|
"Launching the Ship"
Just as a ship is launched before it is complete in every detail, so was the Church of the Holy Trinity Watermoor, in 1851. As we have seen, there was no spire as yet, nor a complete south aisle; there were no vestries and scarcely any interior decorations. There was no bell either for the first thirty-five years of the Church's life and the worshippers were summoned to Church by a gong, which unfortunately was cracked in transit from the Mears' Foundry in Whitechapel, (a gift of a Miss Jemima Brown).
Donations
It was not long, however, before generous donors made good these deficiencies and inadequacies. The Hon. William Lennox Bathurst - who as we shall see, bore the expense of the building of the spire - was said to have been prompted to do so on overhearing these words applied to Canon Powell (then Vicar of the Parish Church) by some malicious critic: "This man began to build and was not able to finish".
The south side was completed, as we have also seen, in 1860,and at the same time a heating apparatus was installed. The only heating until that time being derived, as Canon Powell expressed it, from the "calentures of theology". By 1887 the Church was lit by gas and heated by hot air from around the brickwork of an underground furnace, and complaints were made of the smell of sulphur in the Church! Many repairs and alterations have been made to the system throughout the 150 years under Review. For instance, to combat the sulphur smell, a tunnel was opened up in the ceiling at the back of the church through to the tower, where they erected a huge open galvanised cylinder. This contained a great gas burner, which sucked, supposedly, the contaminated but warm air from the church, outside into the bell chamber. As you can see they didn't have plenty of money in those days! Soon afterwards a proper central heating system with boiler and radiators was installed, though still using the previous hot air ducts under the floor, as the present system does, but with more modern radiators fitted in recent times.
Tenor Bell
The Misses Brown of Further Barton gave the tenor bell, weighing some twenty hundredweight (1000 Kg) as the foundation of a full peal in 1887, and the gong was given to another Church. The spire did not have a clock installed until as late as 1899 when one was fitted, costing some £150, by John Smith & Sons of Derby. Some more facts about the clock will appear in a later report.
Why "Holy Trinity"? A very long serving Curate in charge at Watermoor, Rev. W. P. Ackworth (22 years in office), in his farewell sermon stated that 'The Rev. (later Canon) Powell wanted the Church to be called "Holy Trinity" because at that time (1850) many people suffered from the lingering effects of "chill Unitarianism".'
Reredos
In 1879, the main reredos behind the high altar was erected at a cost of about £500, which included tiling the sanctuary and enlarging the altar, the money for which was given by the ladies of the congregation. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the reredos, which was unveiled on Trinity Sunday 1881, and E. Geflowski, a Pole, who did all the carving in the church, executed the work. The reredos was in white stone with Derbyshire marble columns. It was coloured as part of the 100-year celebrations, in 1951.While at Watermoor Mr. Geflowski was received into the Church, Canon Powell baptizing him in 1884 and preparing him for confirmation. The carvings of the Church were his first work in England and he later became famous as the sculptor of the glorious reredos at All Souls College Chapel, Oxford, which incidentally was restored by the fifth Earl Bathurst, and also the reredos of our Parish Church.
Pulpit
Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the pulpit with open steps. During post WWII, when greater use was being made of visiting and retired clergy - including retired Bishops, the steps were considered dangerous, so using generous donations by the South Cerney Angling Club, in memory of George Hester (Server and Sidesman), together with a large donation by Mr. Billy Hall (Chorister), in memory of his wife, an oak and wrought iron handrail, designed by Mr. Christopher Bishop (architect), and made by J. Hall Blacksmith, Quern's Lane, was installed by Mr. Joe Barnard.
Reserved Sacrament
In 1890 a small recess was made in the wall to the south side of the Lady Chapel altar and turned into a lockable aumbry in which to keep the Reserved Sacrament (bread, wine and oil which had already been blessed). These sacraments were reserved for house communions for the sick and house bound and other visits. An aumbry lamp, which is always alight when the sacraments are in the aumbry, hangs above and was given by Mr. Percy Holbrough, long-time Chapel Warden, Sacristan and Treasurer of the church. This replaced the sole surviving oil lamp, which hung from the centre beam of the chapel. The other six oil lamps given in 1890, are now believed to be gracing various churches throughout the diocese or even wider!
Lectern
The Lectern was given in 1887 in memory of their daughters, by Mr. and Mrs. Fowler, who also gave the original altar cross at about the time the pulpit was built, from funds received from a collection taken among the scholars of Cirencester Ladies' School. The font was given by Mrs. Sandys in memory of her husband, who had been killed in a rail accident, while the ornate brass cover was given by Mrs. Weldon in memory of her daughter, Mrs. Charles Sewell. Some time during the 1940's, this brass cover and its counterweight etc., fell, slightly damaging the font and its supporting pillars of Derbyshire marble. The broken beam can still be seen in the roof above the font.
Church Hall and Garden of Remebrance
The Church Hall was added in 1971/72, when the Mission Room was demolished to make room for the new relief road. It was designed by Mr. Roddy Woodman of Eric Cole & Partners (he was also a member of the congregation), and built by Saitch & Carter at an approximate cost of £15,000.
The Garden of Remembrance outside and to the south of the church is a quiet garden (you will recall that it has always been forbidden to place graves in the churchyard as the water table is so near the surface, as at present). There are seats in the garden for people to sit with quiet thoughts of their loved ones. The garden was created in the mid 1970's.
So here was the church, complete after some years, and yet a friendly and warm environment for the local population to visit and enjoy. In the next part, I will discuss the Windows, and in a later report the Clock, Organ and Bells giving their salient points. Later in November 2001, the church is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Church and a full week of events is being planned.
Many thanks to Tony Clack for this contribution
See
Part 1 : The Beginnings of the Idea
Part 2 : The Construction
Part 3 : The Consecration
Part 4 : The Church Layout and Additions
Part 5 : The Church Windows
Part 6 : Sights, Sounds & Timing - the Bells
Part 7 : Further Assets & the Curate Register
|
