restoration

THE CHURCH RESTORATION

Reverend M O Norman was rector of Harby from October 2 1852 to is death on May 28 1899. During this time the church was restored He kept a book of minutes of the Harby church restoration committee which is held in the Record Office for Leicestershire and Rutland, reference DE 3498/5. From this we know that the Architect was Mr Johnson, the builder was Mr Hayes. Permission to carry out the work was obtained from the bishop by a Faculty in 1874 held in the Northamptonshire Record Office, ML 1116, pages 690-692, dated 7 May 1874.

“The roofs portions of the stone work and fittings of the Parish Church Harby aforesaid having fallen into decay it was proposed to repair and restore the same. That the materials to be used would be oak and deal for the roofs and fittings local stone for the walling and Ancaster stone for the dressed work doorways windows coping etc. That the roofs would be covered with lead. That in the in the restoration of the stone work it was intended to follow strictly the original designs and all mouldings and other works which were decayed would be exactly reproduced. That thirty three additional sittings would be obtained. That the seats round the church against the walls would be appropriated and that all the seats in the body of the church would be free and unappropriated. That the monumental slabs would as nearly as possible occupy their former positions. That it would be necessary to remove two tombs at the east end of the chancel which then abutted upon the chancel wall and made it damp and which would be refixed leaving a space of one foot and a half between them and the building. That at a vestry meeting of which due notice was given held in the schoolroom of Harby aforesaid on the nineteenth day of March last for the purpose of taking into consideration the said alterations it was resolved that the seats should be distributed according to their present arrangement that is to say the seats round the church adjoining the wall appropriated to different occupiers and the seats in the body of the church that is the four blocks in the nave two blocks near the chancel arch and two blocks going up towards the Tower Arch (except the two benches one on either side of the Tower arch adjoining the Tower wall which would be appropriated as they had been heretofore) should be forever free and unappropriated.”

Decorative tiles were laid around the alter at the east end of the chancel - '1875 May 16. Minton’s man came and commenced laying down the encaustic tiles in the chancel and finished the same on Monday May 23.' These are now much damaged and are covered by the carpet but click here to see what they look like.

From his observations during the restoration rev Norman wrote a brief history of the building reference DE 3489/3.

History of Harby church by M O Norman January 1877.

‘Originally it consisted of small nave and chancel – both of which had high pitched roofs and was without tower, clerestory or aisles or porch. The original pitch of the nave roof may still be traced inside the church on the wall above the chancel arch and the pitch of the chancel by the end of the weather moulding outside the chancel which may be seen on both sides of the chancel close to where it joins onto the nave. The chancel in this form was built in what is known as the early English style of architecture and was probably completed in the reign of Henry III who began to reign in the year 1216. After this the following changes took place. First the chancel was altered, the walls were raised and high windows were put in, the east window belongs to that style of architecture called the decorated and was put up certainly by not later than the reign of Edward III who reigned from 1327 – 1377. Somewhat late the tower was built and stood as a separate building as may be inferred from the fact that it has buttresses at the four corers and is joined on to the nave without any stones connecting the one to the other. The body of the nave was taken down and was rebuilt with arches and a clerestory above and aisles, the isles being joined on, as may be still seen, somewhat clumsily to the ends of the nave which were left standing. These last changes which brought the chancel into this state were probably completed not later than 1450 in the reign of Henry VI and from that time no change of any importance was made until the late work of restoration. We are therefore worshipping where our ancestors for six hundred years have worshipped before us, there they were baptised and married and around which ‘the forefathers of the Hamlet sleep’.’

It was during this restoration that corbels with plant designs were put in to carry the new roof timbers in the chancel, the south and the north aisle. We are grateful to Professor Jean Givens for kindly commenting on these which she says are not in a mediaeval style and, for instance the rose in the south aisle shows a recent variety with a raised centre not found in mediaeval times. To see these click on

The Chancel

The South Aisle

The North Aisle