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Bratoft
 
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul

St Peter & St Paul, Bratoft, has a brick tower of 1747. The rest is of greenstone and in the Perpendicular style though restored in 1890.

Mark Acton, 2015

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul

The rather fine windows of the clerestory in Perpendicular style date from the 1890 restoration.

May 2016

 

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul church
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul

Another view of the church from the south-east.

Frank Skelton, 1970s

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul

Kelly's Directory 1930 states :-

"The church of SS. Peter and Paul is an ancient edifice of sandstone, of the Decorated and Perpendicular periods, consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of three bays, aisles, south porch, and an embattled western brick tower containing 3 bells:

screens, elaborately carved, enclose the eastern portion of the aisles, and form chantry chapels, and a similar screen divides the nave and chancel:

the font is Decorated, and exhibits on its panels the symbols of Our Lord's Passion:

hung in the tower is a singular painting, the work of one Robert Stephenson, which represents in a grotesque and fanciful manner the defeat of the Spanish Armada:

the hostile fleet is here symbolised by a huge red dragon, outstretched across the sea between the coasts of England, Ireland, France and Scotland, which appear at the corners of the picture ; on the English coast troops appear massed beneath the Royal Standard, and a short distance off the little English fleet awaits the Spaniards; below are the following lines :—

"Spaine's proud Armada with great strength and power, Great Britain's state came gapeing to devour, This Dragon's guts, like Pharoas scattered hoast, Lay splitt and drowned upon the Irish coast, For of eight score save two ships sent from Spaine But twenty-five scarce sound returned again. Non nobis Domine :" 

in the chancel is a piscine, an old tomb and a low side window:

the church, with the exception of the tower, was completely restored in 1890, as a memorial to C. L. Massingberd esq. lord of the manor: a large portion was rebuilt, the roof of the nave and south aisle renewed, and the chancel roof restored to its original pitch: several windows were furnished with tracery and other blocked windows reopened: the whole interior was reseated, the chancel stalls being of oak: a pulpit of richly carved oak and a lectern were also added ; the total cost was about £1,600:

the east window was restored in memory of the Rev. Thomas Scott, the well-known commentator, who was born here 16 Feb. 1747:

a copper tablet was placed on the south wall of the church in 1922, as a memorial to the men of the parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-18:

there are 190 sittings"

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Altar
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Altar
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Altar

C19 altar.

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, altar
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End

Bratoft church has a fine range of poppy-head bench ends. This one depicts a pair of birds.

May 2016

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, bench end, birds
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Bench End

Bratoft church has a fine range of poppy-head bench ends. This one depicts a pair of clinging figures.

May 2016



Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, bench end
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Doorway

C19 door.

"South side with doorway to right with pointed head, continuously moulded surround, hood mould, foliate label stops and plank door"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1267661?section=official-list-entry 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial

In memory of Rev. Charles George Ridley, Rector of Bratoft with Irby d.1897.

His eldest son Nicholas Charles Ridley was a prominent ophthalmologist " a founder and Past President (1915-1917) of the Midland Ophthalmological Society"

http://bjo.bmj.com/content/bjophthalmol/21/8/460.full.pdf 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, Charles George Ridley
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial Plaque
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial Plaque
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Memorial Plaque

Memorial Plaque for John William Scott displayed in the church.

"The Memorial Plaque was issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.

The plaques (which could be described as large plaquettes) about 4.72 inches (120 mm) in diameter, were cast in bronze, and came to be known as the "Dead Man’s Penny", because of the similarity in appearance to the much smaller penny coin which itself had a diameter of only 1.215 inches (30.9 mm). 1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tons of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate people who died as a consequence of the war"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Plaque_(medallion) 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, Memorial Plaque, Dead Man's Penny
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Tiles
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Tiles
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Chancel, Tiles

C19 decorative tiles before the altar.

Cross Keys emblem of St Peter together with St Paul's sword. 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, tiles
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave

Looking west towards the C14 tower arch with Armada painting above.

C19 pews. 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, nave
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Armada Painting
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Armada Painting
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Armada Painting

The following notes are provided in the church:

'This extraordinary and most probably unique picture is painted on six horizontal wooden planks, curving on the left-hand side to fit the chancel arch where it hung as part of a tympanum until some time between 1830 and 1879. it is 5ft 1in high and 6ft 10in wide tapering to 5ft 11in at the top.

At the bottom is an inscription:
Robert Stephenson: Spaines proud armado with great strength and power / Great Britain's stae came gapeing to devour. / This dragon's guts like Pharoas scattered hoast / Lay splitt and drown's upon the Irish Coast. / For of eight score save too ships sent from Spaine / But twenty five scarce sound return'd again.

The dragon is scarlet and fills the centre of the picture in a huge ovel sweep, encircling a small fleet and with more ships in every twist of its body and tail. Projecting from the edge of the picture into the sea around it are promontories of land labelled for lack of  sophisticated cartographical layout.

In the top left corner is Hibernia, with lower down a ship of war flying St Patrick's cross. Many smaller ships also have this flag. In the bottom left corner is France. To the top right is Scotland with a huge fleet crowded around its coast and to the lower right Angliae. Here the troops are marshalled on the shore behind a drummer and a standard. The flag has the cross of St George recognisable in the corner.

The Spanish fleet is clustered around the red dragon referred to in the inscription and in the process of being wrecked on the shores of Scotland and Ireland. Fire ships are to be seen floating into the midst of them. The English soldiers with drummer wait on the shore beside a small town.

It seems possible that the picture was painted soon after the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) and was repaired in the first half of the 17th century.

There are mortices in the chancel arch showing the former positions of the rood beam. The painting presumably fitted into half of the space between this and the top of the screen filling the gap left by the removal of the rood.'

The painting currently hangs on the west wall of the nave above the tower arch.

May 2016

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul. Armada painting
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Roll of Honour
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Roll of Honour
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Nave, Roll of Honour

"Roll of Honour Men of this Parish who served in His Majesty's Forces during the Great War1914 - 1918"

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, Roll of Honour
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, North Aisle
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, North Aisle
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, North Aisle

Looking east.

"C15 north aisle heavily restored in C19"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1267661?section=official-list-entry 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Doorway

"Porch interior with flanking stone benches and small C14 steeply pointed doorway"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1267661?section=official-list-entry 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, Doorway
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Inscription
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Inscription
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, Porch, Inscription

Inscription above the inner doorway.

"TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF CHARLES LANGTON MASSINGBERD OF GUNBY AND BRATOFT ESQUIRE. THIS CHURCH WAS RESTORED: AD 1889"

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, CHARLES LANGTON MASSINGBERD
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle

Looking east towards the south chapel.

"C15 south aisle restored in C19. C15 east window with pointed head, 3 cusped lights, that in the centre with ogee head, early panel tracery partially restored in C19"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1267661?section=official-list-entry 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font

The font is octagonal in shape, Perpendicular in style, with leaves and heads against the underside and simple tracery and the Instruments of the Passion against the bowl.

May 2016

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, Font

A second view of the font.

"C15 octagonal font with symbols of the Passion, and foliate and grotesque heads on underside of bowl"

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1267661?section=official-list-entry 

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, font
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, War Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, War Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Aisle, War Memorial

"TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918"

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, War Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel

Interior of south chapel looking towards the altar.

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel, War Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel, War Memorial
Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul, South Chapel, War Memorial

"THIS ANCIENT CHAPEL WAS RESTORED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF JOHN AND ESTHER VEALL AND THEIR GRANDSONS FUSILIER ROLAND GEORGE BOWDITCH AND CAPTAIN CHARLES RAITHBY VEALL WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN WORLD WAR II ALSO TO THOSE OF THIS PARISH WHO DIED AND SERVED IN THE TWO GREAT WORLD WARS"

DB 11 September 2022

Bratoft, St Peter & St Paul Church, Image, war memorial, VEALL