Weight: 142 lbs Diameter: 23" Bell 1 of 2
Founded by John Taylor & Co 1890
Dove Bell ID: 50098 Tower ID: 25109 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Reading: St Bartholomew
Diocese of Oxford
Church, 627448
http://www.redlandsparish.org.ukOverview
Grid reference: SU 735 733
The current building of St Bartholomew Reading began as a square nave, which was consecrated in 1879. We do not have a record of the architect. The Chancel was consecrated in 1905 and was designed under the guidance of Bodley, with some later work being advised by Comper. The nave was built without pews, with choir pews fitted to the side of the chancel. Until the late 1970s the Church was well-known regionally for its use of the Sarum rite in its ceremonial. The Chancel is particularly beautiful, with red silks hanging around a large high altar.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
5-bay aisled nave and 3-bay chancel and north chapel, north-west porch, smaller south porch, south east projecting chapel.
Dimensions:
Nave 21.5m (65ft) by 8m (25ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 709 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was built as a daughter church of St Peter’s, the construction beginning with the nave in 1879, designed by Alfred Waterhouse. The chapels and chancel were completed to designs by G E Bodley in 1902-5, with subsequent internal elaboration and a north-west porch added in 1920 as a War Memorial by Sir Ninian Comper. The interior was renovated and partly reordered in the mid 1970’s.
Exterior Description
This is quite a large and impressive Victorian town church. It is difficult to appreciate the church from the outside, one has to stand on the other side of London Road for the best view from the north-west.
The west front has a tall narrow gable with a twin belcote giving some vertical emphasis. The brickwork is decorated with banding and inset crosses. Focus is provided by the tall stepped triple-lancet west window within a pointed recess, set above a pointed west doorway. The west aisle windows are pairs of simple pointed lancets. There are good lead rainwater goods and hoppers throughout.
The 1920 north porch is a two-storey building in a Tudor style with an elaborate west front. This consists of a four-centred doorway with continuous mouldings rising to an ogee finial, above which is a niche with a stone statue of St Bartholomew flanked by shields with symbols of SS Peter and Bartholomew (keys, knives). Two north windows are 3-lights with rounded heads within square-headed frames.
The aisle and clearstorey windows are also lancets, set in alternate groups of two and three in the aisle bays and paired in the clearstorey. The western two bays of the north aisle are taken up by the porch.
The simplicity and conservatism of the “lancet” nave contrasts starkly with Bodley’s chancel and chapels, which are in an early Perpendicular style. They are also in red brick contrasting with the more orange brick of the older part of the church, and lacks banding and other decorative features.
The east façade of the chancel has an impressive, large 5-light window with Perpendicular tracery and stained glass. There are twin angle buttresses terminating in gablets, and a further such buttress under the window. There is a small slit window high in the gable.
The north chapel has a similar but smaller three-light east window. It protrudes above the aisle at the west end, with two square headed windows, the smaller of which is high in the gable. The north wall is pierced by four lancets, with gabletted buttresses between and angle buttresses of the same type.
The south chapel is a three-bay low block with a flat roof which protrudes beyond the chancel to the east, the walls pierced by 3 two-lights with cusped tracery in square-headed frames with labels over. A small doorway with a pointed head gives access, with a hood-mould over. There is a small south porch, again a square plain block with flat roof, adjacent.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
The chancel east window was designed by Bodley, and has the Virgin and child flanked by SS Edward the Confessor, Bartholomew, John the Divine, and by Archbishop Laud, who also appears in another window, denoting his connection with his birthplace Reading.
Stained Glass
The east window of the north chapel was designed by Comper and donated by the Rev P N Haines in memory of his mother Agnes Catherine; Christ in Glory flanked by SS Agnes and Catherine.
Stained Glass
There are more saints in the aisle windows; Birinus, Aidan and Bertha at the west end in the aisle windows, Edward the Confessor and Archbishop Laud again in the south aisle.
Stained Glass
There is a War Memorial window adjacent to the north porch in the north aisle, to “James Bemjamin Butler MC ASC, who gave his life in his country’s service at sea January 8th 1916”.
Stained Glass
Window commemorating the death of Queen Victoria, with the widows SS Edith and Margaret.
Stained Glass
The large west lancets have good quality yellow glass roundels; clear glass roundels elsewhere.
Building Materials
Brick
Orange brick with grey bands, red brick at the east end
Limestone
Dressings
Clay
Roof tiles
Interior
Interior Description
The wide and just pointed aisle arcades are double chamfered, carried on round polished granite piers with Perpendicular moulded octagonal capitals and bases. The chancel and chapel arches are all in the same style. The archway to the south chapel has been glazed in.
The nave and aisle walls are whitewashed throughout, masking the polychromy of the brickwork. The aisle and clearstorey windows are set within wide depressed recesses. The nave has been re-ordered with catalogue chairs facing towards a nave altar. The organ console sits rather disconsolately in the middle of the nave behind the altar.
Looking east the view is dominated by a large dark oak panelled chancel screen and rood loft with impressive carved rood (by a Herr Zwink of Oberammergau) across the width of the church and of one piece with carved screens between the chancel and side chapels. These were designed by Bodley and made by F R Newbury in 1907. There is a draught lobby in the same style inside the south door.
Beyond the 3-bay screen one can glimpse the chancel, which has an elaborately and freshly painted, slightly pointed barrel-vault ceiling (also in the north chapel), catching the light from the fine east window and preventing the chancel being excessively darkened by the dark oak of the rood loft and furnishings, indeed the contrast is very effective and doubtless intended.
The chancel floor is of black and white tiles in a chequerboard pattern (also found in the north chapel), with the names of parishioners set into some of the tiles in front of the sanctuary steps. Only one set of stalls is still in situ, the others replaced by red upholstered chairs.
The sanctuary is very high Church, with an embroidered dossal curtain and flanking screens with riddel posts, fine 17th century sanctuary lamps and large dark and gold paschal candlestick holders. The chancel is currently used by the Greek Orthodox community for worship.
The floors are of woodblock with some tiled strips laid in a chevron pattern and carpeting. The nave roof is of oak and of tie-beam construction, the members carved with quatrefoils and carried down to simple moulded corbels.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
1900
Oak table flanked by pairs of gilded angels on riddel posts. Oak table in north chapel.
Reredos
1900
Embroidered gold on red dossal curtain, flanking screens with riddel posts, gilded angels.
Pulpit
1900
Large pulpit of dark oak with tester and carved decoration
Lectern
Portable catalogue reading desk
Font (object)
Octagonal marble font, wooden lid with scrolled ironwork handle. Dedicated 1904.
Organ (object)
Two manual pipe organ.
Rail
1900
Low light wood panelled screen, perhaps post-War. Dark oak kneeling benches.
Bells
Weight: 210 lbs Diameter: 26" Bell 2 of 2
Founded by John Taylor & Co 1890
Dove Bell ID: 50099 Tower ID: 25109 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: SU 735 733
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
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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