Author Topic: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch  (Read 8342 times)

Offline MartinR

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #28 on: November 15, 2020, 05:12:56 PM »
I'd heard that the candle-snuffer spires were used to let the sound of the bells out.  St Mary's has louvers at the top of the tower section, but the clock partially obscures them.  I haven't as yet managed to confirm where the bell chamber actually is.  If it is in the square part of the spire that makes some sense.
Local historian David Wood comments:"The tower with its spire is unusual and is known as a ‘candle snuffer.’ There are only three other churches in Kent with similar spires. These are at Willesborough, New Romney and Bexley. The reason for the design is not recorded, but the generally accepted theory is that it was used as a navigation marker for boats sailing along the River Medway because the church is situated high on a hill making it clearly visible from the river. Another theory is that when the bells were installed in the tower the gap between the octagonal top and the square base allowed the sound of the bells to escape uninhibited. However, the true reason remains unclear and unconfirmed." See https://upchurchmatters.blogspot.com/2019/11/mysteries-of-upchurch-church-by-david.html

Offline Mike Gunnill

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #27 on: November 15, 2020, 01:59:11 PM »
Hasted commented on the Church Spire in 1798.
"The steeple at the west end of the church is very remarkable, being a tower on which is placed a square part of a spire for about ten feet, and on that an octagon for the remaining or upper part to the point of the spire at top."


grandarog:


I wonder what your relation in St Mary's churchyard thinks of the new house development so close to his grave?


Had any feedback?


Mike
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Offline grandarog

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #26 on: September 14, 2020, 10:08:55 AM »
Hasted commented on the Church Spire in 1798.
"The steeple at the west end of the church is very remarkable, being a tower on which is placed a square part of a spire for about ten feet, and on that an octagon for the remaining or upper part to the point of the spire at top."

Offline Mike Gunnill

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #25 on: August 18, 2020, 08:31:43 AM »
They are a rare thing in this part of the country, and not too common elsewhere. Referred to as a 'Bipartite spire' with an octagonal upper half and square, or broached, lower part below.


As an Upchurch resident, I think we all appreciate the " snuffer-tower."  It was there in the days of the father of Francis Drake in 1560, who was the vicar.
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Offline CAT

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #24 on: August 03, 2020, 02:10:46 PM »
They are a rare thing in this part of the country, and not too common elsewhere. Referred to as a 'Bipartite spire' with an octagonal upper half and square, or broached, lower part below.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #23 on: August 01, 2020, 03:48:18 PM »
Apparently there's also one on spires in Bexley and Willesborough in Kent. They have a kind of continental look to them? Similar spires in France too.


I was reading about a candle-snuffer spire on Walesby church in Lincolnshire that was removed after hurricane damage. Perhaps they are particularly prone to blast/gust damage by being lifted up?

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2020, 02:49:00 PM »
This is fascinating stuff folks, keep it up ;D  One question I have, as someone who is completely ignorant of the finer points of architecture, but is there a reason why the spire at this church is the shape it is? In my work, I travel all over the South and East of the country and I don't recall seeing another like it.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #21 on: August 01, 2020, 12:50:54 PM »
Strange I cant find any ref to repairs etc.


I could not find anything on repairs either. Which was odd as I would have expected publicity around a funding drive for repairs? Perhaps looking in other local newspapers could turn up something? Especially now we have a firm starting date.


I would not rule out an issue with the newspaper reports being over-sensational. It's a big problem with reporters nowadays whilst articles of 100 years ago seem quite dry by comparison. I would note that those articles are copied word for word across the nations papers so an error there is possible as they could be based on one mistaken hack.


However, I doubt that a source like Historic England would base their declaration of a 1915 build on an internet search of old newspapers. You'd have thought that while examining the church, archaeologists may have come across some paperwork there? An inscription or builders marks in the spire perhaps? Worth a look up there?  ;)

Offline Mike Gunnill

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #20 on: August 01, 2020, 11:30:31 AM »
Thanks for that ,
I too had searched everywhere with reference to Bulwark .
Had not considered Princess Irene as she was way out on Saltpan Reach.
Strange I cant find any ref to repairs etc.


Grandarog:


I think the centre of this is, is what you have mentioned,  it may have been a repair but not a build of the tower.  There are many paintings of the snuffer tower which pre-dates any possible blast damage. Someone feeding incorrect information into the Internet again.


Regards to your end of the village


Mike
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Offline grandarog

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #19 on: August 01, 2020, 11:07:36 AM »
Thanks for that ,
I too had searched everywhere with reference to Bulwark .
Had not considered Princess Irene as she was way out on Saltpan Reach.
Strange I cant find any ref to repairs etc.


Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #18 on: July 31, 2020, 08:28:04 PM »
I've had to create a montage to give a fuller explanation, so forgive the view. In doing this I've realised that it was the HMS Princess Irene explosion on 27th May 1915 that did the damage to Upchurch spire, not HMS Bulwark. You'll see that the previous HMS Bulwark big bang was mentioned for background info in the article, hence my earlier error.



Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2020, 03:45:07 PM »
British Newspaper Archives show many local papers with reports of this. Look around July 1915, where there is mention still of bodies washed ashore and you'll get the spire report come up too. I am not a member but I'll try a screenshot later when back home.

Offline grandarog

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2020, 01:05:41 PM »
Cosmo Smallpiece can you give us the source of your info re the snuffer
as have not been able to find any so far.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2020, 11:46:59 PM »
The top of the church tower is recorded as being blown off in the accidental explosion of HMS Bulwark moored on the Medway on 26th November 1914. This is the repairs referred to in 1915, I believe.


(Edit. Was actually the Princess Irene explosion - see above )

pete.mason

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Re: St Mary the Virgin .Upchurch
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2020, 12:08:28 PM »
Slightly off topic for DTT ,
                             Stone Henge .Main big stones are Sarsons .It was on the news this morning they have found out where they were quarried about 15 miles away.


Amazing how "news" does the rounds, I've seen that mentioned several times on programmes relating to Stonehenge and the area over the last 3-4 years