Stotfold Church Repairs and Alterations

Most of the structural history of the church can be found in detail in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 79 of 2000 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part III: Parishes S  to Y put together by former County Archivist Chris Pickford from numerous sources some held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service and some held elsewhere or published.

One of the medieval bells survives.  Another bell dated "1615" was actually cast at Baldock in 1651 and the figures were accidentally reversed by the bell founder.  In 1617 the floor of the chancel was said to be out of repair.  In 1674 it was reported that the "Leads of church roof want repair" and that one of the bells was cracked.  The treble bell was recast in 1740.  In 1739 a new silver paten was given.  In 1775 the chancel was "ceiled, paved and railed" by Trinity College Cambridge, during the incumbency of Rev. Samuel Roe.

Archdeacon Bonney ordered extensive repairs in 1823, and in 1825 the parish borrowed £500 to meet the cost.  During this work old painted frescos were discovered.  The walls and roof were repaired at a cost of £637 and the work may have included the rebuilding of the north porch and repairs to the buttress of the tower.  Around this time the pulpit was moved.

In 1839 Bonney noted that the congregation had plans to re-pew the church.  This was done in 1840-1 under the supervision of Thomas Smith of Hertford.   The contractor was William Seymour of Arlesey.  Additional work on the roof was also needed and this was completed by Henry and John Stevens who may also have been responsible for the plaster bosses put up in place of ancient carvings in the north aisle.

‘W.A.’ (John Martin, who wrote a series of articles on Bedfordshire churches) wrote an article on the church in the Northampton Mercury of 7th August 1852 and described the church as being in "tolerably good order" but with some deficiencies which he believed could be put right with "a very small outlay".  These faults included the drain of the font being stopped up with the cork from a beer barrel  and the chancel being blocked up with private sittings.

In 1888 Archedacon Bathurst noted that "measures [were] being taken for restoration."  The architect chosen was A.W. Soames and the work done in 1889-90 included rebuilding the chancel, adding an organ chamber, repairs to the nave roof, erection of embattled parapets and general repairs at a total cost of £1,270.  The north porch was also removed.

In 1910 a clock was placed in the tower as a memorial to the Rev John Holding who is also commemorated by the stained glass in the east window.  The south aisle and porch underwent a further restoration in 1914-15 under Freeman and Ogilvy.  A stained glass window was erected in the south side as a War memorial in 1920.  In 1927-8 the west tower was restored under Professor Richardson, who was also responsible for repairs to the north aisle completed in 1932.  In 1948 the bells were restored and augmented to six, two further bells being added in 1976.  Further work on the west window of the tower was carried out in 1959