HAMBLETON : CHURCH OF ST ANDREW
Church Post Code LE15 8TH
Open to visitors
We were two thirds of the way through a Rutland churchcrawl, with the church of St Andrew at Hambleton being the ninth of the day. All of the previous eight and been open and that sequence was maintained in this most friendly and welcoming of counties.
It was a freezing cold but sunny December afternoon in 2022, with the frost still on the ground, as the warm start to the winter had abruptly ended.
Hambleton is a beautiful village, which can be found on the Rutland Water peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water. At the time of the 2011 census, the population was 203. In 2020 Conde Nast Travel voted Hambleton as being one of the 20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland. Oakham, the biggest settlement in Rutland is two miles or so off to the west.
The parish here used to include Middle and Nether Hambleton, but each of these were lost when Rutland Water was opened in 1976. Hambleton, including Middle and Nether, was mentioned in the Domesday Survey in 1086, with three churches and three priests noted. It is suggested that Hambleton might have been the centre of a Roman administrative district and the base of Anglo Saxon rulers of the area.
The last Anglo-Saxon to hold the County was Queen Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor. Edward bequeathed Rutland to Edith in 1053.
The church of St Andrew stands on the highest ground on the peninsula; and consists of square tower with small spire, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel. This is a church of impressive dimensions, reflecting the importance of the village in days past!
The church here is a real statement piece! Built on raised ground the visitor enters the church grounds from the east, and cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer size of this structure.
The three stage late 13th century west tower is substantial both in height and width. A squat recessed tower rises up with a single lucarne window at the main compass points. A single gargoyle sits centrally on each side of the tower, with the one to the south badly damaged.
The 14th century south porch has an empty image niche over the top; two weathered heads on the label stops peer at the visitor as they enter the church through a Norman south door.
The clerestory dates from the 15th century and is battlemented. The chancel dates from late Victorian times, and is a complete rebuild; the previous chancel was pulled down in 1892. The rebuilt chancel blends in externally with the rest of the structure and I admit to being a little surprised to find out that it was fairly modern! The chancel is so substantial that it hides the rest of the church when looking at it from fairly close up!
The church is buttressed throughout but, with the exception of the gargoyles on the tower is free from any carvings.
At the time of North’s Victorian study of church bells in Rutland, there were four bells hanging here. The first two of the ring were cast locally; in 1610, by Tobias Norris I who founded the Stamford Bellfoundry.
The first of the ring was inscribed ‘Omnia Fiant Ad Gloriam Dei’ which translates as ‘Let all things be done for the glory of God’. The second reads ‘Non Clamor sed amor cantat in aure dei’; ‘not noise but love sings to the ear of God’. This third was cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1861, which replaced an earlier ancient bell.
The fourth of the ring in North’s time is dated 1611 and is another from Norris. This one is inscribed ‘Non sono animabvs mortvorvm sed avribvs viventivm’ which translates as ‘I sound not for the souls of the dead but for the ears of the living’. This was described by North as being cracked with canons broken.
The situation today is that five bells are now in the ring, with a new first of the ring being provided by Taylor of Loughborough in 1887, at which time the damaged fourth of the ring was recast.
Moving inside there are Victorian pews in the nave, which cover the area of the two most easterly bays; with wooden chairs in the area covered by the two most wester bays. There are also wooden chairs in the north and south aisles.
There are four bay arcades to north and south. For the most part, these have round piers with waterleaf capitals. The central piers on north and south sides though are different and have clustered shafts. These date from the early 13th century. The western tower arch dates from the late 13th century.
The chancel arch and chancel itself were totally rebuilt in the early 1890’s. There is stained glass throughout the chancel, which I will come to in a few moments. The reredos is by James Egan. This comes in the shape of a beautifully ornate painting of the crucifixion. ‘It is finished’ and Christ is surrounded by angels, one of whom is in the process of crowning him. This scene is flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John, each of whom is attended to by angels.
On the east wall is a triple sedilia, the seating for the priests, and a double piscina in which the priest would wash his hands and the holy vessels used in the Mass.
There is some fine stained glass in the chancel and throughout the church as a whole, with the majority courtesy of James Egan in 1896. Egan worked as a glass painter for William Morris. Structurally, this is a glorious church, but for me it was made memorable by the glass!
The three light east window depicts the ascension, sadly a little obscured by the top of the reredos. The depiction of the risen Christ is particularly striking; robed in white and gold with golden crown and nimbus. He looks down at those gathered below, hands spread downwards.
One further panel shows Jesus at the home of Simon the Leper. Mary of Bethany has just anointed Jesus with a jar of pure Nard; Judas has expressed his concerns and is depicted in the act of leaving the room. He will soon betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas is depicted with a black nimbus (halo)
I can remember attending a Cambridgeshire Historic Churches tour afternoon with a friend once a few years ago. We saw a similar depiction of Judas and we debated between us our views on whether Judas should have a normal nimbus, no nimbus or a black nimbus. To be fair, we came up with valid reasons for all, but the only thing that we could be certain of is that we could be really boring when we put our minds to it!
There is a very striking depiction of Easter morning; with the risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene. Christ, portrayed as was often the case as golden haired and distinctly un-Jewish, looks down tenderly towards Mary, wounds visible on hands and side. Mary reaches out her hand towards Jesus’ hand in disbelief! A beautiful, sensitive portrayal!
Egan’s depiction of the Transfiguration is stunning! Jesus stands with Elijah and Moses; the three depicted in tones of white and grey, grisaille fashion, with the exception of the blood red of Jesus’ nimbus. Peter, James and John are in the forefront, looking at the scene before them. We can only see the backs of their heads, and they are portrayed in normal colour. Highly effective!
One two light window shows the risen Christ welcoming the righteous in to Heaven whilst driving out sin. The left hand panel shows Jesus welcoming two women judged to be righteous. The gates to the Kingdom of Heaven are open wide, and coloured golden. Jesus himself is crowned as the King of Heaven. He welcomes those entering, holding in one hand a palm leaf; a symbol of Victory and eternal life.
The panel to the side of this is a different affair. The gates are drab in colour and not golden and are very much closed. Jesus here is armed with a sword and shield; dressed in armour, with no entry to those attempting to get in.
The depth and intricacies of the stained glass here such that they can sometimes only be really appreciated when looking at them at home on the computer and really thinking about what we are looking at.
Other stained glass here includes Jesus as a 12 year old, teaching in the Temple; a beautiful representation of the nativity, the humiliation of Jesus and the loaves and fishes. There is other glass here but just to mention one other panel though; this being an exquisite panel detailing the Eucharist.
In this the crucifixion is shows at the top, again in grisaille. In the foreground the priest holds the chalice containing the wine, with wafer on top. The priest and two communicants are all in vibrant colours! Interestingly, the two communicants are each depicted with nimbus.
In the south aisle there is a carved medieval coffin lid, with the head and shoulders of a male figure; hands raised in prayer in a trefoil shape cut out. The south aisle leads to a small altar, with a painting of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. An angel directs them out; Adam is distraught and Eve supports him in his distress. The Annunciation is on other the east wall. Inbetween these is a single light stained glass depiction of angel musicians.
The font is pretty much in keeping with the rest of the structure; substantial! It is thought to date from the 12th century.
The church grounds are of interest and the light quality was excellent. It was early afternoon but were just a few days away from the shortest day and it would not be too long before the sun started to set.
There is nothing listed in the church grounds but there are plenty of finely carved gravestones. What caught my eye though was a rustically carved angel on a stone to one Edward Laxton. The date here was not readable by I would estimate it to be early to mid 1700’s. The feathers on the angel’s wings are from individual chisel marks by the mason.
Close by, beautifully highlighted by the sun; two angels hold aloft the crown of victory. One angel is holding a trumpet, an often used symbol of the resurrection. A statement as to the faith of the deceased; passed on 250 or so years ago!
The parish war memorial is at the east end of the church grounds; close by, on the other side of the churchyard wall, is an old red phone box, which I am surprised does not have its own listing.
This is an impressive structure and I did enjoy visiting it on that basis. However, if you have the time and are in the area, a close careful study of the stained glass here could be very rewarding. Well worth a look if you are in the area.
WHITWELL : CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL
Church Post Code LE15 8BL
Open to visitors
It was a bright early spring morning in 2025 and a day out in Rutland, with the morning’s churchcrawl starting at Empingham before moving on to Whitwell then on to Oakham; this being the start of a 12 church crawl which covered four counties.
Whitwell can be found a short distance to the north east of Hambleton, nestling on the north bank of Rutland Water; a tiny village which is little more than a scattering of houses alongside the A606 which connects Empingham to Oakham. The population of the village was 41 at the time of the 2001 census with figures for subsequent census’ being included with that of neighbouring Exton.
A tiny village undoubtedly, but twinned with Paris, although the French capital might dispute this! In 1980, in a wonderful act of English eccentricity, regulars from the village pub wrote to the mayor’s office in Paris, proposing the twinning and giving a tight deadline for reply. When no reply was forthcoming by that cut off point the villagers unilaterally declared Whitwell to be twinned with Paris and had road signs erected to confirm this!
There is plenty of history here with Roman habitation; and a Roman coin hoard being discovered here in the early 1990’s. There was a church and priest being mentioned here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 in lands owned by Countess Judith, the niece of William the Conqueror.
Exton is two miles or so off to the north. Oakham, the larger of the two market towns in Rutland is four miles away to the west with Stamford seven miles off to the east. Rutland Water is a short distance off to the south with the water visible from the church grounds. With regards the church, which is dedicated to St Michael, this is immediately alongside the main road, on raised grounds with a perilous drop on to the main road for mower and operator should they not be concentrating when moving the grounds to the north.
Nothing remains of the church that was here at the time of Domesday and it is thought that the earliest parts of the present structure date back to the 13th century, with the present church possibly being built around an aisleless 12th century building. The south aisle and the western bellcote were each added during the early 13th century with the double bellcote also dating from that time. Pevsner described this as being the earliest double bellcote in Rutland.
There was further work here during the 14th century, with Richard De Whitwell founding a chantry chapel here in 1345; with a chaplain being employed to sing masses daily in the Lady Chapel for the souls of Richard and his family. In more recent times the church was restored in 1881.
It was bright and sunny as I entered the church grounds; looking out to the south to start with where the sunlight was reflecting off Rutland Water; it was quiet and peaceful despite the close proximity of the main road; an unhurried start to this beautiful Monday morning. This is a small church, and a fairly simple structure of western bellcote, nave with south aisle south porch and chancel.
The nave and chancel each have a steeply pitched tile roof; the south porch has a sundial over the door, with two carvings of male heads look out through lichen encrusted eyes, at those making their way in from the south. There are two bells in the ring here, with the first cast by Joseph Eayre of St Neots in 1749. The second bell is of great age and interest, being cast by John De Colsale who is listed as being an itinerant founder, who would set up a temporary foundry close to the church that he was casting a bell for. He was a founder between 1409 and 1421.
Moving in to the chancel, the altar is plain and simple, with the altar cloth having the letters IHC on it, this being an abbreviation of the name Jesus in Greek. The reredos runs the full width of the chancel and has blind arches which flank a central panel on which is a cross and two shields which have the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This is a reference to Revelation Chapter 22 verse 13 where Jesus declares ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’.
A squint at the east end of the south aisle allows someone to see through to the high altar; a single sedilia, the seating for the priest during the Mass is in its usual position against the south wall of the chancel with the piscina, which was used in washing the holy vessels used during the mass, alongside it to the east. And on the subject of piscina note should be made of the fact that there are four here in total, which is a great deal for a small church. As well as the one if the chancel there is one alongside the pulpit against the north wall, with one further at the east end of the south aisle, with this one having a niche just above it. A fourth can be see off towards the west of the south aisle.
A floor slab in the chancel is to one Alexander Noel who died in 1667. This has the word ‘Armiger’ after it which translates as ‘Arms Bearer’; someone who is entitled to bear heraldic arms.
There is some delightful stained glass here; with the vast majority Victorian and featuring a collection from Lavers, Barraud & Westlake, who were based in Covent Garden and who were in business from 1855 until 1921.
The east window is of three lights and has the crucifixion central. This is flanked by St Peter holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and St John who is holding a chalice out of which is emerging a serpent. This refers to Christian legend, which records that John was given poisoned wine whilst at Ephesus. John prayed over the wine and the poison came out in the form of a serpent.
There are several other stained glass windows here with several depicting scenes from Holy (Easter) Week. Those that aren’t are a depiction of Jesus with John the Baptist, with a small crowd in the foreground. John holds out a banner which reads ‘Ecce Agnus Dei’; behold the Lamb of God’. The other sees Mary the Mother of Jesus meeting Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.
One further sees the nativity with Mary and Joseph at the manger, in which the Baby Jesus lays. As is often the case there is some ‘poetic license’ shown in the depiction; with the Baby Jesus having curly golden hair and looking distinctly un Jewish. Joseph is shown with a very expensive looking golden cloak which doesn’t ring true either as when Jesus was presented to Simeon in the Temple forty days after his birth the Temple offering that they gave was two Doves; which was the offering for those of a limited means who couldn’t afford a lamb as directed in Leviticus Chapter 12 verse 8.
One single light window depicts a scene from after Holy Week with the risen Christ, with hand raised in blessing and crucifixion wounds visible on each hand, appears to his disciples.
With regards the scenes from Holy Week we have the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, with the rejoicing crowds laying palm leaves and their cloaks on the ground in front of him.
We also see Jesus at prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, immediately before his arrest; with disciples asleep to the right. Jesus again has symbolic nimbus and cloak of red. An angel of the Lord holds out a cup which Jesus will drink from; the cup symbolising the crucifixion that Jesus will have to suffer.
Of considerably more age we have a surviving medieval panel in the south west window of the chancel showing the crucifixion; with this dating to the 14th century.
There is nothing of any great interest in the church grounds, with nothing having its own listing. There are some finely carved gravestones, dating back to the 18th century, with angels looking out from many through various shades of lichen. One finely carved stone has a scallop shell on it, an often used Christian symbol; the symbol of St James and of Christian pilgrimage; the lines on the shell symbolising the various paths that a pilgrim will take, all of which converge on a central point, that point for a Christian being Jesus.
This is a lovely church in a small picturesque village in a beautiful county. There are no bells and whistles here; no worship bands, no fancy lighting systems and dry ice machines. Open and welcoming; an important Christian witness in its own right. This is a place to sit and be at peace, whoever you are and whatever you believe; a place to treasure. To complete this look at the church of St Michael at Whitwell, a few shots of the church grounds from a previous visit when I wasn't trying to shoot in to the sun!
