Church Of St Luke

The Church of Saint Luke is a parish church with origins in the 12th century, when the south aisle was built. The church was extensively remodelled in the 14th century with the addition of a south aisle chapel, nave, chancel and tower. It underwent heavy restoration in 1846 when a vestry was added, followed by the addition of a north chapel in 1870, possibly designed by Anthony Salvin. Further restoration took place in 1883.

The church is constructed of red and yellow sandstone ashlar with some dressed stone, and has a plain tile roof laid separately over the nave and aisle. The building comprises a five-bay nave and aisle, two-bay chancel with south chapel, south porch and vestry, a chapel to the north of the chancel, and an octagonal tower at the west end of the nave. The restoration work employed a Decorated Gothic style.

The Tower

The octagonal tower rises in three stages. It has a chamfered plinth and corner buttresses extending up to the belfry with chamfered offsets. A string course marks the belfry level, above which runs a parapet string decorated with carved gargoyles. The tower is topped by a battlemented parapet with moulded coping and a weathervane. The belfry openings appear in alternate faces and consist of two louvred trefoil-headed lights with ogee arches, quatrefoil tracery, and chamfered reveals. The lower stages have rectangular lights to the west, north-west and south-west; those on the first stage have moulded reveals while those on the second stage have chamfered reveals. A low boarded doorway opens to the west. Octagonal wooden clocks are mounted on the belfry facing north-east and south-east. A yellow sandstone memorial tablet is fixed to the north-east face, inscribed: "HERE LYETH THE BODY OF SUSANNA WIFE OF THOMAS GARDNAR OF SANSAW IN THIS COUNTY GENTLEMAN AND ELDER DAUGHTER OF ROBERT ARNEWAY GENTLEMAN AND ANN HIS WIFE OF WESTON IN THIS PARISH SHE DECEASED THE 30th DAY OF OCTOBER IN 1661".

South Aisle and South Chapel

The south aisle and south chapel feature a chamfered and moulded plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets (diagonal at the corners), chamfered eaves, and coped parapeted gable ends with moulded kneelers. The east gable has a finial at the apex, while the west gable has a cross. The aisle is arranged in five bays plus three for the chapel. The aisle windows consist of two trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil tracery, chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds. The west window has four trefoil-headed lights with flowing Y-tracery, moulded reveals, a chamfered cill and a returned hoodmould.

In the second bay from the left, a 19th-century continuously-chamfered arched south doorway contains a nail-studded door dated "GB WW 1705" (formed in nails). Above it remain traces of a former round-arched 18th-century doorway with a flush keystone. The porch itself has a double chamfered plinth, flanking flush buttresses, and a parapeted gable with moulded coping, gabled kneelers and a fleur-de-lys finial at the apex. The entrance consists of a moulded arch formed of two arches: the inner has nook shafts with moulded bases and capitals, while the outer is continuous. A hoodmould with carved heads as stops crowns the entrance. A pair of boarded doors fills the opening. Small trefoil-headed side windows with hollow chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds light the porch interior, which contains side benches. An inscribed sundial dated 1673 is mounted on the wall between the fifth and sixth bays.

The south chapel windows comprise three stepped trefoil-headed lights with chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds. The east window has five trefoil-headed lights with flowing Y-tracery, moulded reveals and a returned hoodmould.

The central vestry projects to the south with a chamfered plinth and a parapeted gable with moulded coping and kneelers. An integral stone stack rises at the apex, consisting of a stubby octagonal shaft with a moulded cap, possibly truncated. A pair of windows facing forward each contain two trefoil-headed lights with hollow-chamfered reveals and returned hoodmoulds. A boarded doorway in the left-hand return has a continuously-chamfered arch. The right-hand return wall displays a pair of memorial tablets: one commemorates Samuel Herrick Macaulay who died at Hodnet Rectory on 10 October 1895, and the other remembers Henry William Macaulay, son of the Reverend S.H. Macaulay, who died at Muang Phray in Siam on 1 May 1893.

Nave and Chancel

The nave and chancel have a chamfered plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets (diagonal to the east), and a parapeted gable end to the east with moulded kneelers and a finial at the apex. The nave has four windows: three on the right side each with two trefoil-headed lights with cusped chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds. The left-hand window contains three stepped trefoil-headed lights with chamfered reveals and a hoodmould. The east window has five trefoil-headed lights with intersecting tracery and chamfered reveals.

North (Heber) Chapel

The north chapel, known as the Heber chapel, features a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses with chamfered offsets, and coped parapeted gables with gabled kneelers. To the north, a pair of cinquefoil-headed lancets have hollow-chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds with carved stops. The east window comprises four cinquefoil-headed lights with flowing tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals and a hoodmould with carved stops.

Interior

The interior contains a 14th-century and 19th-century five-bay nave arcade with alternating circular and octagonal piers featuring chamfered bases and capitals, and recessed chamfered arches. The tall tower arch has six orders with continuous sunk chamfers and wave mouldings. Probably 17th-century panelling has been reused in the tympanum above the 19th-century doors. A pair of chamfered-arched vestry doorways lead off the church, and an arched doorway connects the chancel to the south aisle chapel.

The south aisle windows have chamfered rear arches, with remains of former 12th-century and 18th-century round arches visible in the wall above. A segmental-arched piscina or aumbry is set in the south-west wall of the south aisle.

The 19th-century nave and aisle roofs feature arched-braced collars springing from stone corbels. The chancel and south aisle chapel roofs have hammer and tie-beams. All have pairs of moulded purlins sub-divided into square panels with carved heraldic bosses.

The north (Heber) chapel is accessed through a double chamfered arch where the outer chamfer is continuous and the inner springs from circular half-piers with moulded bases and capitals; a hoodmould with carved stops completes the arch. The chapel interior has a moulded cill string, moulded cornice, chamfered rear arches, and a trussed-rafter roof. The east window has nook shafts with moulded bases and capitals.

Fittings

The chancel contains reused 17th-century dado panelling carved with lozenges and arches. The altar has raised and fielded panelling. Commandment boards flank the east window, framed by Ionic pilasters and round arches with carved spandrels. Brass communion rails complete the chancel furnishings.

A probably 18th-century hexagonal wooden pulpit features bolection-moulded panels, a moulded cornice and a 19th-century chamfered stone base. A brass eagle lectern and plain choir stalls furnish the church. The south aisle chapel contains a 17th-century or 17th-century-style communion table with bulbous legs, and an organ.

Plain pews incorporate some old material, with frontals having traceried panels and poppyheads. The 17th-century stone font has a circular step, circular stem and an octagonal lead-lined bowl carved with panels depicting a cock, eagle, lion and other subjects, with a continuous carved band below.

A pair of 17th-century parish chests survive: one has lozenge panels and the other is plain with three locks and a moulded top. Adjacent to the south door stands a poor box with three locks inscribed "REMEMBER THE POORE". Encaustic tiles cover the floors of the chancel, south chapel and Heber chapel. The church also possesses a small chained library.

Stained Glass

The east window, dating from 1846, was installed in memory of Mary Heber who died on 22 December 1846. The south aisle chapel east window was created by David Evans and depicts Mark, Luke and John. The south-east window of the south aisle chapel is dated 1852. Glass in the Heber chapel dates from 1901, 1902 and 1911.

Monuments

The church contains a notable collection of monuments. On the south wall of the aisle, a cartouche with a scrolled surround and shield and crest above commemorates Hugh Pigot of Peplow who died in 1697. On the west wall of the aisle, a large obelisk resting on globes with flanking wreathed urns on a base and a cartouche with arms at the top marks Richard Hill of Hawkstone who died in 1726.

On the north wall of the nave, Henrietta Vernon, who died in 1752, is remembered by a wreathed urn on a pedestal against an obelisk, with flanking urns, a cartouche with shield, and a base featuring three winged angels. This monument is attributed to Sir Henry Cheere. Sir Rowland Hill (1705-1783), commemorated by a monument erected by his son Sir Richard Hill, is shown by a large swagged urn against an obelisk and a cartouche on a pedestal.

On the south wall of the aisle, Sir Richard Hill of Hawkstone, who died in 1808, is commemorated by an urn and sarcophagus against the background of an obelisk, signed by John Carline. On the north wall of the nave, John Hill, who died in 1814, is remembered by a monument showing a mourning mother and child in front of a sarcophagus with an obelisk and shield above, also by John Carline.

In the Heber chapel, Bishop Heber, who died in 1826, is commemorated by a monument showing his portrait head in profile against a draped background, created by Chantrey, with an inscription by Robert Southey. In the chancel, Richard Heber, who died in 1833, is remembered by an elaborate Gothic monument with a central crocketed ogee arch and traceried side panels. Blanche Emily Heber, who died in 1870, is commemorated in the Heber chapel by a chest tomb consisting of a gadrooned sarcophagus with fluted square corner piers and a recumbent effigy, created by Reginald Cholmondeley of Condover.

A pair of old photographs of the church interior before 1883 shows the aisle with box pews and a central pulpit against the south wall.

Reginald Heber was Bishop of Calcutta from 1823 until his death in 1826, and wrote many hymns including "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" and others.