Bromham
Saint Owen's
Places > Bromham > Churches
St. Owen's church stands in Bromham Park to the east of the village. The church is a late13th building with a decorated14th chancel and a large 15th century west tower. The tower was struck by lightning on the 4th September 1816 with the cost of repairs amounting to 207 17s 6d
In 1863 Lord Dynevor obtained a faculty for a family vault in the churchyard. Edwin Harrison the estate-building superintendent prepared the plans, with the vault under the north side of the chancel extending out into the churchyard.
The main restoration of the church under William Butterfield came in 1868-69 with the construction of a transept chapel over the vault and a complete and conservative repair of the whole church. The chancel was virtually rebuilt and a vestry added.
The tower and west end of the nave were badly damaged by fire on the 11th September 1906. The fire destroyed the bells, which had only recently been rehung in 1903 as a memorial to the Hon. Miss Rice Trevor. Following the completion of repairs, the opportunity was taken in 1907-08 to enlarge the organ chambers by enclosing the space between the Dynevor chapel and the north aisle with a new organ being installed.
Sources
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The Newspaper Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library
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PICKFORD, C. Bedfordshire Churches of the 19th Century Part 1 A-G BHRS Vol.73 1994.
Saint Owen's Church by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2011
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014