Tydd St Giles - St. Giles Church

St. Giles Church

The Norman church dedicated to St. Giles, dominates the eastern side of the village. The church, although extensively redesigned in the 1800s (see below), still retains its Norman architecture and feel. The West Window was designed by Alan of Walsingham, the designer of the famous "octagon" lantern on Ely Cathedral, this rare clear glass medieval window (which survived the depradations of Oliver Cromwell) fills the whole of the western end of the building. All of the woodwork and pews in the church are later Victorian additions.

In the Lady Chapel there are still some remnants of the church's original medieval stained glass, the rest of the church's stained glass is Victorian. The East Window shows the life and passion of Christ, while the North-Western Window depicts the church's (and village's) patron saint, Saint Giles and St. Paul (one of the patrons of the Church of Ss. Peter & Paul in Wisbech).

The outer southern wall of the church still has the remains of a medieval sundial, which was in use when the church was a cell of the priory in Wisbech.

The Tower

The church is one of the few in the area to have a separate tower. The tower fell away from the eastern end of the church in the 18th century (due to poor foundations and strong wind), and was rebuilt by Sir George Gilbert Scott when the building was extensively renovated in the 1880s. Local legend has it that the tower was pushed over by the devil, as he could not abide the sound of the church bells. The tower has a ring of six bells with a tenor weight of 8-2-8cwt tuned to A. The bells were recast for the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, from the original ring of 5, six bells were cast. The bells hang in a wooden frame, and are rung in the traditional English full circle ringing system.

Renovation by Sir George Gilbert Scott

In the 1880s the church was renovated by the famous architect and designer of the "K" Class red telephone boxes, Sir George Gilbert Scott. The church was shortened, where the collapse of the tower had destroyed the original sanctuary (The east wall of the building still has the original blank arch). The nave roof was built up to its present level, and a new clerestorey was installed—the original can still be seen on the inside where the builders filled the Norman windows. The side aisles were also extended and the roof was re-leaded. The original plans, drawn by Scott can be seen on display at the back of the church, where they are now displayed after being found in a drawer in the church vestry.

Repairs to the roof

The church's roof was repaired in 2001–2002, as the original Victorian tiling and structure had decayed, letting in rain water along the whole of the nave and the side aisles. At the request of English Nature (now Natural England) the woodwork in the new rooves had holes bored into them to allow the resident colony of pipistrelle bats in and out of the building. The nave roof was blessed by the Right Rev'd Anthony Russell (retired) Bishop of Ely and Lord Spiritual, and the then incumbent of the parish, Rev'd Nigel Whitehouse, the roof was baptised using a bottle of specially brewed ale by Elgood & Sons Ltd., called Tydd St. Tiles.

Other Items of Interest

The Church has a copy of the Coventry Cross of Nails hanging in the sanctuary.

The church also has a (tentative) claim to having had a pope in the parish. It is believed that Nicholas Brakespeare (Pope Adrian IV) was a curate of the parish. As a consequence the local pub is called the 'Crown and Mitre'.

The parish is the owner of a rare Elizabethan chalice, gifted to the church by the then lord of the manor. It is inscribed: "A gift for Tedd sent Gyles". The chalice is only used by the church on special occasions, and when not in use is kept under lock-and-key in a local bank vault.

The church has a restored Victorian bier, found and restored by a parishioner. The original wooden framework ond cast iron suspension units were in rescuable condition upon its discovery, but the wheels were made by a local smith, and the side rails are in fact lengths of copper heating pipes.

Parish Priests

• 2005 – present Rev'd Sandra Gardner
• 1998–2004 Rev'd Nigel Whitehouse (promoted)
• –1998 Rev'd Richard (Jack) Tofts (retired)
• 1320 Nicholas de Houton (first rector)