All Saints Church & Cemetery, Leighton Buzzard. 13th C скачать в хорошем качестве

All Saints Church & Cemetery, Leighton Buzzard. 13th C

All saints church & cemetery, Leighton buzzard A church has stood on this site for about 1000 years. The present building was constructed in the early 13th Century. It is interesting to reflect on the huge size of the church, built in what must have been little more than a large village, then clustered around a bridge over the river, an important crossing place on routes running east to west. When it was built Leighton was in the diocese of Lincoln, having previously been under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Dorchester [on Thames]. Ancient tradition has it that St. Hugh of Lincoln visited this area on one of his many tours around his diocese and ordered this church to be built to replace the building already on this site. He is depicted in the great west window with his legendary pet swan. The church and its lands were given to a Prebendary, an officer of Lincoln Cathedral, whose task it would have been to keep an eye on this parish and its surrounding area. This man was Theobald de Busar, and from his name Leighton became Leighton de Busar [and latterly Leighton Buzzard] to distinguish it from Leighton Bromswold in the same diocese. The church is dedicated to All Saints and has a 190ft spire and some outstanding medieval ironwork,graffiti and roofs, "aflutter" with carved angels gifted in the mid 15th century by Alice de la Pole, Countess of Suffolk and grand daughter of Geoffrey Chaucer. It has been described as the cathedral of South Bedfordshire (Bishop of St Albans at the re-hallowing ceremony on 7 May 1989) and is probably the finest church in the county (John Betjeman in Collins Guide to Parish Churches). Dating from 1277 it is the second church on the site. Such an old structure requires constant attention through its Preservation Trust. The Church was severely damaged by fire in 1985. The fire happened just as a restoration programme was nearing completion. It destroyed the chancel roof and severely damaged the nave roof and caused serious structural damage to the tower, spire, and the vestry areas and a number of the windows were damaged beyond repair. The ring of ten bells was lost as were both the organs. The total cost of the damage exceeded £1.5 million (US$2.4 million). Within 24 hours of the blaze the congregation had begun its second restoration programme in as many years. The 15th century roofs, described as the church's tour de force, have been repaired and the fine carvings of angels and saints which adorn them have been repaired or replaced. The spire has been stitched and relined with fresh stone. The tower has been stabilised with a massive internal ring beam. Serious structural faults were discovered in the tower which supports the spire in 1998 and after a thorough survey of the whole building the following year more problems were uncovered; a seven phase programme of repair was then drawn up by architect Michael Dales. In the sixteen years which followed, the tower was secured with 262 steel anchors and voids in the walls filled. Eroded stone replaced and cement pointing changed to lime mortar. Other hitherto unknown defects were uncovered and dealt with right around the church, the result of use of cement, the weather, extreme old age and long term effects of the fire. Twenty three Kempe windows in the nave were removed and repaired and other windows were dealt with in situ. One roof was recovered others repaired. A new external corbel figure was added to the east wall of St Hugh chapel to mark completion of this work, it is of Terry Warburton who fundraised and steered the sixteen-year project. Completion of this project was marked in May 2016 with a special service of thanksgiving. Total cost of this project was nearly £2m. Comment from Leia Blakesley: What I can tell you is at the bottom of the church yard is the grave of a survivor of the charge of the light brigade ( only 195 men to survive) Mr William Barker who was in 17th Lancers. He didn’t get his military burial as he died after retiring in 1900. After retiring he worked as a coast guard and then retired to run the greyhound public House between 1871-1884. He had 4 daughters with his first wife and remarried. There is a rather long article about his life in the September 1900 Leighton Buzzard observer after his death.