Skip to Content
Events
this week
Discounts & Offers

Cottesbrooke, All Saints

Cottesbrooke, All Saints Church

Externally a particularly handsome medieval church with full square tower with fine double bell openings – all dating from circa 1300. The interior therefore comes as a surprise being largely 18th century – white walls relieved by a painted acanthus scroll frieze aping plasterwork, box pews, triple-decker pulpit and a raised family pew replete with fossilised marble fireplace.

All this reflects the building of the new Cottesbrooke Hall (for opening times of the hall visit www.cottesbrooke.co.uk) by Smith of Warwick in the early 18th century. There are two great 17th century memorials here, both up and beyond the family pew. The earliest is to John Rede (d.1604) a splendid Jacobean alabaster work representing the apogee of the workshops of Burton on Trent and Nottingham, a recumbent effigy in an architectural niche highly decorated and originally painted. Beneath is a splendid line up of kneeling figures, John Rede and his wife and their eight daughters.

In the centre of this chapel lies an even larger tomb chest to Sir John Langham (d. 1671) and his wife who had bought the Cottesbrooke estate from the Redes in 1637. This splendid baroque affair in white engraved marble is by Thomas Cartwright who received £290 for his pains in 1676. Cartwright was one of the major London sculptors of the period and “did well” out of the fire of London. He supplied work for Wren’s churches, the statues of Justice and Mercy Truth and Liberty for Newgate and enriched many of the city’s Guildhalls including those of the The Draper’s Company, The Weavers, The Haberdashers, The Tallow Chandlers, and The Mercers. Not surprisingly he was Warden of the Mason’s company in 1671 and Master twice in 1673 and 1694.

What brought him to Northamptonshire? His patron. Sir John was a very important Turkey merchant and highly involved in the East India Company. Whilst in the country he resided here. Most of the time he lived in London in a splendid house in Bishopsgate which incorporated the remains of Crosby Hall which had formerly been home to Richard III, when Duke of Gloucester, Sir Thomas More, and the fledgling East India Company in the 1630s. What remained of the house was moved brick by brick to Chelsea in the 20th century and it stands today in restored form on Cheyne Walk.

The remaining monuments in the church, largely in the nave, to later members of the Langham family are largely by John Bacon junior, they include the unusual urn on a pedestal in Coade stone.

Please refer to the Glossary for any terms in the text that you are unfamiliar with.

Contact & Opening Times

Main Street, Cottesbrooke, Northamptonshire, NN6 8PH


http://www.cottesbrooke.co.uk|
[email protected]|

Opening Times

The church is open daily from 9am until 6pm, seven days a week.

 

The church lies close to a Country House which offers a restaurant and is open to the public. For opening times, please look at the Historic Houses section of our website under Cottesbrooke.

 

Contact Details

Telephone: 01604 505808

Email: [email protected]

Explore the area

Click the pins on the map to see other attractions nearby

Similar places of interest

  • This archetypal medieval church is set in the heart of the village. It abuts a clearly later square tower (1633) topped by a good spire and on the south side a chapel, refashioned in 1621...

  • A 14th/15th century building with very good furnishings. 15th century Rood Screen and pews,17th century three decker pulpit, 18th century box pews. The stained glass dates from the mid...

  • Like the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore St Peter’s is a magnificent mid 19th century memorial church: here to the memory of that famous Crimean soldier General James Brudenell, 7th Earl...

Lets be Social

Follow us on Instagram for what's here, what's on, news & events from our wonderful partners.

Your login details have been used by another user or machine. Login details can only be used once at any one time so you have therefore automatically been logged out. Please contact your sites administrator if you believe this other user or machine has unauthorised access.