St Olave's Church, Gatcombe

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe
50°39′49″N 01°18′15″W / 50.66361°N 1.30417°W / 50.66361; -1.30417Coordinates: 50°39′49″N 01°18′15″W / 50.66361°N 1.30417°W / 50.66361; -1.30417
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Broad Church
History
Dedication St. Olave's
Administration
Parish Gatcombe
Diocese Portsmouth
Province Canterbury
View from the west

St. Olave's Church, Gatcombe is a parish church in the Church of England located in Gatcombe, Isle of Wight.

History

Building began on the site in the 13th century and the church was dedicated in 1292. It originally served the Estur family as a chapel to Gatcombe House. The manor later passed into the hands of the Worsley family who provided the church with both financial support and a number of Rectors.

The tower contains three bells which are hung dead.[1]

The churchyard contains two Commonwealth war graves, of an officer (Flight Lieutenant Antony Basil Langton) and a sergeant (Sergeant William Reuben Cooper) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve from World War II.[2]

Stained glass

East window

The church is noted for its stained glass by William Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown and Edward Burne-Jones,[3] dating from 1865 and 1866. Rossetti founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with which Morris, Brown and Burne-Jones were associated.

Tomb and effigy

The wooden effigy of a Knight of the Crusades is located at the north side of the altar. The knight is carved with an angel by his head and a dog by his foot. Although there are no written records of its origin, it is old enough to be one of the members of the Estur family.

Organ

The organ is by Henry Speechley and dates from 1898. It was overhauled in 2000 by Griffiths & Cooper and incorporated pipework from an organ in Upper Chine School, Shanklin. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

  1. ↑ The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nikolaus Pevsner
  2. ↑ CWGC Cemetery report, details from casualty record.
  3. ↑ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-392705-church-of-st-olave-gatcombe-
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