St. Peter's Church in Nottingham

A general view of St. Peter's church

When studying geology at Nottingham University, I passed St. Peter’s church in Nottingham city centre numerous times but, back then, I had no interest in the investigation of mediaeval churches; however, nearly 40 years later and with a particular interest in their construction history, I was fascinated by this church. 

A Google Earth view of Nottingham

During a planned long day out in Nottingham on the Saturday of the 2019 Easter Weekend, I had already spent more than 3 hours investigating the Lace Market and St. Mary’s church by the time I arrived back in the city centre. 

A plan of St. Peter's church that details its construction history

With Wollaton Park and other places in Nottingham still to explore, I only had the time to briefly look at the external fabric and take a set of general photographs. As I discovered later, when investigating its interior, there is a very informative display produced back in 1999 by the architect, D.A. Marshall, that records the construction history of the church in detail – with detailed plans and isometric drawings. 

Isometric drawings of St. Peter's church

As a professional interested in standing buildings archaeology, I think that this is one of the best resources that I have seen to help a visitor appreciate the construction history of the church. Although financial resources might be an obstacle, I think that this could be incorporated into a new guide to the church. The Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project website is an excellent resource, which I think sets an example that should be followed everywhere, but the current printed information leaflet is extremely basic and says very little about the building. 

A geological map showing sources of sandstone used in Nottingham

Like St. Mary’s church, St. Peter’s church was also originally constructed in one or more of the poor quality building stones that have been quarried in Nottingham and the surrounding area - from the Helsby Sandstone and Tarporley Siltstone formations – and it has been restored in several different types of stone. 

The south elevation of the tower

Starting at the tower, dating back to 1340, there is still plenty of the original yellow cross-bedded sandstone in the fabric, although much has been restored over the years with what appears to be medium grained sandstone from the Upper Carboniferous Millstone Grit – probably from the Ashover Grit between Bakewell and Matlock, judging by its colour – although stone from Mansfield has been recorded as being used in 1825. 

A general view of the north aisle

The north elevation, built after the Black Death of 1348, exhibits several phases of repair with bricks, replacement of individual stones and renewal of large sections of masonry, with various sandstones – including mottled buff/red medium grained gritstone from Birchover for the west end of the north aisle and the entire castellated parapet. 

Various repairs to the west end of the north aisle

The westernmost two bays of the north aisle still contain much of the original Triassic sandstone, but this stone is obviously of very poor quality, however, the facing stones of three eastern bays were completely renewed in 1944 and 1946.

A view of St. Peter's church from the north-east

At the east end, the north transept and chancel were rebuilt in 1877 and the St. James’s room was added in 1936, but I only took a few general photos at a distance, due to the limited time I had, and didn’t examine the stone closely. 

The south wall of the chancel

Looking at the east elevation of the chancel, the plinth and possibly the window is built in Jurassic limestone, with the varied yellow/pink colour and advanced state of weathering to the walling suggesting that this may also be Triassic sandstone, but this needs further investigation, as does the south elevation, which contains a similar mixture of stones 

A general view of the south elevation

A quick look at the south aisle, originally early C13, reveals another variety of stone used, this time the castellated and refacing of the walls with Jurassic limestone from Clipsham in 1929, which replaced previous restorations of 1765 and 1799, which used Castle Donington and Melbourne stones respectively. 

The south aisle

One day, I will return to have a much closer look at the building stones used over the years at St. Peter’s church, and I think it would make an interesting case study for the selection of stone used in restoration and I would certainly include it as a key site on a geology field trip to Nottingham.

A detail of Triassic sandstone at the door of the tower

St. Mary's Church - The Interior

A view to the east along the nave

My exploration of the architecture and building stones of Nottingham coincided with the Easter weekend and when visiting St. Mary’s church, extensive preparations were being made for the Easter Sunday service. 

A view west along the nave

With temporary seating seeming to fill every available space, it wasn’t easy to explore certain parts of the church without getting in the way and, to properly see the features in the interior, I will have to come back another day with my camera tripod; however, I found several points of interest that relate to the Language of Stone. 

Various grotesques

Entering by the west door, the tall columns and arcades either side of the nave at first sight look quite featureless but, once you get accustomed to the light, a wide variety of grotesques can be seen on both sides of the arcade; however, being so high up and not highlighted by artificial lighting it is quite hard to see their details. 

A detail of the stone floor in the nave

The nave is mainly notable for its heated stone floor, designed by the artist Tess Jay and installed in 2012, which is based on a chevron pattern with alternating Jurassic Ancaster Weatherbed limestone and Triassic Cove Red sandstone. 

The effigy of Robert English in the north aisle

Along the north aisle, there are various wall memorials from the C18 and C19, made of various marbles, but the most interesting monument is the highly mutilated alabaster effigy of Robert English, d.1484, who was once the Mayor of Nottingham. 

The monument to Thomas Thurland

In the north transept, another former Mayor of Nottingham – Thomas Thurland who died in 1474 – is commemorated by a large canopy with an ornate ogee arch, below which there are remnants of other monuments that have been salvaged from elsewhere in the church. 

A view from the chancel to the vaulted crossing tower

The Perpendicular Gothic style of architecture is clearly evident throughout the church with tall columns and arches that have minimal embellishment, and a vaulted ceiling in the tower crossing, which was rebuilt in the C19 by Moffatt and Scott, but it was the decorative stone that most interested me. 

Decorative stone in the floor of the chancel

Moving into the chancel and sanctuary, their floors were laid in the 1920’s with squares of Campan Vert from the French Pyrenees, Derbyshire fossil marble – which is packed with crinoids – and what may possibly be the Italian Botticino Classico. 

A fragment of C15 alabaster in the Lady Chapel

In the Lady Chapel, various stones are used in modern wall memorials and, although covered in a perspex sheet and very difficult to photograph, there is a fragment of an alabaster tablet, depicting Thomas Beckett in exile, which is thought to be from the C15.

The alabaster effigy in the Samon tomb

In the adjoining south transept, that is another example of another canopy with an ogee arch, this time the Samon tomb, where three generations of the Samon family are buried, including John Samon, yet another former Mayor of Nottingham, who is represented by an alabaster effigy. 

The Perpendicular Gothic style font

At the west end, the C15 octagonal font has traceried panels of a similar style to the Perpendicular windows seen elsewhere and I ended my quick tour of the interior by leaving through the south door, where the porch is thought to be the oldest surviving part of the church.

The roof of the south porch

St. Mary's Church in Nottingham

A general view of St. Mary's church from the south-west

Approaching St Mary’s church from the west along High Pavement, the wholly Perpendicular Gothic style of the building is very striking – with its strong emphasis on vertical lines. A church was mentioned in Domesday Book and the building of this, the current third church on the site, was commenced c.1390 and finished c.1475. 

The west front

Entering the south-west entrance to the churchyard, it soon becomes clear that very much of the masonry to the south aisle and the clerestory has been extensively replaced – by William Stretton in 1814 - with the entire west front being rebuilt from 1840-1845 by William Moffatt and George Gilbert Scott to renew an earlier facade that had a very unpopular Classical Doric style. 

Stonework on the south side of the nave

The stone used for these restorations are in uniformly buff coloured Millstone Grit from Derbyshire, probably from the Ashover Grit between Bakewell and Matlock, and in the north elevation the stone used for later additions looks slightly reddened, when seen from a distance. 

Masonry to the north wall of the C15 vestry

With a full day of exploration ahead of me, I didn’t have time to examine any of the stones closely and they deserve a much fuller investigation in the near future, but the stone used in the unrestored parts of the mediaeval structure is clearly different to the Derbyshire Gritstone. 

Masonry to the east window

Although the mullions and tracery to the windows, the dressings and mouldings have largely been restored, much of the plain walling constitutes yellow/pink cross bedded Triassic sandstone that is believed to have been quarried from nearby Sneinton or Gedling, where sandstone occurs in the Tarporley Siltstone Formation. 

Masonry to the west wall of the south transept

This cross-bedded sandstone contains clasts or fine layers of mudstone that are weathered and, while extensively used in mediaeval churches in the parts of Nottinghamshire where it is found, it is not very durable and very many blocks of stone in the walls have lost their arrises and corners. 

A general view of the tower

The original masonry is most extensive in the tower but, zooming in with a telephoto lens, it can be seen that this has also been quite extensively replaced quite recently, this time using mottled yellow/red Triassic sandstones from Staffordshire, such as Hollington stone, that are a much better geological match than those used in the Victorian restorations. 

A grotesque and restoration using sandstone from Staffordshire

The entry on the very useful Southwell & Nottingham Church History website refers to some mullions of the Lady Chapel being partly replaced with Bulwell stone and another source refer to Brackenhill stone also being used for repairs. 

Restored (left) and original (right) masonry

Knowing both of these from time spent in Nottingham and working on All Saints church in Pontefract, I have to say that I didn’t notice these when making a basic photographic record of the exterior of St. Mary’s church. 

Extensively restored masonry to the south aisle

I finished my brief survey of its stonework at the south porch, which is considered to be the oldest remaining masonry in the church and where the intricate stone carving in the Triassic sandstone has lost much of its detail. I didn’t look at the stone used during its most recent phase of restoration but, perhaps in the near future, the church architect will need to take advice from the Geological Detective?

Highly weathered Triassic sandstone to the south porch

Building Stones in Nottingham

Ancaster limestone at Wollaton Hall

When studying geology at the University of Nottingham, in the holidays I continued to work for the small general contractor that had employed me after I left school - and I developed a great interest in the geology of construction materials, which resulted in the Triton Stone Library

The Triton Stone Library

Arriving for my day out in Nottingham by train and walking through the Broadmarsh Centre to the city centre, I started by walking up Low Pavement and soon encountered Enfield Chambers (1910), which immediately reminded me of the Bath stone that I had encountered when working in the building restoration industry in London. 

Enfield Chambers on Low Pavement

Having lived in Lincoln twice and surveyed very many historic buildings built from the Middle Jurassic Lincolnshire Limestone Formation in the county – including varieties from Lincoln, Ancaster and Clipsham – my experience has been that this stone generally weathers to a grey colour, whereas the equivalent formations from Northampton to the Dorset coast obtain a much darker honey coloured patina.

A general view of the Justice Museum

On High Pavement, the old County Court (1769), now the Justice Museum – caught my eye for both the giant columns of Red Mansfield and the highly weathered yellow sandstone, which I had not seen before.

A Red Mansfield stone column at the Justice Museum

The Red Mansfield stone, long since unobtainable, is dolomitic sandstone from the Upper Permian Cadeby Formation that, along with the White Mansfield stone, is the only building stone from Nottinghamshire that developed a national reputation and I often encountered this stone in Victorian buildings in London.

Sandstone at the churches of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Peter

From subsequent research, I have subsequently discovered that the yellow sandstone was brought from Castle Donington along the River Trent but don’t know if the stone was quarried from the Helsby Sandstone Formation or overlying Tarporley Siltstone Formation. Both were widely exploited for building mediaeval churches etc. in south-west and central Nottinghamshire; however, they are both poorly cemented and have not proved to be very durable. 

The patina on the Ancaster stone at Wollaton Hall

Similar sandstones were subsequently encountered at the churches of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Peter, which I will describe later, and then taking the bus to Wollaton Park encountered extensive use of Ancaster limestone at Wollaton Hall, which to my surprise had developed a similar deep honey coloured patina in sheltered locations and made me think again about the stone used at Enfield Chambers. 

Triassic sandstone in a boundary wall

Walking back through Wollaton Park to its east entrance, I encountered stone walling adjacent to the underpass, which I think is another example of the Triassic sandstone that I had seen in the Lace Market and the mediaeval churches earlier in the day, and then had a quick look at Lenton Lodge, the former gatehouse to Wollaton Park, which is built out of White Mansfield stone. 

Lenton Lodge

I spent 3 months sawing this dolomitic sandstone in the Gregory's Quarry and its colour and very frequent fine bands of green clay make it quite distinctive – especially when the clay is differentially weathered to leave a texture that reminds me of old crinkled leather. 

A detail of White Mansfield stone at Lenton Lodge

Arriving back in Nottingham on the bus, I got off at Canning Circus to quickly look at the general cemetery, where I saw memorials composed of various granites and then headed down towards The Park and Nottingham Castle. On the way, I encountered an example of boundary walling built of Bulwell stone, which is used ubiquitously in Nottingham for general walling. 

Granites at Nottingham General Cemetery

Like the Red and White Mansfield stone, this dolomitic limestone is a very sandy variety of the Cadeby Formation and it is very distinctive by being essentially composed of rhombs of the mineral dolomite, which can be easily distinguished with a hand lens, and here it contains vughs and various concretions.

A boundary wall made of Bulwell stone

A Day Out in Nottingham

The Robin Hood statue on Castle Road

In my investigations of geological sites, mediaeval churches and historic stone buildings to date, on a very limited budget, I have mainly relied on public transport with a limited use travel pass and my trips with the Sheffield U3A Geology Group – with the vast majority of the places that I have visited being freely accessible. 

A map of Nottingham

Occasionally, however, I have treated myself to a day out to places much further afield or those that I thought were really worth visiting – such as the Tower of London, Rochester Castle, Selby Abbey and Haddon Hall – and included in this category is a very long day out to Nottingham over the 2019 Easter Bank Holiday. 

A view along High Pavement in the Lace Market

After taking a year out after school, to work for a small general building contractor, I studied geology, with subsidiary chemistry and zoology, at the University of Nottingham but we were never shown any of the local geology – nor did I explore the city beyond its pubs! 

St. Mary's church

Graduating with an average 2:II degree, apart from topping the class in Industrial and Environmental Geology, my geological map of the Borrowdale Volcanics being highly commended by Janet Watson - and my interest in microscopy, which led to my unique Glowing Edges Designs – I can’t say that I studied as hard as I should have, but those topics that interested me certainly influenced my subsequent career. 

St. Peter's church

As a Cadet Valuer with the District Valuer/Valuation Office, a contract manager in the building restoration industry, a co-owner of Triton Building Restoration Ltd, a “stone matching” expert and a specialist in Geoconservation/Geoheritage – as well as my photography - my passion for rocks in its many forms is an underlying theme. 

A distant view of Wollaton Hall

I only knew the Bunter Sandstone seen around Nottingham Castle and The Park and the ubiquitous Linby stone used for boundary walls and so I made a great effort to see as much as I could in one day. 

A display of fossils in Wollaton Hall

Continuing with my investigation of mediaeval churches, after buying a new pair of walking boots, I went to have a good look at the Lace Market and St. Mary’s church where I encountered a wide variety of building stones – some of which I hadn’t seen before. I then explored St. Peter’s church, before catching the bus to Wollaton Hall and Park, where I was interested in both the architecture and the museum’s geology collection. 

An exposure of Triassic sandstone on Newcastle Terrace in The Park

Returning to Nottingham on the bus, I got off at Canning Circus to have a quick look at the general cemetery before exploring The Ropewalk and parts of The Park, where I encountered various exposures of the Triassic Nottingham Castle Sandstone Formation and the famous Robin Hood statue, before ending my day with a few beers at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem