Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell

Coordinates: 50°35′50″N 01°15′51″W / 50.59722°N 1.26417°W / 50.59722; -1.26417

Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell
Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
History
Dedication	St. Mary and St. Radegund
Administration
Parish	Whitwell, Isle of Wight
Diocese	Portsmouth
Province	Canterbury

The bell tower and location of the post office.

The Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund, Whitwell is a parish church in the Church of England located in Whitwell on the Isle of Wight.

History

The church is medieval.^[1]

The Church of St. Mary and St. Radegund in Whitwell is located on rising ground at the South end of the village and adjoins the rectory.

Various parts of the church date back to different centuries. Various portions of the church were constructed in the 12th, 13th 15th and 16th centuries. However, the church has some more modern parts as well.

The church consists of a nave which has a south aisle of three bays, a chancel with south aisle in alignment with the east wall, a western tower and a south porch. Looking at the church, it is evident that the original church did not have aisles, and had a narrow chancel, divided by an arch. A narrow south aisle was added in the 13th century which was later widened in the 16th century. When the church was originally formed, it was of two separate manorial chapels, each with a different dedication. The dividing wall was finally removed between the two in the 16th century, at around the same time the tower was added.^[2] The early chapel was dedicated to St. Radegund, and belonging to the parish of Gatcombe, the later chapel to St. Mary. The thirteenth-century south aisle with its chancel was added as a chapel-of-ease to Godshill. The south pillar of the chancel arch is made of a short column and a huge capital. The pulpit and the communion table in the south chancel are Jacobean.^[3] The church bell now at the west end of the middle aisle is sixteenth-century. The bells and clock were installed after the death of William Spindler who passed them on to the church, and is now buried in its graveyard. All the bells have the inscription "Cast by John Warner and Sons London 1889".^[2] In 2009 the bells underwent a refurbishment by Whitechapel Bell Foundry at a cost of more than £30,000. The refurbishment came along with the 120th anniversary of their installation in 1889. The refurbishment was commemorated in the well dressing celebrations that occur annually in the Summer.^[4]

On Monday 16 April 2007 Whitwell's post office re-opened inside the church's bell tower. Although other Post Offices have been relocated to new locations on the grounds of local church's, it is the first of its kind in the country to be located inside the church. The idea to locate the new post office inside the church came from the church's vicar, after no other suitable location was found.^[5] After the Post Office's relocation into the church proved a success, the island's Rural Community Council (RRC) have stated they would like to see the model applied elsewhere where village amenities are under threat.^[6] Although the post office was hoped to also boost attendance numbers at Sunday church services, this has not happened, and the average congregation size remains at only 23.^[7]

Organ

The pipe organ dates from 1860 by the builder Bevington, but has undergone renovation and extension by Harrison and Harrison in 1899. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Gallery

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  The interior of the Church.

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  The alter.

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  The font.

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  A statue of St. Mary.

References

1. ^ The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nikolaus Pevsner
2. ^ ^{a b} "Whitwell Bells - St Mary and St Rhadegund". www.noyes.org.uk. http://www.noyes.org.uk/iw/towers/whitwell.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
3. ^ "Ward Lock illustrated guide to the Isle of Wight - Ventnor". www.invectis.co.uk. 2007. http://www.invectis.co.uk/iow/wl_ventnor.html. Retrieved 2008-01-01. 
4. ^ "Thanks for well being". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/thanks-for-well-being-27978.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
5. ^ "Isle of Wight County Press - "Post Office where service is divine"". www.iwcp.co.uk. 2007. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/post-office-where-service-is-divine-15632.aspx. Retrieved 2008-04-17. 
6. ^ "Drive for more community shops". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/drive-for-more-community-shops-25525.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
7. ^ "Open church gets stamp of approval". Isle of Wight County Press. http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/wight-living/open-church-gets-stamp-of-approval-25380.aspx. Retrieved 2009-12-07.