Church Buildings/History
St. James, Birstall
Birstall church has a long history.
The present building dates from the Early English period but it is probable that a church has stood on the site since Saxon days. Relics of a Saxon window were found during major restoration works in 1869. These have been carefully preserved and can be seen in the north wall of the chancel in the older part of the building.
The WestTower is built of ironstone and dates from the thirteenth century. It contains a peal of eight bells. At one time the tower was surmounted by a steeple but this was so badly damaged by lightning in 1823 that it was removed.
The Chancel in the old part of the building dates from the thirteenth century but has undergone many restorations. The shape of the windows in the chancel, suggest that they may be pre C13th. In 1869 restoration works under the direction of Sir Charles Gilbert Scott were carried out. These works involved the remodeling of the sanctuary and chancel together with an extension to the nave. The sanctuary still contains an ancient piscina on the south wall and an aumbry cupboard without door on its north wall. A piece of ancient Saxon stonework depicting an heraldic beast, which was formerly in the north east jamb of the arch leading to the sanctuary, was placed in the south wall of the nave following the major extensions to the church in 1962. The circularfont, thought by many to be pre-Norman which formerly stood near the entrance to the church has now been moved to the west side of the modern nave. It has a fine modern cover. There is also a striking modern window. Both these were given in memory of former parishioners.
The C19th stained glass showing St James, the patron saint of the church, in the north and south sides of the sanctuary in the old part of the church is of particular interest as is the small window in the tower. There are also two attractive windows, one in the south wall of the chancel , the other in the Howard Room, by Theodora Salusbury. Her signature is the peacock which appears in each window. She has work in several Leicestershire churches.
Until the end of the nineteenth century Birstall was just a small village on the outskirts of Leicester and the parish was under the supervision of the Vicar of Belgrave. However with the coming of the railway in the 1890’s and the development of bus services at the end of the First World War it became a popular commuter village and there was a big expansion of house building on both sides of the A6. In 1926 Birstall became an ecclesiastical parish in its own right.
The development of Birstall after 1918 meant that the church building was not large enough to serve the growing population. By 1937 the population of Birstall had grown to 6,000 and there was a consequent rise in church attendance. In order to accommodate the increased numbers an appeal was launched for £12,500 to finance an extension to the church. It was proposed to build a new nave and chancel in the Gothic style so that both the new and old parts of the blinding would blend together. However, the outbreak of the Second World War brought a halt to these plans.
In the 1950's.when it was possible to start thinking about church extensions again, the cost of building in stone in the Gothic style was considered to be too expensive. An extension using modern materials was designed by Mr. S Penn Smith with a new nave running from north to south at right angles to the original church building. The extension was completed in 1963 at a cost of £45,000 and as a result seating in the church was increased from 170 to 500. The new nave and vestries are linked to the old church and the result forms what many consider, a pleasant blend of the old and new in church architecture.In 2007 the latest stage of architectural development took place, with the installation of a glass screen between the old and new church, and the re-working of the entrance porch – to create a new community area (alongside the chancel and bell-tower) in the old Church.
There are several interesting monuments in the old church. In the chancel of the old church there are fine memorials to John Mansfield and to Sarah, his first wife, dating from the early C19th. John Mansfield was a great benefactor of the village. He lived at Birstall Hall for 38 years, was Mayor of Leicester and MP for Leicester.
There is also a memorial to Richard Stephens, a C19th vicar, to whom the East window is dedicated and several slate memorials to members of the While Family set into the chancel floor. In the nave of the old church there are also interesting memorials and brasses.
Our Lady & St. Nicholas, Wanlip
The village of Wanlip lies just to the west of the River Soar and King Lear’s Lake at Watermead Park. It was once an isolated settlement, and its old English name ‘anliepe’ means isolated. The Parish Church of Our Lady & St Nicholas lies in the centre of the small village and is a fine late 14th century church.
The church was built in 1393, and it contains a famous relic, the Wanlip brass, which commemorates the building of the church by Sir Thomas and Lady Katherine Walsh. Following the marriage of Roger Walsh to Maud, daughter of Henry of Wanlip, circa 1230, until the death of Thomas Walsh in 1893, eight generations of the Walsh family lived at Wanlip. The brass contains the inscription,
“Here lyes Thomas Walsch knyght lorde of Anlep and dame Kat’ine his wife whiche in yer (their) tyme made the kirke of Anlep and halud the kirkyerd first in wirchip of god and of oure lady and seynt Nicholas that god have yer soules and mercy… 1393.”
Located amongst the gravestones in the church yard is an impressive headstone in the ‘Egyptian style’ and erected in memory of Rasselas Morjan. He was a former African slave, born in Abyssinia and employed by the local Palmer family (successors to the Walshes, as patrons of the Church) of Wanlip Hall. It is not known how he came to be in service at the Hall, but it is known that the Palmers were friends with the Babbingtons of Rothley, who were much involved in the anti-slavery campaign in the 19th century. It is not recorded when Rasselas Morjan was rescued from slavery or whether it was one of the Babbingtons who had helped secure his freedom, but it is thought that this may have occurred around 1835/6, when Morjan was in his early teens. The Babbingtons may have asked their friends, the Palmers, to provide a home for Morjan. This is what happened, and some years later he was baptized in the church. But sadly his life was short lived, and he died following an illness in 1839, aged only 19. The famous gravestone contains the inscription,
“Sacred to the memory of Rasselas Morjan, who was born at Macadi on the confines of Abyssinia and died at Wanlip Hall August 25th 1839 in the 19th year of his age. Rescued from a state of slavery in this life and enabled by God’s grace to become a member of his Church He rests here in the hope of a greater deliverance hereafter. This stone is raised in remembrance of his blameless life by one whom he loved.”
Wanlip Church was refurbished in 1904 and 1993, but still retains a unique architectural and spiritual heritage