The Church of St Peter & St Paul

Church Services

SERVICES FOR JULY

Sunday 6th 7th Sunday after Trinity
10.30 am Holy Communion with Hymns

Sunday 13th 8th Sunday After Trinity
10.30 am Family Service

Sunday 20th 9th Sunday after Trinity
10.30 am Holy Communion with Hymns

Sunday 27th 10th Sunday after Trinity
10.30am Morning Service and Baptism

NB: Large print copies of Service Sheets now available

Activities

ACTIVITIES

Fitness and Fun for the Over-Fifties

Thursday Morning at 10.00 am

Great Casterton Church Hall - All welcome

THANK YOU

To all those that supported are assisted with the Garden Fete on Saturday 5th July.

History of the Church

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Great Casterton, stands in what in Roman times was the protected zone between the ramparts and ditch on the north and east and the river on the south and west. Undoubtedly the church stands on the site formerly occupied by the Roman Temple, and on which later the church of the earliest day of Christianity in this land was built; this original church was probably a wooden structure, but of it no trace remains.

The wooden structure was replaced by a Saxon church consisting of a small Chancel and an archless Nave. Part of this Saxon Church can still be seen at the S.E. corner of the nave where the Saxon long and short architecture is very evident.

After the defeat of the Saxon army by William the Conqueror in 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, and the occupation of the country by the Normans, the Saxon style of architecture was replaced by that of the Normans throughout the country.

They set about building beautiful churches in stone. The Norman church consisted in a Nave, and two small, Aisles divided from the Nave by round, arched Arcades resting on massive round columns of stone with square bases. The Nave was low and roofed with a flat wooden roof. To the west rose a stately tower which opened into the Nave through a fine horseshoe arch. At the east end was a wall pierced with a low round arch leading into a small oblong Chancel, against the East end of which was the Altar. No bench or carved wood work relieves the sober severity of the whole. In winter terribly cold, even in summer terribly dark, the House of God was still more magnificent than any house of man, and could not fail to affect the worshipper with a sense of solemnity. Change came with the years. The tithes and Patronage of the Church were made over as a gift to a collegiate church.

Spiritually the change was a bad one for the Parish for it lost its resident priest. It was, however, good for the material structure of the church, for it was brought into close relationship with a comfortable corporation.

Soon the Chancel was found to be too small, and in its place arose in the 13th Century a spacious and lofty Chancel of early English type with lancet windows; while the round arch between the Nave and the Chancel was raised to a point. After a further century, other changes came: the Aisles were lighted with windows with decorated Tracery, and carried on their walls in rough distemper the story of the Incarnation. Above the Norman Arcade was added a Clerestory with decorated windows surmounted by an open roof of massive oak timbers. Across the Chancel arch was stretched a large wooden loft carrying life sized figures representing Our Lord on The Cross with St Mary and St John on either side. From the window in pictured glass looked down the Saints in rich variety, and the stories of The Scriptures.

Above the High Altar, hung in mid air, a lamp burned continuously. In the Aisles stood small altars and shrines devoted to particular saints. Thus stood the church at the close of the Middle Ages, uniting the solemnity of its Norman Nave to the grace of its decorated Aisles and Clerestory, and the noble beauty of its early pointed Chancel.

Soon the storms came, when the Chantry was seized by the King and the tithe given to a courtier. Its noble rood was pulled down. And its pictured glass broken to pieces. The tracery of its windows smashed down and whitewash covered its Frescoes.
Such was the picture of the whole country; and Great Casterton was no different.

Thus to this Saxon Church at the time of the conquest the Norman builders have added Aisles and Nave in the 12th century. Then a tower was built at the west end of the Nave and the Chancel extended to the east. In the 15th century a Clerestory (the upper story of a church or cathedral which was perforated by a range of windows which form the principle means of lighting) was attached to the Nave. The font which stands on a chamfered plinth may be of late 12th or early 13th century. In the 18th century the church was fitted with box pews of deal.

Considerable restoration work was carried out in the mid to late 20th century.