St Bartholomew's Church, Orford
| Church of St Bartholomew, Orford | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Bartholomew | |
|
Church of St Bartholomew | |
  Church of St Bartholomew, Orford Location in Suffolk | |
| 52°05′42″N 1°32′06″E / 52.0951°N 1.5349°ECoordinates: 52°05′42″N 1°32′06″E / 52.0951°N 1.5349°E | |
| Location | Orford, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Bartholomew |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 16 March 1966 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Orford |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich |
The Church of St Bartholomew is the parish church of the town of Orford, England. A medieval church, dating from the fourteenth century, with reconstructions in the nineteenth and twentieth century, it is a Grade I listed building.[1] In addition to its listing, the church is notable as the location for the first performances of four of the works of the composer Benjamin Britten: Noye's Fludde, Curlew River, The Burning Fiery Furnace and The Prodigal Son.[2]
History and description
The church comprises a ruined 12th century chancel, begun in 1166[3] and abandoned in the 18th century,[4] the Decorated nave and aisles, restored in the late 19th century, and the tower, restored in the late 20th century after the collapse of its upper storey in 1830.[4] The chancel to the original church was built at about the same time as Orford Castle,[4] and demonstrates a similar "grandeur".[4] By the eighteenth century, the chancel was completely ruined and reconstruction concentrated on the nave and the tower.[4] In the early 1880s George Edmund Street prepared a plan for a comprehensive restoration of the whole complex but this was not undertaken.[4] Instead, rebuilding work spanned almost a hundred years, with J T Micklethwaite undertaking the reconstruction of the nave and aisles between 1894 and 1900,[4] H M Cautley repairing the chancel in 1930,[4] and Bruce George restoring the tower in 1971–72.[4]
Interior
The font is medieval,[4] with "four lions and four wild men" surrounding its base.[3] Above the altar is a painting of the Holy Family attributed to Raffaellino del Colle.[3] The church contains an impressive selection of memorials and monuments, including one to Benjamin Britten, a green slate slab set in the floor of the nave.[4]
Notes
- ↑ Historic England, "St Bartholomew's Church (1377119)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 14 July 2017
- ↑ Simon Jenkins, England's Thousand Best Churches
- 1 2 3 Good Stuff IT Services (1966-03-16). "St Bartholomew's Church, Orford". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 The Buildings of England - Suffolk:East, pages 446–9
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Bartholomew, Orford. |
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Bettley, James (2015). Suffolk: East. The Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-19654-2.
- Jenkins, Simon (1999). England's Thousand Best Churches. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-103930-5.