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Selston
St Helen

Features and Fittings

Altar in sanctuary

The altar is a plain oak table, the top measuring 213cm x 77cm (83.5 ins x 30 ins) being made of three wide boards and with a plain skirt. The altar is 92cm (36 ins) high. The legs are squared and plain, slightly thicker where the stretcher joins the legs. It has a box stretcher. There are no inscriptions, but it is known that the altar was made by Mr Percy Langton, resident of Selston and a former churchwarden, at the time when the Rev P A Sharp was vicar (1929-1937).

Altar in side chapel

This altar is smaller than the one in the sanctuary, and made of a darker oak. The top is made of two wide boards with overall measurements 158cm x 76cm (29.5 ins x 62 ins). Beneath the top the structure of the altar is like a box with open sides, but at the front three extra uprights and a horizontal piece support a 31cm (12 ins) square carved wood plaque with the letters I H C. At the back of the altar there is a stretcher near the base, but the other three sides have a deep heavy base with mouldings. The lowest piece of this plinth is a different wood and appears to have been added at a later date, increasing the overall height. The height is 93cm (36.5 ins). There are no inscriptions.

Altar Rails

The altar rails were made during the 1905 restoration using old oak from the structure of the church. They cross the whole width of the sanctuary along the topmost of the two steps separating the sanctuary from the chancel. The rails are 66cm (26 ins) high. The rail is supported on six uprights and ten carved pierced brackets, two of which are damaged.

The inscriptions on the rails read (on the left)

and (on the right)

Font

Font	Font bowl, showing damage to the rim

The font is Norman, made of stone in an eggcup shape and with one band of cable moulding. It is 68.5cm (27 ins) in diameter and 58.5 cm (23 ins) deep. At some time in the medieval period the font had a cover and the rim still bears grooves showing where this was fitted. The font was removed from the church in the mid-17th century and taken to Blackwell in Derbyshire. It was later returned to the Bull and Butcher public house in Selston where it was used as a water trough and the rim was used for sharpening knives. The rim is very uneven as a result of this. Later still the font was moved to a private garden and used as a garden ornament. At the time of the 1905 restoration, the font was returned to the church and installed in its present position on a new octagonal stone plinth set on a stone platform. The total height from the platform to the rim of the font is now 106cm (42 ins). The following inscription is on the side of the platform:

Pulpit

The faculty for the present oak pulpit was given in 1918, and it replaced an earlier temporary pulpit. It stands at the east end of the north arcade, abutting the wall of the chancel. It is made in a hexagonal shape, of a very dark wood, and there are two steps up into it from the platform which currently covers the chancel steps. The pulpit is 106 cm (41.5 ins) high and 113cm (44 ins) wide. There is a wide band of naturalistic carving around the top of the pulpit and down each of the corners. The second vertical band of carving west of the steps includes, near the bottom, a shield with the inscription

On the chancel wall is a brass plaque with the following inscription:

Reading Desks

Reading desk on the north

Detail of carving on the reading desk

There are two oak reading desks located just inside the chancel arch, one on the north and one on the south side. A maker’s label on the back reads B DORRINGTON, CHURCH FURNISHER, HOLBROOK STREET, HEANOR, NOTTS. PHONE 251 LANGLEY MILL. They were installed around 1935.

Each reading desk is carved at the front and sides, but they are not identical. On the sides facing the congregation are carved three small arch shapes above a larger arch with a cross inside, then a square containing an alpha (on the north desk) and omega (on the south desk). On the side facing away from the congregation each has a shield with a cross. The seats have a circle of naturalistic carved foliage on each side, each roundel being different. Each desk is 68cm (26.5 ins) wide, and 102cm (40 ins) tall at the front, with a desk top sloping down slightly towards the seat. The measurement from front to back is 122cm (47.5 ins).

Another smaller, freestanding desk is on the platform in front of the arch which leads to the side chapel. It stands 94.5 cm (37 ins) high and 69 cm (27 ins) across. The front has four tongue and groove panels set into a surround which has been carved with flowing lines making the shape of the cross. There is no inscription or dating evidence, but the desk appears to be mid-twentieth century.

Pews

The present pews were installed at the 1905 restoration; prior to that, as shown on an earlier photograph, there were box pews throughout. There were originally seven rows of pews east of the cross aisle, but the front two rows were removed in 1983 to give space for the construction of a platform over the chancel steps extending out into the nave. West of the cross aisle some of the pews are very short as they have to fit around the walls and columns of the north and south arcade. In the south aisle there are 5 rows of pews, the front ones having been removed to create a ramp for wheelchair access. The pews were removed from the north aisle in 1987.

The pitch pine pews are of a plain design with plain ends and an oak roll across the top. On the back of each is a shelf near the top and a deep tray below to hold books. Hooks below are for hanging the kneelers. Each pew end is 91 cm (35.5 ins) tall and 44cm (17 ins) wide. 

Choir Stalls

The reading desks and stalls in the choir looking east

The choir stalls are constructed of oak and situated to the north and south sides of the chancel. They were installed around 1935, at the same time as the reading desks. To the north is one long bench with a high paneled back and with a low desk in front. The desk, which is 337cm (133 ins) long, incorporates a low sloping board to kneel on, a shelf above it and a sloping top. Originally there was a second bench behind this, but it was removed in 2010 during construction of the new extension so that the chancel arches could be fitted with glazed panels. On the south side, the choir stalls are of the same design, but behind the long front bench are two seats placed within the chancel arches. The one nearest to the altar has a brass plaque with the following inscription:

The ends of the choir stalls measure 106cm (41 ins) high by 45cm (17 ins) wide, and they have carved roundels similar to the reading desks. The desks in front are 72 cm (28 ins) high at the front edge. The fronts of the desks have a simple arched design carved at each end, then four plain rectangular panels separated by pierced carved natural foliage and berries, three on each desk, all of which are different. 

Lectern

The lectern stands beside the altar in the side chapel. It is said to have been made from ancient oak beams from the church. It stands 159cm (62 ins) tall, with a sloping top resting on a single support which splays out to form an X shaped base. The sloping face is 55 cm wide by 52cm (20.5 ins), and is inscribed:

The front of the lectern (the side facing the congregation when it is in use) and the panels at the sides are carved with geometric and circular patterns.

Welcome desk

Just inside the south door, on the left, is a desk for the storage of hymn books and other materials. At the end of the desk is a brass plaque inscribed: