Take a Tour

The Church Itself

Dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1220 AD, Barwell's ancient Church is a grade one listed building.  The site of the present Church can trace its origins from Neolithic times, through the Bronze Age, the Roman occupation of Britain, the coming of the Saxons, the Danes and the Normans and from then on, in an unbroken line to the present day. 

The Bell Tower

In 1877 the tower needed considerable repair work, and the bells and belfry required attention, one bell being cracked.  New ringing and belfry floors and bell beams of English oak were installed; also a new iron circular staircase giving access to the bell chamber.  At this time the old belfry doorway was built-up and an entrance thrown open to the Church.  The base of the tower was then used as a robing area allowing the Rector and choir to process from the back of the Church.  The four 250 year old bells were recast and two new bells were added.  The tower was also treated to a new clock at this time; the old square faced one became erratic and had always had to be rewound daily.  The 'new' clock was fully restored in 1997 by the family of Mrs Dorothy Lucas.

 
The Chancel

 

The large east window behind the altar is of the Ascension and is in memory or Rector Richard Titleywho died in 1909.  At either side of this are the Ten Commandments painted on metal.  The window to the right is also in memory of a former Rector, Alfred Titley who died in 1942.
Also there is a fine alabaster depicting the dead Christ with Mary.  Also notable are the altar rails, carved, unusually on both sides, by Ernest Lockley after his return from World War One.

 The South Aisle

 

The two windows in the south aisle contain the symbols of the Gospel writers :-

Matthew - an Angel
Mark - a Lion
Luke - an Ox
John - an Eagle 

Wood Carvings

The wood carvings in the chancel and sanctuary, on the choir stalls and on the pulpit, were all done by parishioners, whose names are on the wooden tablet.  They are of a particularly high standard of workmanship, and were built under the tutelage of Thomas Birch at the beginning of the 20th century.

Memorial Chapel

The Memorial Chapel is located in the north aisle.  As you walk towards the altar, on the left you will see the two side windows.  The first has in it representative letters of the Trinity and the second a piece of ancient stained glass set high in the windows which is the coat of arms of the de Hastings family, who paid for the Church to be built, and is probably older than the church itself.  The window over the altar is the commemoration of those who died in the Great War.  On the right of the altar is an opening to a small staircase.  This at one time led to a rood screen platform which was high in the chancel arch.  It is thought that this is where the priests from Polesworth stayed after travelling to Barwell to take services.

The Nave


In 1854 the Rev. Christopher Brome Barrow replaced the pews, the old high backed ones pre-dating 1797.  Hopefully the new pews removed the vexation practice of pew rents which suited those who could afford them as this arrangement constituted reserved seating; it was also a valuable source of income to the incumbent.  However, it left very few seats for the poorer people.  At a Leicester Church Congress in 1880 the Bishop of Peterborough (At that time Leicester was part of the Peterborough Diocese) fulminated that pew rents were, '- the most ingenious and successful devices for keeping parishioners out of Church'. 

The Old Organ Pipes


In 1888 a major structural change took place when the south aisle was extended eastward to form an organ chamber.  The new chamber then allowed the first pipe organ to be removed from the chancel, where it had constituted an obstruction and an eyesore.  By 1966 the second wind-blown organ, installed in 1912, was in need of repair but shortage of funds did not allow for a replacement so an electro-mechanical pipe organ was installed utilising the existing console.

The Geoffrey Geary Window

 

Set in the north wall is a stained glass window, dedicated to Geoffrey Geary, churchwarden, who died in 1943. It is of the boy Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Below this is the Sunday School Gallery, which was installed along with the pews in about 1850.