History & Heritage
St James the Great is a mid-Victorian rebuilding of a far older church. The building dates from 1880, but there has been worship on this hill for nearly nine hundred years.
A short history
St James the Great is a mid-Victorian adaptation of an Early English church. The building today only dates back to the nineteenth century, although it has been a place of worship for nearly nine hundred years.
Geoffrey de Clinton granted Leek Wootton church to the priory he had founded at Kenilworth in 1122, and the chapel of Milverton was considered part of the grant. From 1232 Milverton church belonged to the Canons Regular of St Augustine of Kenilworth, a connection that lasted three centuries until Kenilworth Abbey's days ended in April 1539.
Existing records began in 1742, and the names of the men, women and children who lived in the parish from that date are found in the register of baptisms, marriages and burials. At least one of the time-worn stones in the churchyard is of an earlier date. Before the start of the nineteenth century, the Headmaster of Warwick School became the perpetual curate of Milverton.
By the nineteenth century the building had become a cause of anxiety: the upper part of the tower had given way, replaced by a wooden structure, and a clumsy buttress propped up the north wall. Six hundred years of wind and weather had left their mark on the masonry. Restoration was carried out from 1878, funded by Lady Charles Bertie of Guy's Cliffe. Nothing was left of the old fabric except the foundations and the lower tower.
Designs for the rebuild were drawn up by John Gibson, an eminent architect who in his younger days had been associated with Sir Charles Barry. Rebuilding was carried out by G. F. Smith of Rugby Road, New Milverton, and completed in the summer of 1880, with a service for the re-opening of the church on 28 August 1880. The new church featured the unusual pyramidical roof of the tower and the arcading around the upper storey; the walls are of sandstone from a local quarry, the quoins and tracings of Hollington stone.
A glazed screen inside the south porch celebrated the Millennium, dedicated in April 2001. Its engraved scallop shell, St James' emblem, recalls the shells worn by medieval pilgrims to his shrine at Compostela in Spain. The first vicar to occupy the new vicarage was the Rev. Montague Mercer Pope MA (Oxon), who held the living for about thirty-five years. Since then we have had over thirty vicars.
The stained glass
The church holds a remarkable set of nine stained-glass windows, each telling a story from the Bible and each offered in memory of a family who worshipped here. They were made by some of the finest Victorian workshops in London: Burlison and Grylls, Powell and Sons, Barnard and Westlake, and Ward and Hughes.
At the top is a cinquefoil showing the Holy Ghost as a dove, surrounded by five angels. The left light shows St James the Great holding his staff; below, the calling of James and John. The central light shows Jesus the Good Shepherd, with the Transfiguration beneath, surrounded by Moses, Elias and Peter. The right light shows St John holding a chalice with a serpent, a golden eagle at his feet, and below it the martyrdom of St James.
By Messrs Burlison and Grylls of London, dedicated from Lady Bertie Percy in memory of Lord Charles Bertie Percy. A brass plaque remembers Croxton and Elizabeth Johnson, interred in the adjoining churchyard in May 1880.
By Messrs Powell and Sons. Faith carries a cross and shield; Hope holds an anchor. In loving remembrance of Algernon William Percy and Victoria Frederica Caroline Percy, with a plaque to Algernon Malcolm Arthur Percy (1851 to 1933).
By Messrs Barnard and Westlake of London, from Mrs Grubbins in memory of her husband Samuel. The inscription reads 'For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face'.
Luke the physician and John the disciple, by Ward and Hughes of London. The plaque remembers Henry Jephson MD of Beech Lawn, offered by his nieces Eliza Jephson, Mary Halton Stewart and Anne Buxton Geldart.
A second Faith and Hope window. Faith holds a tall staff topped with a cross, inscribed 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord'; Hope rests her hands on an anchor, with 'Blessed are the pure in heart' beneath. In loving remembrance of Warner Brooks of Woodland Grange, Blakedown, and his wife Margaret Ellen Brooks.
By Burlison and Grylls of London, an angel and Mary on a pedestal depicting Adam and Eve. Dedicated to Thomas Sedan and Hannah Maria Scholes, erected by Eleanor Molyneux and Edith Mary Scholes.
An acanthus border frames the scene. The plaque remembers William Squires and his son Samuel, successively stewards of Guy's Cliffe, placed by Anne Caroline Bertie Percy.
An angel holds a scroll reading 'Praise ye the Lord'. The window remembers the Rev. George Innes MA, thirty years perpetual Curate of this parish, painted after a design by George Harris FSA in 1880.
The bells
The tower contains a ring of three bells. The treble and second were cast by John Warner and Sons of London in 1863. The tenor is of particular interest, not only for its great age, over 550 years old, but because it was cast under the master founder William Chamberlain at what continues today as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. Whitechapel is probably the most famous bell foundry in the world, the maker of iconic bells including the Liberty Bell and Big Ben.
By 2011 the bells had been un-ringable for some years. In 2013, 150 years after two of them were cast, they were restored. The bells returned with their new headstocks on Thursday 24 October 2013, and by 31 October they were installed together with the Ellacombe hammers, new ropes and pulleys. On 5 November the clock hour-striker was reinstalled, the bells were commissioned (the opening notes of Three Blind Mice were rung) and they were formally handed back to St James. The first service for which they rang again was the Remembrance Sunday service on 10 November 2013.
| Bell | Founder | Cast | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treble | John Warner, London | 1863 | 3½ cwt |
| Second | John Warner, London | 1863 | 4½ cwt |
| Tenor | William Chamberlain, London | c. 1440 | 6 cwt |
The turret clock
Our turret clock was made by JB Joyce and Co, the oldest firm of tower-clock makers in the world, tracing its history to 1690 when William Joyce began making grandfather clocks in the North Shropshire village of Cockshutt. The business passed from father to son, and in 1834 Thomas Joyce began making large clocks for local churches and public buildings.
It is a flat-frame design built on a cast-iron frame, with bronze bearings and gear train and a pin-and-wheel escapement mounted directly on the pendulum. It is weight-driven and chimes the tenor church bell, and is mounted on the east face of the tower; the face is made of open double rings in black steel, joined by minute segments in gold-coloured metal.
In 1849 the company manufactured a double three-legged gravity escapement to the design of Lord Grimthorpe. That invention was later used in the Great Clock of the Palace of Westminster, better known as Big Ben, and revolutionised the timekeeping of large public clocks. The firm made clocks for the principal railway companies in the UK and the Commonwealth, and installed over two thousand large public clocks in Britain and Ireland after 1945. In 1964 Norman Joyce, the last of the family, retired and sold the company to Smith of Derby; it continued until it finally closed around 2010.
Fixtures & fittings
St James' interior is beautifully appointed and assumes a quiet dignity: the open timbers of the roof, the locally made oak pews, and the red and black tiles underfoot. The chancel aisle is screened off to form a clergy vestry and an organ chamber.
The organ was given by the family of Henry Field in 1936, in his memory, after thirty-three years as churchwarden. Many of the memorials within the building celebrate the families of the parish, among them Dr Henry Jephson, the distinguished Leamington physician, whose handsome brass eagle lectern is one of his most notable memorials.
Embroidered by hand, across a century
Our altar frontals are among the church's treasures, each one embroidered by members of the congregation and changing with the seasons of the church year.
Our oldest frontal. The parish magazine of the time records materials bought for £11 4s 6d, with the Women's Institute thanked for their generous offerings. The letters and cross are worked in apricot pearl cotton in Gobelin stitch, raised and padded. Restored in 1980.
Created from linen, gold lurex ribbon and dupion silk, embroidered by Diana Griffith, Nancy Sharp, Kate Love, Jean Taket, Margaret Gutteridge and Katrina Collins.
Commissioned for the church's centenary, with a gold cross, embroidered by Diana Griffith, Nancy Sharp, Copper Brett-Powell and Dorothy Trevaskis.
A dramatic central gold leather Greek patée cross, appliquéd with crimson and metallic gilt cord, completed in red chain stitch by Nancy Sharp, Dorothy Trevaskis and Copper Brett-Powell.
Our newest frontal, commissioned by the Cadbury family and dedicated to Rebecca and Terry. Green frontals are used at 'ordinary' times of the year.
The reredos & interior
Behind the altar, our beautiful carved oak reredos with painted panels shows the Lamentation over Christ which preceded the Burial: the dead Christ with his mother Mary, St John and St Mary Magdalene, a praying angel on each side. The frame includes Tudor roses and lilies.
The interior assumes a quiet dignity, with open roof timbers, the local workmanship of the oak pews, and the red and black tiles on the floor. The handsome brass eagle lectern is a memorial to Dr Henry Jephson, the celebrated Leamington physician, one of many families of the parish remembered here.
The organ was given in 1936 in memory of Mr Henry Field, churchwarden for thirty-three years. The electric organ blower, together with the chancel light, was dedicated in April 1951 in loving memory of Margaret Alexina Wentworth Field, widow of Henry Field, the gift of her loving children and grandchild.
The tapestry kneelers in every pew have been worked by members of the congregation over the last fifty years. Each one makes reference to the life and times of our church and country, and on the underside the embroiderer is acknowledged by name.
The glazed screen inside the south porch, dedicated in April 2001, carries an engraved scallop shell: St James' emblem, and a reminder of the shells worn by medieval pilgrims to his shrine at Compostela.
The studded oak doors are dressed with wrought-iron strap hinges and fittings in a fleur-de-lis pattern, part of the building's careful Victorian craftsmanship.
Looking ahead
After nearly nine hundred years of worship on this hill, the parish is looking to the future, with drawings prepared for a new sanctuary at St James.
The sketch shows the church much as it stands today, its pyramidical tower and arcaded upper storey unmistakable. The measured plans set out the floor, the sections and the window elevations in detail.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this project.
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Preserving the history through art
Old Milverton church has been drawn, painted and photographed for two centuries. These works, several of them held by Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum, record how little the view across the fields has changed.
Jon Burgess Jnr (1813 to 1874), watercolour on paper
Jon Burgess Jnr (1813 to 1874), pencil on paper, 1850
Thomas Baker (1808 to 1864), oil on canvas, 1861. Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum
William Collis (d. 1926), drawing, 10 August 1867. Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum
Photograph, 1900s. Heritage and Culture Warwickshire
Photograph, 1920s
Our history
We have been lucky to have some wonderful clergy in our history. Here is the roll call of our previous vicars.
Footpaths and wildflowers, the graves of Vera Brittain and Dr Jephson, the volunteers who keep it beautiful, and our war memorial.
Our A Rocha Bronze Award, the churchyard biodiversity project, and Geoff's monthly eco-tips for caring for creation.
There is no substitute for stepping inside. Join us for a service, or simply visit.