St Wulfram's Church, Grantham
| St Wulfram's Church, Grantham | |
 Parish Church of St Wulfram, Grantham
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| 52°54′53″N 0°38′27″W / 52.9148°N 0.6407°WCoordinates: 52°54′53″N 0°38′27″W / 52.9148°N 0.6407°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
|---|---|
| Website | www.stwulframs.org.uk www.discoverstwulframs.org.uk |
| History | |
| Dedication | Wulfram of Sens |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Grantham |
| Deanery | Grantham |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Revd Canon Christopher Andrews |
| Curate(s) | The Revd June Rowland |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | Dr Tim Williams |
| Organist(s) | Dr Andrew Wyatt |
St Wulfram's Church, Grantham is a parish church in the Church of England in Grantham in Lincolnshire.
In his book, England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins describes St Wulfram's Church as having the finest steeple in England.
Contents |
[edit] Building
[edit] Spire
The church is dominated by its spire, 282 feet (86 m) high. It is
- the sixth highest in the country.
- the fourth highest of any parish church in the UK, after Church of St. Walburge, Preston, St. James Church, Louth, and St Mary Redcliffe.
- the third highest of any Anglican parish church in the UK, after St. James Church, Louth and St Mary Redcliffe,
- the second highest in Lincolnshire (after St. James Church, Louth).
[edit] Library
The church is also home to the country's first public library. In 1598, Francis Trigge, the rector of Welbourn gave £100 for a small library of books for the clergy and literate laity of Grantham. Two hundred and fifty of the original volumes remain and are kept in the parish church.
[edit] Organ
The organ dates from 1736 by John Harris and John Byfield but has had several re-builds including those by George Pike England in 1809, and 1833, Forster and Andrews between 1845 and 1868, Norman and Beard in 1906 and Rushworth and Dreaper in 1952, Cousans in 1972, and by Wood in 1994.
The current organ specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
[edit] Organists
- ?
- William Dixon ???? - 1856[1] - 1863[2] - ????
- George Dixon 1865 - 1886 (previously organist of St. James Church, Louth)
- Richard Thomas Back ???? - 1892[3] - 1909 [4] - ????
- Frank Radcliffe 1911 - 1914 (afterwards Organist of St. Mary's Church, Nottingham)
- ?
- Edward Brown ???? - 1921 - 1937 - ????
- ?
- Stephen John Mundy 1941 - 1961
- Philip Joseph Lank 1961 - 1983 (previously assistant organist of Peterborough Cathedral
- Nicholas Kerrison 1984 - 1988
- John Ball 1988 - 1992
- John Wilkes 1992 - 1996
- Ian Major 1996 - 1997
- Philip Robinson 1997 - 2001
- Michael Sands 2002 - 2007
- Tim Williams 2008 -
-
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] Bells
The church has a ring of 12 bells, recently upgraded from 10, used for English change ringing and for the clock chimes. It is unusual in that the ring consists of a diatonic ring of 10 with two additional bells to make a lighter 8.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins
- The Buildings of England, Lincolnshire, Nikolaus Pevsner
