Bell 1 of 1
Founded by John Wood 1691
Dove Bell ID: 58926 Tower ID: 22876 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Prickwillow: St Peter
Overview
Grid reference: TL 596 824
A small Victorian Gothic church of flint in a fenland village 2 miles north-west of Ely. The church has no tower, but has some landscape value due to its tall belcote and location at the eastern edge of the village. This is a simple cruciform building of brick and fint in the Early English style. A turret on the crossing with shingled spirelet with louvres at the base gives some vertical emphasis. Coped gables and kneelers, and plain cross finials. All corners with diagonal buttresses of two weatherings. The nave, transepts and chancel are under a single roof, gabled south porch.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Cruciform, 5-bay nave and polygonal chancel, south-west porch, toilet shed in the angle of nave and north transept.
Dimensions:
Nave and crossing 23m (75ft) x 6m (19’6ft).
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was built 1866-68, said by Pevsner to a design by R Reynolds Rave, but the ICBS record of their grant says John Bacon – was Rave the builder / engineer? Rave was a Cambridge engineer who worked with Scott on the Ely octagon, possibly explaining why a bell dated 1691 and the spectacular font of 1693 were brought here from the cathedral, and also the remarkable roof. The font is no longer there and has presumably been removed for safekeeping. Repairs in 1968-70 by Mitchell, Mobbs & Taylor Architects, part funded by the ICBS.
The ecclesiastical parish was formed out of Littleport and Ely parishes. The church is said to have been built on a foundation of wooden piles to counteract the marshy ground. The site has little archaeological potential apart from the usual possibility in the fens of Prehistoric tools or other stray finds lost in the marshes given its proximity to a river crossing, and the Historic Environment Record (HER) should be consulted and contact made with the County Archaeologist if any development of the site is being considered.
Exterior Description
This is a simple cruciform building of brick and fint in the Early English style. A turret on the crossing with shingled spirelet with louvres at the base gives some vertical emphasis. Coped gables and kneelers, and plain cross finials. All corners with diagonal buttresses of two weatherings. The nave, transepts and chancel are under a single roof, gabled south porch. The porch doorway has a pointed arch, pointed door to south transept outer wall. The fenestration is of paired lancets to the nave walls, quatrefoils to the transept ends, pointed lancet windows to the apse with a 3-light to the east wall and 2-light to the west end.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century 5-bay nave
Chancel
19th century Polygonal chancel
Porch
19th century south west porch
Transept
19th century
Building Materials
Brick
19th century walls
Flint
19th century flint rubble facing
Ashlar
19th century ashlar dressings
Slate
19th century roof
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is quite austere, with whitewashed walls to the nave, a band of stenciling around the chancel apse windows and painted decoration to the roof. The dominant feature is the extraordinary roof structure, with tie-beams, king-posts, arch- and scissor-bracing instead of a chancel arch and other features as seen in the photograph above.
19th century plain wooden open-backed benches with lambda ends. The floors are of quarry tiles, mostly under red carpet. Pointed doorway in the north nave wall with hoodmoulds leads to a toilet. The north transept houses the organ, behind this is the vestry. The south transept has a coffee and creche area behind a curtain, with an old wooden plough and a tall wooden case in the corner housing the mechanism of a two-train Birdcage clock.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century oak altar table
Pulpit
19th century oak hexagonal on legs, with lancet panels
Lectern
19th century wooden reading desk
Stained Glass (window)
19th / 20th century In the east window the Crucifixion given 1866 by Heaton Butler & Bayne, and a characteristic design of Robert Turnill Bayne. Single very faded figures in the two flanking lancets. West window has Blessed Virgin Mary with Christ Child and St Elizabeth with young Mary, by Powells of Whitefriars, London, 1926.
Organ (component)
19th century a 2-manual organ by J Walker & Sons of 1870
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers of births and marriages dating from 1873.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TL 596 824
Burial and War Grave Information
The church/building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
The churchyard is closed for burial by order in council.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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