Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 34
INTERVIEW
St. Olave's
CHURCH
Mark Fox continues his
look at Island churches.
This time he visits St.
Olave’s Church, Gatcombe
St. Olave’s sits in a beautiful leafy
opening next to the Gatcombe Estate
and originally served as its chapel. The
13th century saw the first building on
the site and it has been a local centre of
Christian worship ever since.
Over seven centuries the church has
seen many changes. Often the character
as well as the history of a church can
be traced in the changes successive
generations have made. At St. Olave’s
this can be seen in the addition of
buttresses to support the walls, the
re-ordering of the Chancel and the
reconstruction of the porch.
The church originally prospered under
the patronage of two Island families, the
Esturs and the Worsleys. Subsequently it
has been the support of its congregation
that has kept the church such a warm
and welcoming place. The most vivid
example of this are the beautiful kneelers
spread throughout the church.
The most important historical feature
of the church is the east window with its
Pre-Raphaelite glass, which Pevsner says
‘is the church’s finest possession’. There
is other fine stained glass some of which
is believed to be the oldest on the Island.
The Chancel was re-built in 1864-65
on the instruction of the then Rector,
John Branthwaite. He did not live in
his parish because he was Principal of
St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. This reminds
us that having part-time priests is not
a new experience for many parishes.
He also commissioned the stained glass
in the east window. Similar glass also
commissioned by him can be seen in the
chapel of St. Edmund Hall, providing an
interesting link.
Also in the Chancel is the wooden
effigy of a crusader knight. There are
apparently no written records about its
provenance and Pevsner queries its age,
saying it is carved in the manner of the
fourteenth century but that some of its
details indicate carving of a later period.
What is certain is that it provides a
remarkable feature spurring interest in
visits to the church.
The porch dates from 1910 and
includes the carving of a head of a
monster. It is a startling sight and
Pevsner notes that ‘it might give some
people a real fright’. The organ is by
Henry Speechley and dates from 1919.
It was overhauled in 2000 by Griffiths &
Cooper and incorporated pipework from
an organ by Hunter from Upper Chine
School, Shanklin.
The oldest bell in the tower dates from
1605, the third year of James I’s reign.
The church has two fonts. At the back of
the church is the original font made of
Purbeck stone and lined by lead. In the
Chancel is a more modern portable font.
Outside the graveyard is spacious and
beautiful. It is worth visiting at different
times of the year and taking time to
wonder quietly around reflecting on the
lives recorded on the headstones. Many
who lived together in the parish now
rest beside one another in peace in this
beautiful space.
Main picture by Laura Boynton
34
www.visitislandlife.com
(Acknowledgements and thanks go
to: St. Olave’s Church, Gatcombe
– A short guide and souvenir;
Nikolaus Pevsner – The buildings
of England: Isle of Wight; the
National Pipe Organ Register http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/
Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_
index=D08453;