Holy Cross, Daventry
Holy Cross is the parish church of the town of Daventry, a classical-inspired building of rich local ironstone which was built to replace the previous medieval church in 1752-8 to the designs of David Hiorne. The exterior is dominated by the west tower and spire (a slightly odd design more like an obelisk crowned by an orb and cross) and remains unaltered since it was built aside from the addition of a small projecting west porch in the 1950s, designed so sympathetically that no one would suspect it wasn't part of the original design. The design might have looked a little severe had it not been for the warmth of the honey-coloured stonework and the softening effect of two and a half centuries of weathering.
Within the church looks quite different, all light with a white plaster finish and touches of gilding. It is very much a typical example of an English Baroque town church, a handsome affair with galleries on either side of the nave, reducing the aisles beneath to more lowly dimensions. The eye is drawn to the chancel beyond which has a fine reredos with early 20th century paintings of the three Marys and the Angel at the empty tomb flanked by Archangels. The 'Venetian' east window above has Victorian glass but otherwise most of the other windows have ornamental glazing (originally they would have been clear).
The church normally has only limited opening times outside of services, but I was lucky enough to find it open on a Saturday morning while a few parishoners were setting some stalls up and they fortunately didn't seem to mind my intrusion.
Holy Cross, Daventry
Holy Cross is the parish church of the town of Daventry, a classical-inspired building of rich local ironstone which was built to replace the previous medieval church in 1752-8 to the designs of David Hiorne. The exterior is dominated by the west tower and spire (a slightly odd design more like an obelisk crowned by an orb and cross) and remains unaltered since it was built aside from the addition of a small projecting west porch in the 1950s, designed so sympathetically that no one would suspect it wasn't part of the original design. The design might have looked a little severe had it not been for the warmth of the honey-coloured stonework and the softening effect of two and a half centuries of weathering.
Within the church looks quite different, all light with a white plaster finish and touches of gilding. It is very much a typical example of an English Baroque town church, a handsome affair with galleries on either side of the nave, reducing the aisles beneath to more lowly dimensions. The eye is drawn to the chancel beyond which has a fine reredos with early 20th century paintings of the three Marys and the Angel at the empty tomb flanked by Archangels. The 'Venetian' east window above has Victorian glass but otherwise most of the other windows have ornamental glazing (originally they would have been clear).
The church normally has only limited opening times outside of services, but I was lucky enough to find it open on a Saturday morning while a few parishoners were setting some stalls up and they fortunately didn't seem to mind my intrusion.