Radcliffe on Trent

St Mary

Nottingham Archdeaconry

East Bingham Deanery

Introduction

There has been a church in Radcliffe since at least the thirteenth century, but the existing building bears little relation to its medieval predecessor. Neglect in the eighteenth century caused the ‘spire steeple’ to be left in a precarious condition and eventually it fell in 1792. The repaired church then had a reduced battlemented tower at the west end.

In 1858 money was raised to provide a new chancel in the Early English style designed by Charles Bailey of Newark.

As the population of the village increased, more radical changes came. The chancel of 1858 was retained, but the rest of the church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1879 to the designs of Goddard and Paget of Leicester.

It is this building which, with slight adjustments, stands in the centre of the village today. Its tall tower crowned with an unusual saddleback roof provides an unmistakable landmark in the area. Only one memorial - a brass from 1626 - pre-dates the nineteenth century.

Particular thanks to Pamela Priestland for research on this entry