This page contains information and photographs which we hope you will find of special interest. So you will find things about the amazing wooden carving done by the Rev. Thorold from his barns in the Rectory next door and those other bits and pieces that we didn’t quite know where to put for you! We hope you have fun exploring the treasures that we are delighted to share with you here.
Church Clock Mechanism. Very few people have ever seen this! It’s high up in the clock and bell tower! Originally wound every day, unfortunately the clock has now fallen into disrepair … we’ve had an estimate of £24,000 to restore it and get the clock chiming again.Eagle Bible Rest. Many churches have one of these …. we think that ours was brass plated. Over the years it’s dulled somewhat, and the brass cleaner now defines his feathers!Pewter Baptismal Bowl. Dating from 1819, before the Victorian church of St. Peter’s was even built, this amazing solid pewter bowl was used for every baby baptised in the church. Zoom in and read the writing …. Mystery Bronze Dove. Can you guess what this might be for? We bet you can’t! It’s really heavy and it’s the original weight that was used to wind the wooden shutters of the font up and down. We don’t think that there’s another one like it anywhere in the world! The 10 Commandments. Have you ever seen one of these before? We don’t think that you will have! The Rev. Thorold had it specially made for St. Peter’s. It’s on the left wall of the Chancel next to the alter and surrounded in a unique carved wooden panel. And yes, the shiny letters are real gold leaf! Can you zoom in and read anything?WWII Active Service Plaque. This is a list of all those people on active service from the parish in World War II. Norman Weston made it safely home and lived a long and happy life before passing away peacefully. He now lays at rest in the churchyard. The Marriott’s lived in the village pub, which has been a private home since 1956 when the Buckminster Estate was forced to sell off a number of local properties to pay substantial death duties. In Memory of Walter Farley. Walter grew up in Stainby and became an Able Seaman in WWII. He died in 1942 aged only 22. It’s just not cricket! As most of the male choir were in the cricket team, this unique ‘cricket score’ hymn number panel was made specially for the church. Sadly it needs restoration to be able to use it again.Victorian Candelarbra. Handmade by a local blacksmith – the same man who made the alter rail, we have 2 of these ‘unique to Stainby’ candelabras. Holding 5 candles each, they stand North and South of the East facing Alter Table. The candles should stand upright but the current Church Warden (that’s me!), bought the wrong sized candles!Base of Victorian Candelabra. Beautiful detailing and colour, made by the local blacksmith. 1 of a pair and shows the restoration that is required to bring them back to their original magnificence. These stand on either side of the Alter Table and you can also see some of the detail of the original Victorian floor tiles. They will need careful cleaning and restoration to bring them back to their former glory.Thorold Memorial Plaque. Dated 1892, the Rev. Thorold who did all of the wooden carving in the church dedicated this to the memory of his parents. Can you zoom in and read their names?Close up of Alter Candle. This shows the detail, and the restoration required, on the front plaque of one of the alter candles, of which we have two. The design is significant and is replicated on the embroidery of the pulpit cloth. What do you think makes the design significant?View through the Rood Screen. There is so much in this image! The beautiful carving of the Rood Screen itself, the Church Wardens’ two Staffs in the foreground, the bronze Bible Eagle, the East Window stained glass above the alter and the embroidered cross-keys of the white Pulpit Cloth. Victorian Oil Lamp. We have 2 of these. They hang as a pair in the Chancel and probably haven’t been lit for more than 20 years. Unlike all of the other lights in the church they haven’t been ‘modernised’ and converted to electricity, and so they remain as they were when they were first made, probably in the 1840’s.Wrought Iron Alter Rail. More of the local blacksmith’s work, this Alter Rail stretches across the full width of the Chancel and has the usual gate to gain access to the Alter itself.South Side Chancellry Door. St. Peter’s has 3 heavy oak doors of differing sizes. This small oak door was the one that the Rev. Thorold would have used to enter the church from the Rectory.Victorian Floor Tiles. These are directly in front of the Alter and show the centuries of wear on the step as well as the way that the floor tiles have shifted slightly over the years.South Side Fresco next to the Alter South Side Fresco by Alter showing the exquisite beauty and detail of it.North Side painted Fresco showing damage.Painted Pulpit FrescoPainted Pulpit FrescoThe embroidered pulpit cloth showing the cross-keys representative of the enormous brass front door key. Decorated for Christmas.
