A  Story in Stone

Welcome to Geddington Church

Welcome to St Mary Magdalene, where people have worshipped for over 1,000 years. Please stay for as long as you wish, whether you are interested in the church’s history and architecture; or would just like to pray or sit quietly – all are welcome.

The Story in Stone Project

In July 2023 the Church was awarded a grant of £66,952 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for its project called ‘A Story in Stone’. Together with contribution from the church’s own funds and generous support from The Friends of Geddington Church; the Church Buildings Council; The Francis Coales Charitable Foundation; The Leche Trust; The Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust; The John Warren Foundation; and The Society of Antiquaries, The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant brought the total project budget to nearly £116,000. 

The 1,000 year old church of St Mary Magdalene in Geddington features a 15^th century reredos (altar screen), which depicts Christ crucified and his Apostles. 13 zinc panels, set into the niches within the reredos, were painted by renowned gothic revival architect Sir Ninian Comper in 1890, but this superb artwork fell into a state of disrepair, due to inappropriate repairs carried out decades ago.

The Reredos Restored (January 2024)

The Church is working with a range of partners to make the project a reality, including Geddington CofE Primary School, Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust, Boughton Estates and Geddington Local History Society. The highly skilled conservation work on the reredos was completed in January 2024 by Hirst Conservation Ltd. of Sleaford, Lincs.  The great east window above the reredos, which Sir Ninian Comper created in 1892 was also be cleaned and some repairs made.

The project runs until the autumn of 2024, with the funding enabling the team to not only restore the reredos, but also deliver a series of educational activities with local schools and run a programme of public events.  The aim is to create a lasting legacy that will raise the profile of Geddington Church and its treasures. 

At the project launch Jim Harker, Chair of the Project Steering Group, commented:

“We are tremendously excited to be undertaking a project of such historical importance. The rich history at Geddington provides a wealth of material from which our church’s stones, monuments and archives can illuminate the national story, and with which not only local people but a much wider public can be informed and enthused about our collective history and heritage. We hope to use this process to spark interest in the historical context, and also to highlight the importance of conservation work and to engage young people in the evidence and evolution of social history through the ages. We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to everyone who plays The National Lottery, and to all our other funding partners for making such generous commitments to our heritage and our community.”

Robyn Llewellyn, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:

“We are delighted to support the team at St Mary Magdalene with their ‘A Story in Stone’ project. Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, so it’s great to see that the local community lies at the heart of this project. I hope that this funding will celebrate Geddington’s rich history in a way that everyone can enjoy and be proud of.”

An Introduction to the Church

Most experts tell us that the original stone Geddington Church dates from sometime between AD800 and AD970. The later date seems more likely since this was a very turbulent time in English history.  Between 865 and 875 the ‘Great Heathen Army’ led by ‘Ivar the Boneless’ had overrun all the English kingdoms except Wessex, and for decades Geddington was surrounded by Danish-held towns, including Kettering (Cytringan), Northampton, Leicester and Stamford.  It was not until 942 that English control was firmly re-established over the area, enabling a mid-10^th Century revival of Christian worship to spread rapidly.

The church was probably a ‘daughter’ church of St. Andrew, Brigstock,  and indeed was dedicated to St. Andrew for roughly the next 600 years.  Parts of the original church stand to this day – evident in still-visible corner-stones, lines left scarred into walls by steeply-sloping roofs; a blocked-up window; and triangle-headed arcading on what were once outside walls.

St. Andrew, Geddington (as it then was) gained in size and importance in the high medieval period as it was closely associated with a royal hunting lodge (later a castle or palace) that once stood just north of the church. When Edward I’s Queen, Eleanor of Castile, died at Harby near Lincoln in December 1290, the cortege bearing her body stopped at Geddington on its way to London - a measure of its significance. The king commanded that stone crosses be built at each of the 12 overnight resting-places, and Geddington’s cross, built in 1294-5, is the best-preserved of only 3 Eleanor crosses to survive.

Whether due to neglect or the Black Death of 1348-49 (or both) the royal palace was a ruin by 1374; and responsibility for the church had passed in 1358 from the Crown to nearby Pipewell Abbey, whose monks had custody of the church until the suppression of the monastery in 1538.

Major alterations and additions were made to the church building in each of the 12^th to 15^th centuries and we can see the evolution of English church architecture written in the stones – from Saxon arcading; the massive walls and rounded arches of the Norman period; the elegant arches and windows of the Early English Gothic phase, through to the later refinements of the 14^th and 15^th Centuries, seen in the upper clerestory windows, the tower and the reredos.

Although the church structure was essentially complete by the early 1400s, there have been numerous superficial changes over the succeeding 600 years, many of which have been influenced by changes in the religious life of the church – most notably the break with Rome in the 1530s.  The church we see today is highly unusual in still having three Chancel Screens and has gained some wonderful artwork in its windows and monuments.  Although lacking the colour of its medieval plasterwork, the church’s bare stonework reveals to us many of the past structural changes, so that we literally have a story – a very complex story - written in its stones.

Whilst Queen Eleanor is the best-known person associated with the church, there have been many other fascinating characters whose lives have touched, or been touched by, this place – including a mysterious medieval priest, prestigious architects, larger-than-life vicars, and people whose untold stories lie behind cold stone memorials waiting to be discovered. 

The Setting of the Church

Occupying an elevated position in the heart of Geddington, the church has been a dominant feature of the village landscape since Saxon times. Located on the road from Stamford to Oxford, and set within the ancient Rockingham Forest with its plentiful deer and boar, Geddington’s royal palace just north of the church became a favourite retreat of Plantagenet kings from Henry I to Edward I. 

The church is immediately surrounded by its churchyard, and a small village green backed by the south-western wall to the churchyard, provides an attractive setting for the southern approach and entrance to the site. To its south-west, the church overlooks the Eleanor Cross (Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I Listed).  Dating from 1294-95, this is the best-preserved and finest of the three surviving original crosses.  At its base is the Conduit House over a well reputedly used since the Roman period and, until the mid-19^th Century, the village stocks stood next to the cross, where lawbreakers would be subjected to public humiliation and ridicule at the hub of village life.  The church is often pictured with the cross in the foreground.

The Structure of the Church

A BUILDING MADE FOR WORSHIP

The ways in which Christians have worshipped – the words, music, and rituals, and their theological significance – have evolved down the centuries.  These changes have in turn influenced the church building itself.  A larger or smaller Chancel; the creation of side aisles and chapels; the positioning of font and altars; the images on walls and in window glass; the presence or absence of rood screens; the styles of wall and floor monuments and the languages and lettering employed in inscriptions – all these and more have been influenced by the character and content of Christian worship and belief.  And so, the building and its architectural development needs to be viewed with this very much in mind.

In terms of its structure, if not all its internal finishes and monuments, St. Mary Magdalene, Geddington was substantially complete some 200 years before the English Reformation of the 16^th Century, with relatively superficial changes occurring thereafter. It is therefore a building whose essential features would have been recognised by our medieval ancestors.

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

The church bears witness to the evolution of architectural styles over roughly 500 years – styles heavily influenced by advances in building technology and artistic trends across western Europe, with five principal styles generally identifiable over this time, all of which can be found in St. Mary Magdalene, Geddington (dates are approximate only):

Saxon (597-1066): Characterised by semicircular arches, in this style doorways are usually tall and narrow. Windows usually have small external openings but are deeply splayed through to the inside. Walls are usually no more than 75cm thick. Herringbone stonework can be found in the late Saxon/early Norman period. At Geddington, there are several Saxon features, including a blocked-up window in the Nave, and triangle-headed arcading in the North Aisle.

Norman (1066-1189): Sometimes known as ‘Romanesque’, the most obvious characteristic of this style is its reliance on sheer bulk. Everything is larger, more solid, and carries with it an air of permanence at odds with earlier Saxon work. It has semicircular arches, deeply recessed doorways, thick walls, massive round pillars, and ornaments such as zigzag moulding and bird & animal forms. The bulky rounded arches and columns of the northern arcade are good examples of this style.

Early English (1189-1307): The first of the three Gothic periods, in this style rounded arches gave way to lighter, pointed arches in windows, doorways and arcades. Sometimes called "Lancet" and "First Pointed" style, the key features are pointed arches, four-sided ribbed vaults, lancet windows (tall and narrow  with a pointed arch at the top) and clustered shafts of tall, narrow piers replacing the massive rounded ones of the Norman style.  At Geddington, this is evident in the quatrefoil piers and pointed arches of the southern arcade, for example.

Decorated (1307-1377): The simple geometric shapes of the Early English period gave way to complex curves; the ogee arch being the most obvious. The ogee combines a convex and a concave curve in the same arch. This double-curve is the basis of most of the curvilinear tracery which became so popular during the 14^th Century.  This style also features wider windows giving better lighting and richly-coloured stained glass. The magnificent reredos is an example of this style at Geddington.

Perpendicular (1377-1530): As its name suggests, the chief characteristic of Perpendicular architecture is the emphasis on strong vertical lines, seen most markedly in window tracery and wall panelling. Roof vaulting became elaborate and ornate, with a multitude of vaulting ribs spreading outwards in a fan shape, ornamented with pendants and cross-ribs that served a purely decorative function. Very large windows with elaborate tracery are a particular feature of this style.  Though less elaborate, Geddington’s upper clerestory windows are of this period.

MATERIALS

The Saxon elements of the church are constructed largely of stone rubble, except at its quoins (corner-stones) which are in larger, shaped, blocks.  The rubble is probably of local origin, whilst the quoins may have come from the quarries at Barnack (Cambridgeshire), some 20 miles to the north.  Stone for the Norman and later building work came from Stanion, some 3 miles north.  Both Barnack and Stanion stone are limestones.

Weldon stone was also probably used in work from the mid-13^th Century onwards, and some later repairs were carried out using local ironstone from Geddington’s quarries, perhaps for reasons of economy. The earliest roofs were most likely made of thatch, although it’s possible that Collyweston slates (from the village of that name some 18 miles north of Geddington) were used.  Such slates may be seen on today’s porch.

Access & Opening Times

The church is approached from Grafton Road via steps through the churchyard gate. Wheelchair access is available via Church Path, which is near the junction of Grafton Road and Wood Street, or from the top of Church Hill.

The church is normally open every day (including weekends) between 10am and 3pm, although there will sometimes be things happening in the church, such as weddings, funerals or other activities and events.  Please check our website for details, especially if coming from a distance.

Church Services are normally held on Sunday mornings at 9.45am and on Friday mornings at 10am – please see our website for details.  Services normally last upto an hour.

Guided Tours

If you would like a guided tour of the church, either for yourself or for an organised group, we will be happy to  arrange this for you - just contact us via email or use the ‘Book a Tour’ facility on our website, giving as much notice as possible please.

Contacting Us

Address:              St. Mary Magdalene, Church Hill, Geddington, NN14 1AH

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Email:                   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Web:                     http://geddingtonchurch.org.uk/

Facebook:           www.facebook.com/StMaryMagdalenechurch

Phone:                 01536 742200 (Vicarage)

[Please note the Vicar may not always be able to reply quickly to messages left]