugh, R.B., ed. The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Cambridge and the isle of Ely. IV. Oxford University Press. pp. 157–158.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St George  (Grade II*) (1302358)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  8. Shaw, Tony (n.d.), The Friends of St. George's Church, Leaflet
  9. "Thetford or Little Thetford". UK & Ireland Genealogy. GenUKI. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  10. "Cambridgeshire Archives". Cambridgeshire County Council. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  11. A transcript of the Little Thetford parish registers are maintained on-line on the local village web site
  12. Friends of St George. "St George's Church". Little Thetford. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
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