Introduction
There are two churches in the parish of Rowington, the Church of St Laurence in Rowington itself and the Church of St Luke in Lowsonford.
Rowington shares a rector with other nearby parishes which comprise the Ferncumbe group. The rector is Revd Keith Mobberley - Telephone 01926 484332.
ST LAURENCE CHURCH
Location and setting
The church stands in a dominant position within the village conservation area. Both the west and south sides can be seen from the road. The entrance to the churchyard is on the west side by single and double gates which are probably late Victorian. The parish w
ar memorial stands on the west boundary of the churchyard but there are no notable memorials or graves. The dominant feature of the west end of the churchyard are a number of yew trees clipped into dome shapes.
ar memorial stands on the west boundary of the churchyard but there are no notable memorials or graves. The dominant feature of the west end of the churchyard are a number of yew trees clipped into dome shapes.History
The building is a mixture of architecture probably dating from the early 12th Century. In fact, the first written record of a church at Rowington is contained in a deed of 1157. It is thought that the original Norman church was considerably re-built in the late 13th century, when the present nave and ante-chancel were added. Many more additions and changes have been made to the church over the centuries. Much 18th century work was removed during a major restoration in 1872, although a number of pre-restoration items of furniture remain. The last structural addition was the south porch built in 1906, an earlier porch of brick and timber having been demolished in the 1872 restoration.
Exterior
The church is dominated by a central tower. At the west end of the church is a large window over a pair of oak doors. On the south side is the modern porch built in 1906 which gives regular access to the building. There is also a very small door into the chancel on the south side. The north side is taken up mainly by the north aisle which dates from 1554. The red sandstone on the top course of stonework was a gift from Mary I and came from Kenilworth Priory. Beside the north door is a holy water stoop.
Interior
Inside the church is a medieval alms box carved in a solid piece of oak, a Norman tub type font, a pre-reformation pulpit and a lectern in wood designed by G. F. Bodley. The high altar is an Elizabethan refectory table, very much altered. In the Lady Chapel, a James I refectory table is used as an altar. The main body of the Church contains a small altar with a fossil marble top, given by Revd G Weale in 1797.
In 1872 the interior of the church was give a complete restoration by G F Bodley. The pews, lecterns, screen, vestry and altar cross are all from this restoration. The painted ceiling of the north aisle is all that remains of this highly decorative work.
The organ dates from the early 1960's and is by Compton in a case of 1906.
Windows
There is some good glass in the windows including two windows by William Kemp. The east window dates from the 1872 restoration and in the south side of the chancel is a small window filled with fragments of medieval glass.
New stained glass for the large west window of the church was commissioned at the beginning of the century to celebrate the new millenium. The subject of the window is 'Christ in Glory' and the artist, Graeme Willson, conceived and executed the design to reflect the spirit of the church and the local area, known as the Forest of Arden. The window was featured on the cover of the 2004 Coventry Diocesan Directory.
Tower
The tower holds six bells in a steel frame: the oldest bell dates from 1609 and the sixth bell was added in 1959. The clock works date from about 1756. On the top of the tower is a weather vane consisting of a copper fan in the shape of a boars head, which may be from 1700.
Services
The church is used for regular services and meetings are held in the Lady Chapel during the week. In addition, the church is used on occasions for music concerts, fashion shows etc.
Service times are shown in the parish magazine (the Ferncumbe News), together with contact names, telephone numbers etc. of all the members of the Parochial Church Council, but service times are generally as set out below:
1st Sunday of the month
6.00 pm Choral Evensong - a traditional service from the Book of Common Prayer
2nd Sunday of the month
11.00 am 'Sacred Space' service
4th Sunday of the month
11.00 am Sung Matins - a traditional service from the Book of Common Prayer
5th Sunday of the month
8.30 am Holy Communion from Common Worship
6.00 pm Celtic Service
ST LUKES CHURCH
Location and history
St Luke’s Church lies in a picturesque spot on the right-hand side of the road leading from Lowsonford to Shrewley, at the junction of New Road and Narrow Lane. It is slightly elevated from the road and has a small grassy churchyard.
It was opened in 1877 as a Mission Chapel, to serve as a Chapel of Ease for the people of Lowsonford, who prior to this had to walk to Rowington for services. The church is small and simple in design and was built by Clarke and Smallwood of Wootton Wawen at a cost of £670, which was raised by the villagers.
Windows
The east and west windows have stained glass, with a picture of ‘Jesus the Good Shepherd’ in the east window and ‘Jesus Blessing the Children’ in the west window. These two windows were given by the local Smith family. The east window was given in memory of two of their sons, one who was killed in the First World War and another who died in the Second Word War. The west window was given ‘To The Glory of God’. On either side of the east window are two marble plaques, one inscribed with ‘The Creed’ and the other with ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. Above the east window, painted onto the east wall, are the words ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty’. Recently the north and south windows have been replaced, the money being raised in 2004 by the villagers.
Interior
Below the east window there is an altar with a plain wooden altar rail in front. In keeping with the design of the church, the pews are simple and stained dark brown; they will seat about eighty people. When the church re-opened n 1999 a new organ was bought, paid for by local donations, and standing nearby is a sturdy old wooden lectern. The font is an old straddle stone with a piece of old masonry serving as the receptacle for the holy water; this is at the west end of the church near the entrance. There are several brass plaques around the church remembering villagers who contributed significantly to the life of the church. Lowsonford Women’s Club has embroidered beautiful kneelers which enhance the church with their colours and sentiments. The church also boasts the smallest vestry in Warwickshire!
Services
Services are generally held on the third Sunday of the month at 6.00 pm and are usually Evensong - a traditional service from the Book of Common Prayer.
