| The casual visitor, having seen the fine fifteenth century tower
from the coast road and deciding to investigate, may be surprised at the simplicity of the
interior of Holme Church as shown in the picture below. |
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Early History
The first mention of a church in Holme is in 1188 but nothing is known of
this building and it was not until the first half of the fifteenth century that the story
of the present church began. Henry Notingham, who was a Judge of Assize in the reign
of Henry IV (1399-1413) and a member of the council of the Duchy of Lancaster, was
responsible for the building of the tower and the original chancel of a church which had a
north and a south aisle and a longer nave than the present one.
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Reconstruction in 1888
It seems that over the centuries, the cost of maintaining
such a large building was more than the parish could bear and it evidently
fell into disrepair. At a Vestry meeting on the 8th September
1887, it was decided to demolish the remains of
the nave and the whole of the north and south aisles and build a smaller church.In
the following year the nave, without aisles, was rebuilt and the chancel extensively
repaired using materials from the walls and windows of the old north and south
aisles. The east window was constructed at this time. |
The Victorian font which is used today
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There are three fronts in the church.
The Font on the left is of Bath Stone on pillars of Irish and Devon marble.
It was given by Mrs. Holley in memory of her husband, the Rev. John Holley in 1885.
Two older fonts below can be seen in the Inner Porch.
This old primitive stone font is supported on a drainage stone.
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A tall and elegant font with marble basin and
stone pedestal stands at the entrance to the Nave. It was in use until 1885. |
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The church has many striking memorials. In one of the
blocked-up windows in the South wall of the chancel, there is a memorial to
Richard Stone and his wife and 13 children seen on the left. The inscription is
dated 1607. The beautiful organ below was bequeathed by Thomas Nelson of Holme
House. It occupies a large part of the north side of the Chancel.
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The Notingham Brass to Henry Notingham and his wife was moved from their tomb when
the south aisle was demolished. The date and make of the brass is unknown, but
thought to be London made and earlier than the many Norwich made brasses found in Norfolk.
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High up in the Tower, which is still the original built by Henry
Notingham in the early 15th century, hang five bells.
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The first bell was made in 1677, second
in 1754, third in 1720, fourth in 1740 and the fifth in 1868.
Individual weights range from 2 cwt to 7¾ cwt with the Tenor
in Ab. The bells are rung regularly for Church
Services and the ringers meet for practice every Tuesday between 2
and 4 p.m. See
Ringing the Changes. For reasons of safety the Tower is
kept locked when not in use.
The 15th century steps, which unusually rise anti-clockwise, can be
seen climbing up within the Tower in the photograph on the left.
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| In the churchyard there are many graves of members of the Nelson
family, who lived at Holme House. The Holme branch of the family was descended from
the elder son of Edmund Nelson of Wendling, Norfolk, whilst the Admiral was descended from
his younger son. There is an interesting, although distant, connection
between the Nelson family and that of Napoleon Bonaparte. The mother of Mrs. Matthew
Nelson (who designed the only stained glass in the church in memory of her husband) was
Ann Jane de Clerc, a niece of General de Clerc, the first husband of Pauline Bonaparte,
Napoleon's sister. As an obituary notice in "The Queen" of 15th January
1887 put it, "thereby were united the families of the two greatest naval and military
commanders the world has ever seen."
A full account of the history of the Church, with details of the manors of Holme
and of past rectors and vicars may be seen inside the Church. We hope one day you
will visit our church.
Please also visit Michael Ryder's www.holmenextsea.co.uk and learn more of
our village
Footnote: Of lesser importance - Frederick Green, a
churchwarden in 1887 and involved in the decision to re-build the church in its present
form is an ancestor of Pat Fisher, creator of these web pages. He and other members
of the Green family are buried in Holme churchyard under the holly tree. |
Sources: Church Tours Committee 1984 and Mrs. Pam Ullyet of
Holme
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