Summary
A medieval parish church, granted Minster status in 2010, with origins dating to the C13, with C14, C18, C19, C20 and C21 additions and alterations, including by ecclesiastical architects Charles Ainslie, R J Withers, G F Bodley, T G Jackson and Sir Charles Nicholson.
Reasons for Designation
Grimsby Minster is listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons:
Architectural Interest:
* for the exceptional quality of its architectural detailing, materials and craftsmanship;
* for the legible phasing and the development of the building, with carefully considered late-C19 and early-C20 additions and alterations designed by some of the foremost ecclesiastical architects of the time, including Charles Ainslee, R J Withers, G F Bodley, T G Jackson and Sir Charles Nicholson.
* for the quality and survival of the interior, with fixtures and fittings that include a C14 octagonal font, stained glass by L Evetts, and an ornate memorial chapel by Sir Charles Nicholson.
Historic interest:
* as Grimsby’s surviving medieval parish church, which was granted minster status in 2010 and with fabric dating from at least the C13, it forms a prominent historical landmark in the town.
History
Medieval Grimsby was divided into the parishes of St James and St Mary, both with their own parish churches. In 1586 the parishes were united, and soon afterwards the Church of St Mary was demolished, leaving St James as the parish church of Grimsby.
The Church of St James was established before the early C12, though the original church is likely to have been replaced. Early fabric from the present-day church includes the C13 nave and transepts, the C14 nave arcade piers, and the crossing dated to 1365. The nave aisles were subdivided and rebuilt in the C18.
In 1858-1859 architect Charles Rowntree Ainslie (1820-1863) led the partial rebuilding of the transepts, the insertion of the ringing gallery in the tower, and reflooring and reseating. The restorations of 1874-1885 were undertaken by ecclesiastical architect Robert Jewell Withers (1824-1894) who restored the original roof pitch, partially rebuilt the west end of the nave, and replaced the south porch and chancel. The North Lady Chapel was added on the site of the chancel north aisle in 1904-1906 by the Gothic Revival architect, George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907). The aisles were reroofed, buttressed and given new windows in 1909-1910 by Thomas Graham Jackson (1835-1924), best known for his work at Oxford. The south chapel of the Resurrection (partly replacing the south chancel aisle) and attached vestry were additions by the prolific ecclesiastical architect Sir Charles Nicholson (1867-1949) in 1920.
The Chapel of Resurrection was unveiled in 1921 to honour the memory of the men of Grimsby who fell in the First World War. Panelling by Sir Charles Nicholson, featuring a roll of honour, was unveiled and dedicated in 1926. Heavy bomb damage in the Second World War resulted in the loss of most of the original stained glass and repairs to the windows and north transept were made in 1950-1952. Further work in the 1970s and 1980s included repairs to the tower and south transept doorway, reseating, and the insertion of a dais in the crossing.
A single storey extension was added to east side of the vestry in 2006-2007 to provide a community hall. The church was granted Minster status in May 2010 in a ceremony led by the Lord Bishop of Lincoln and the Bishop of Grimsby.
Details
A medieval parish church granted, Minster status in 2010, with origins dating to the C13, with C14, C18, C19, C20 and C21 additions and alterations, including by ecclesiastical architects Charles Ainslie, R J Withers, G F Bodley, T G Jackson and Sir Charles Nicholson.
MATERIALS: the church is constructed of limestone ashlar beneath slate roofs, with some coursed rubble and squared stone to the transepts and nave.
PLAN: the church has a cruciform plan with aisles flanking the nave, and chapels to the north and south of the chancel. A vestry and community hall adjoins the south-east corner of the building.
EXTERIOR: the church features a square central tower with a three-bay chancel, a six-bay aisled nave, and single-bay transepts to the north and south. The nave, chancel and transepts are all flanked by angle turrets with square bases, octagonal upper sections with string courses, and short stone spires.
The east end of the chancel features a deep moulded plinth with an 1882 datestone. The east façade features three tall lancet windows with nookshafts and filleted arches. Above these are three more small, stepped lancets in double-chamfered reveals with a dogtoothed string course and a pierced quatrefoil set within a coped gable. The north and south sides of the chancel have a clerestory with pilaster buttresses and single light windows set within round and pointed arches with double-chamfered reveals. Above each is a corbel-table with some head corbels.
The north Lady Chapel features a gabled roof, a chamfered plinth and buttresses. The eastern face has three stepped, two-light windows detailed with Curvilinear tracery and hoodmoulds. On the north side there are also two pointed traceried two-light windows. The Resurrection Chapel to the south incorporates a C13 moulded plinth and lower wall with pilaster buttresses on its east side. The remainder is C20. On the south side is a pointed four-light window with Perpendicular tracery. The façade also features buttresses and a chamfered plinth, with string course, a pair of square-headed four-light traceried windows, and a coped parapet with crenelated finials.
The vestry attached to the south-east of the building has a plinth, buttresses, and a pointed arched door beneath an ogee hood and square-headed windows. Above is a coped parapet. Attached to the east side of the vestry is an early C21 single-storey community hall.
The northern transept was rebuilt in the C19-20 with a pointed double-chamfered door flanked by a pointed chamfered blind arch to the left and a low chamfered segmental-arched recess to the right. Above the door are a pair of pointed two-light windows with Perpendicular tracery and a continuous hoodmould. Above these are three small stepped lancet windows and a coped gable.
The southern transept is surrounded by a moulded plinth. The south side has a projecting central section with a pointed C13 doorway of four orders with restored shafts on the original bases, and a partly-restored arch with keeled mouldings and a dogtooth-moulded hood. Above is a string course and a wide central pointed blind arch flanked by single lancet windows, all with shafted reveals and roll-moulded arches. Above these is a small triple window with diagonally-set mullions, moulded capitals, keeled arches and hoodmoulds with dogtooth moulding. There is dogtooth-moulded coping to the gable. Both transepts have single west lancet windows with hoodmoulds and corbel tables to east and west sides with some head-corbels.
The central crossing tower has two main stages, and a pointed stair turret to the south-east angle. The lower stage has several square-headed two-light cusped windows. Each side of the main belfry level has arcades with a pair of tall pointed arched blind panels containing pointed two-light transomed louvred windows with Perpendicular tracery, sill string courses and continuous hoodmoulds. Above is a dogtooth-moulded string course, ornate parapet with a blind arcade of pointed two-light cusped panels with nine finials to each side and crocketed angle pinnacles.
The nave aisles feature C19 pointed three-light windows with Curvilinear tracery, separated by C19 buttresses with offsets and gabled caps. The south porch has a restored C13 doorway of three orders with triple shafts, moulded capitals and a moulded arch with fillet, keeled and dogtooth mouldings. It also features a coped gable roof and parapet. The round-headed inner door with a keyed arch and radial fanlight dates to the C18. The clerestory on the nave features seven irregularly spaced lancet windows, a corbel table and a coped parapet.
The central section of the western side of the church is constructed of roughly squared stone. The angle turret to the left has been largely restored, as has the round-arched doorway with keeled and filleted shafts and a roll-moulded and keeled arch beneath a brick relieving arch. The C19 ashlar section above has three lancet windows with narrower blind lancets between, all with shafted reveals and keeled arches. Above is a vesica window in a keeled reveal, below a dogtooth-moulded string course and coped gable.
INTERIOR: the west entrance leads into a panelled lobby beneath an organ loft containing a mid-C20 organ by J W Walker and Sons. The lobby leads through to the nave which features arcades of pointed roll-moulded arches with hoodmoulds and head stops on clustered piers with filleted shafts and octagonal abaci. Immediately above is a wall-passage screen to the clerestory with an irregular sequence of tall and low keeled arches on slender triple shafts with keeled and fillet mouldings. The vaulted ceiling above the nave features carved king post trusses while the aisles and transepts feature arched braces on corbels. At the east end of the north aisle is a C14 octagonal font with panelled sides on a C13 shafted base and a C18 font cover. The former baptistry, now used as kitchen and servery, features C17 wood panelling brought from Stapleton House, Doncaster. Tablets in the south aisle include those to Elizabeth Bell of 1829 by Edward Baily of London, T Williamson of 1826; and a wooden plaque to Mary Riggall of 1830.
The chancel features triple wall-shafts and pointed moulded arches on keeled and rounded shafts. The sedilia have nook-shafts and keeled arches. Around the top of the chancel is an arcaded triforium with stepped trefoiled triple arches on triple shafts. The chancel screen and altar rails are of 1926 by Sir Charles Nicholson with a reredos of 1972.
The crossing features a two-stepped plinth between tall pointed moulded arches on octagonal piers with trefoiled ogee panels. On the north-east pier is an inscription dated to 1365. The north transept has a two-bay east arcade with pointed roll-moulded arches on clustered piers and responds with keeled shafts. Set within the north-east arch is a C15 knight effigy of Sir Thomas Haslerton, brought from St Leonards Nunnery, Grimsby after the Dissolution. The west wall features tablets to C and A Hildyard of 1728, and George Rye of 1808 by Stimson. Above is a triforium arcade with keeled arches on alternate round and triple keeled shafts. Inserted moulded and shafted arches lead to the 1905 Lady Chapel which features windows with moulded reveals and hoodmoulds containing stained glass by L Evetts.
The south transept has a single-pointed, moulded east arch on clustered responds similar to the north transept arcade. Next to this is an inserted triple-chamfered arch to the south chapel dated 1921. The west wall features a wall tablet to Rebecca Thompson of 1729 set within a cartouche, adorned with cherubs and a winged skull. The south triforium is similar to the north transept but with alternating round and twin shafts with dogtooth moulding. The south Memorial Chapel is in the form of an arcaded passage with 4-centred arches on tall, shafted piers and a panelled and ornately plastered ceiling. The memorial chapel features panelling is by Sir Charles A Nicholson with a Roll of Honour inscribed on gunmetal. A passageway leads from the south chapel to the early-C21 community hall.
