St Andrew's Church Rugby stands on the
southern side of Church Street where it meets North Street, in
Rugby in East Warwickshire. The first church on the site was built
in the fourteenth century, with the embattled west tower being
completed about 1350. Built in stone, the church was probably
dilapidated by the Victorian era, when a large number of churches
were mercilessly 'modernised' or entirely rebuilt. The old church
met this fate and was largely demolished in 1879.
Only the west tower of the old church survived
the demolition. The new church was built by William Butterfield with
its own, north-east tower, which was completed in 1920, giving the
building the unique feature of two towers, each containing a full
circle ring of bells. The older set of five in the west tower were
cast in 1711 by Joseph Smith of Edgbaston. Today they are hung in a
frame which dates from about 1620. The new tower contains a ring of
eight bells.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, Churchover,
is on the western side of Church Street, just north of School Street.
The village name has complicated origins. It may derive from an early
owner of the 'Manorial Possessions' hereabouts named 'Waga'. In 1086
it was 'Wara', and later 'Waure', possibly connected with Robert deWaure,
owner of the lands under Henry II. To avoid confusion with nearby parishes
with similar names, 'Church' may have been added to the name.
The first known rector for the church was appointed
in 1160, while the tower is Norman and contains four bells. The oldest
of these predates the 1661 Restoration. In 1896 the church was greatly
rebuilt, taking down the old chancel, the north wall of the nave and the
vestry and rearranging the interior. A new roof was also installed.
Surprisingly, much still survives of the older building. The clock on the
tower was installed in 1862, replacing an earlier clock erected in 1671.
All photos on this page contributed by Aidan
McRae Thomson.
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