The Church Building
A fine building that emulates Salisbury Cathedral. A place for daiy worship for the people of Grantham.
Space to pray, to rest in peace, and beauty to see. Come and look for yourself. Could you find the "hippopotamus" head or the angels' wings made of peacock feathers and what on earth is a snob hammer? Where could it be in such a fine building?
The Design
The soaring spire of 282 feet dominates the town of Grantham has been an integral part of the town since its start in 720AD.
The spire is the 6th highest in the country and was the first of the great spires to be built in England between 1280 and 1300. Take a look a look at a plan of the building.
Simon Jenkins in his recent book: England's 1000 Best Churches awards 5 stars to only 18 churches, one of which is St Wulfram's.
Some would say that it's spire is second only to Salisbury. That's an interesting comparison as the church's clergy were originally from Salisbury Cathedral.
Who Was St Wulfram?
The church is dedicated to St Wulfram, a 7th century missionary born in about 650 AD near Fontainebleau, south of Paris.
- He was the son of a Frankish soldier but instead of following in his father's footsteps, he took Holy Orders
- He was Archbishop of Sens in 693
- In 700 he became a missionary to the pagan Frisians in what is now northern Germany
- He died in 720 and was cannonized after numerous miracles had been attributed to him
- There is a large Abbey dedicated to him at Abeville in northern France St Wulfram's armbone - the only relic the church had - was incorporated in a special chamber in the North Porch
The Chapels
The church is built of Lincolnshire limestone, probably from around the Ancaster area. The church has four chapels in distinctive styles:
1. The Lady Chapel - 1350 with splendid window tracery, votive candle stand and place for personal prayer. It is also used for Said Evensong and the occasional mid-week service of Holy Communion.
2. Crypt Chapel - c1450 and restored in 1899, where the Reserved Sacrament is kept and where Morning Prayer is said daily at 8 30 am.
3. Corpus Christi Chapel - 1450 in a splendid perpendicular style where those who lost their lives in the War are commemorated. It is also used for a mid-week service of Holy Communion.
4. St Michael's Chapel - 1960 and is the smallest of the chapels with a modern stained glass window depicting St Michael fighting with the dragon.
The Font
A medieval font c1496 with an enormous, ornate, unmoveable Victorian cover. Sir Walter Tapper, RA, designed it and he must surely have been inspired by the church's spire! Inside the cover are three carvings depicting Edward the Confessor, St Hugh, and St Wulfram. The font is an important part of ministry offered to the people of Grantham, as we continue to baptise on average 50 children a year from this town.
The Windows
The church displays a fine variety of glass ranging from four modern windows, through Victorian stained glass, to curvilinear style next to perpendicular. Regrettably there is virtually no medieval glass, presumably because it was destroyed in the English Civil War or in the Reformation.
The Francis Trigge Chained Library
This is a great treasure of the church, established in 1598 when Rev'd Francis Trigge, Rector of Welbourn, donated his library. There are 356 separate items including a book printed in Naples in 1476. Over 80 volumes are still attached by chain to the shelves, preventing their loan or theft. See here for more information.
The Organ
One of the finest in Lincolnshire and was restored in 1993/4 when a fourth manual was fitted. There had been an organ in the church since 1640 but the original was destroyed in the Civil War. The present organ case was designed by Sir Walter Tapper, RA. The organ and the choir lead the congregation in some splendid music Sunday by Sunday during the Parish Communion service and Evensong as well as on special Festival occasions.
The New Porch
More information needed here ...
The Coffee Shop
There is so much of interest in this ancient building that is still used daily for worship that you will probably need time to put your feet up and let some of its beauty sink into your soul. The place to do this is in the Coffee Shop, situated in the North Porch, where you can get a lovely cup of fairly traded tea or coffee plus a selection of home made cakes.
The Coffee Shop is open between April and the end of September Wednesday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm
Other points of interest might include finding the fossils in the steps, locating the hippotamus' head (but how did the stonemason know what one looked like?), angels wings made of peacocks feathers, and where would you find a snob hammer?!)
A Millennium Walk Through St Wulfram's
The Church is open to welcome visitors throughout the year.
From April to September a team of stewards will be pleased to welcome you anytime between 10 30 am and 3 30 pm Monday to Saturday.
During the winter months the church is open:
Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9.00 am - 5.30 pm (closed between 12.30 pm and 2.00 pm); Tuesday and Saturday mornings from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm.
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