Church Heritage Record id19025

Skip over navigation

Core DetailsLocationBuildingInteriorChurchyardSignificanceEnvironmentForumAudit

Caldecote: St Mary Magdalene

Name:

This is the church’s legal name as given by the Church Commissioners.

Caldecote: St Mary Magdalene
Record Type:

A classification of the current status of the building

Friendless Church
Church code:

This is a unique identification number supplied to each church building by the Church Commissioners.

Diocese:

Name of diocese in which the church building is located at the time of entry.

St.Albans
Archdeaconry:

Name of archdeaconry in which the church building is located at the time of entry

Hertford
Parish:

This is the legal name of the parish as given by the Church Commissioners.

Newnham

Please enter a number

Statutory Designation Information

Listed Building?

The decision to put a church building on the National Heritage List for England and assign it a listing grade is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is normally based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on the historic environment.

This is a Grade II* Listed Building
View more information about this Listed Building on the National Heritage List for England web site
Scheduled Monument?

The decision to schedule a feature (building, monument, archaeological remains, etc.) located within the church building’s precinct or churchyard is made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The decision is based on recommendations made by Historic England, the government’s adviser on cultural heritage.

Work in progress - can you help?

National Park

National Parks are areas of countryside that include villages and towns, which are protected because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage. In England, National Parks are designated by Natural England, the government’s advisor on the natural environment.

Work in progress - can you help?

Conservation Area

Conservation areas are places of special architectural or historic interest where it is desirable to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of such areas. Conservation Areas are designated by the Local Council.

Work in progress - can you help?

Please enter a number

Heritage At Risk Status

On Heritage At Risk Register?

The Heritage at Risk programme is run and managed by Historic England, the government’s advisor on cultural heritage. It aims to protect and manage the historic environment, so that the number of ‘at risk’ historic places and sites across England are reduced.

This church is not on the Heritage at Risk Register
 **************

Approximate Date

Approximate Date:

Selecting a single date for the construction of a church building can sometimes be very difficult as most CoE buildings have seen many phases of development over time. The CHR allows you to record a time period rather than a specific date.

The CHR records the time period for the building’s predominant fabric as opposed to the date of the earliest fabric or the church’s foundation date.

Medieval

Exterior Image

Work in progress - can you help?

Summary Description

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
This tiny church stands in the centre of its small churchyard. The building material is flint rubble and brick with roughly squared stone dressings, the whole covered with a coat of cement. The roofs, behind their battlements, have lead coverings.

Visiting and Facilities

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
The church is closed for worship.
Date closed for worship: Unknown
Work in progress - can you help?
 **************

Church Website

Church Website:

www.holytrinitylyonsdown.org.uk

Work in progress - can you help?

Sources and Further Information

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
James Miles (2020) Friends of Friendless churches https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/caldecote/ [Digital Archive/Index]
A link to the Friends of Friendless churches webpage
Church Buildings Council (2019) Church Bells 1 Bell [Archive/Index]
1 Bell

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: TL 236 384

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Administrative Area

County:

The administrative area within which the church is located.

Hertfordshire County

Location and Setting

This field describes the setting of the church building, i.e. the surroundings in which the church building is experienced, and whether or not it makes a positive or negative contribution to the significance of the building.

The church is situated just off the A1, about three miles north of Letchworth and Baldock.

Church Plan

Work in progress - can you help?

Ground Plan Description and Dimensions

Ground Plan

Provide as written description of the ground plan of the church building and well as its dimensions.

Nave and chancel without structural division, west tower and south porch.

Dimensions

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Footprint of Church buildings (m2):

Small (<199m2)

Medium (200-599m2)

Large (600m-999m2)

Very Large (>1000m2)

Work in progress - can you help?

Description of Archaeology and History

This field aims to record the archaeological potential of the wider area around the building and churchyard, as well as the history of site.

The whole of the building belongs to the middle of the 15th century, with some later repairs.

Exterior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the exterior of the church building and the churchyard.

This tiny church stands in the centre of its small churchyard. The building material is flint rubble and brick with roughly squared stone dressings, the whole covered with a coat of cement. The roofs, behind their battlements, have lead coverings.

The western tower is of two stages. The first stage is of the same width as the nave, with small diagonal buttresses at the western corners. In the centre of the west wall is a two-light window with cusped "Y" tracery. At roof level the tower is hipped, the hips being covered with tiled roofs. On each side of the upper or belfry stage of the tower is a two-light window with a quatrefoil in the head. The parapet is plain and there is no spire.

Although there is no internal division between nave and chancel, two external buttresses mark the place where the dividing screen used to be. In the south wall of the nave is a three light traceried and transomed window; the tracery would appear to be unrestored. On the north side of the church is a similar window which has lost its tracery and has had two wooden mullions and a transom substituted. The gabled and battlemented south porch has two small diagonal buttresses at the external angles. The doorway has a moulded arch under a square head; the jambs are octagonal with moulded capitals, but they are partly made up with cement. On either side of the porch is a small two-light window with a square head. The doorway within the porch has an arch of two moulded orders without capitals. To the right of the door is a 15th century stoup under a lofty and richly crocketed canopy, with a broken basin supported on a stem decorated with quatrefoil panels. A stoup of such richness is unique, at least in this area.

Architects, Artists and Associated People/Organisations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Who:
Henry Sanders
Role:
Architect / Surveyor ICM55
From:
09 Sep 2020
To:
01 Jan 2100
Contribution:

Building Fabric and Features

This field is an index of the building and its major components

Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Building Fabric and FeaturesBuilding Fabric and Features
STAINED GLASS

Building Materials

This field is an index of the building’s material composition

Work in progress - can you help?

Interior Image

Work in progress - can you help?

Interior Description

This field aims to record a written description of the interior of the church building.

The chancel is of the same width as the nave. The east window is of three cinquefoiled lights, traceried and transomed. In the north wall is a two-light window under a square head, and there is a similar window in the south wall; there is also in the south wall a single-light, low side window. The interior of the building is plastered and whitened throughout, with a simple braced tie-beam roof of low pitch. Access from the nave to the tower space is by means of a tall pointed arch of two moulded orders, the outer order being continuous down the jambs, the inner having a shafted jamb with moulded capitals and bases.

Internal Fixtures and Fittings

This field is an index of the building’s internal, architectural components. This includes its internal spaces and those areas’ fixtures and fittings (building components which are securely fixed to the church or cathedral).

Skip Navigation Links.
Collapse Internal Fixtures and FittingsInternal Fixtures and Fittings
(1926)
(1926)
BELL (1 of 1)
FONT (OBJECT) (15th Century)
PEW (OBJECT) (15th Century)
PULPIT (18th Century)

Portable Furnishings and Artworks

This field is an index of the building’s movable, non-fixed furnishings and artworks.

Work in progress - can you help?

If you notice any errors with the below outlines of your connected churchyards, please email heritageonline@churchofengland.org with the corrections needed.

This could include information on new churchyards, edits to the boundaries shown, or different land characteristics. 

We are working on adding the consecrated land found within local authority cemeteries, and in time, this data will be shown on the map.

Grid Reference: TL 236 384

To zoom into an area hold the SHIFT key down then click and drag a rectangle.

Ecology

This field aims to record a description of the ecology of the churchyard and surrounding setting.

Work in progress - can you help?

Ecological Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

The everyday wildlife of burial grounds means much to those who visit and cherish them but many burial grounds are so rich in wildlife that they should be designated and specially protected. Few have the legal protection of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in the case of local authority owned cemeteries, Local Nature Reserve. This makes it even more important that they are cared for and protected by the people looking after them.

Many have a non-statutory designation as a recognition of their importance. These non-statutory designations have a variety of names in different regions including Local Wildlife Site, County Wildlife Site, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation or Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Local Wildlife Site is the most common name). Their selection is based on records of the most important, distinctive and threatened species and habitats within a national, regional and local context. This makes them some of our most valuable wildlife areas.

For example, many burial grounds which are designated as Local Wildlife Sites contain species-rich meadow, rich in wildflowers, native grasses and grassland fungi managed by only occasional mowing plus raking. When this is the case, many animals may be present too, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. This type of grassland was once widespread and has been almost entirely lost from the UK with approximately 3% remaining, so burial grounds with species-rich meadow managed in this way are extremely important for wildlife.

These designations should be considered when planning management or change.

If you think that this or any other burial ground should be designated please contact Caring for God’s Acre (info@cfga.org.uk) to discuss. Many eligible sites have not yet received a designation and can be surveyed and then submitted for consideration.

There are no SSSIs within the curtilage of this Friendless Church.

There are no Local nature reserves within the curtilage of this Friendless Church.

There are no Local Wildlife sites within the curtilage of this Friendless Church.

Evidence of the Presence of Bats

This field aims to record any evidence of the presence of bats in the church building or churchyard.

Work in progress - can you help?

Burial and War Grave Information

This field records basic information about the presence of a churchyard and its use as a burial ground.

It is unknown whether the church or churchyard is consecrated. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard is closed for burial. Work in progress - can you help?
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves. Work in progress - can you help?

National Heritage List for England Designations

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

There are no Listed Buildings within the curtilage of this Friendless Church.

There are no Scheduled Monuments within the curtilage of this Friendless Church.

Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

Churchyards are home to fantastic trees, in particular ancient and veteran trees which can be the oldest indication of a sacred space and be features of extraordinary individuality. The UK holds a globally important population of ancient and veteran yew trees of which three-quarters are found in the churchyards of England and Wales.

There are more than 1,000 ancient and veteran yews aged at least 500 years in these churchyards.

To put this in context, the only other part of western Europe with a known significant yew population is Normandy in northern France, where more than 100 ancient or veteran churchyard yews have been recorded.

Burial grounds may contain veteran and ancient trees of other species such as sweet chestnut or small-leaved lime which, whilst maybe not so old as the yews, are still important for wildlife and may be home to many other species.

Specialist advice is needed when managing these wonderful trees. For more information or to seek advice please contact Caring for God’s Acre, The Ancient Yew Group and The Woodland Trust.

If you know of an ancient or veteran tree in a burial ground that is not listed here please contact Caring for God’s Acre.

There are currently no Ancient, Veteran or Notable trees connected to this Friendless Church

Churchyard Structures

This field is an index of the churchyard’s components.

Work in progress - can you help?

Significance

Setting Significance Level:

Significance is the whole set of reasons why people value a church, whether as a place for worship and mission, as an historic building that is part of the national heritage, as a focus for the local community, as a familiar landmark or for any other reasons.

Work in progress - can you help?
Setting Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Fabric Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Fabric Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Interior Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Interior Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Community Significance Level:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?
Community Significance Description:
Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Church Renewables

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator
Work in progress - can you help?

Species Summary

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

All of the species listed below have been recorded in close proximity to the Friendless Church . A few species which are particularly threatened and affected by disturbance may not be listed here because their exact location cannot be shared.

NOTE: Be aware that this dataset is growing, and the species totals may change once the National Biodiversity Network has added further records. Species may be present but not recorded and still await discovery.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.

To learn more about all of the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.

‘Seek Advice’ Species

Missing help text - to be added by an administrator

If any of the following species have been seen close to the Friendless Church, it is important to seek advice from an expert. You will need to know if they are present now, and to follow expert recommendations when planning works. All of these species have specific legal protection as a recognition of their rarity. All of them are rare or becoming increasingly endangered, so it is important to ensure that management and other works do not adversely affect them. In addition, there may be things you can do to help these special species. N.B. Swift and House Martin do not have specific legal protection but are included, as roof repair works often impact breeding swifts and house martins which is against the law.

This is not a complete list of protected species, there are many more, but these are ones that are more likely to be found. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are also protected by law, as are all bats and veteran trees. In a few cases, species are considered particularly prone to disturbance or destruction by people, so the exact location of where they were recorded is not publicly available but can be requested. These ‘blurred’ records are included here, and the accuracy is to 1km. This means that the species has been recorded in close proximity to the Friendless Church, or a maximum of 1km away from it. As these ‘blurred’ species are quite mobile, there is a strong likelihood that they can occur close to the Friendless Church. To learn about these special species, use the link provided for each species in the table below

One important species which is not included here is the Peregrine Falcon. This is protected and advice should be sought if peregrines are nesting on a church or cathedral. Peregrine records are ‘blurred’ to 10km, hence the decision not to include records here. Remember too that species not seriously threatened nationally may still be at risk in your region and be sensitive to works. You should check with local experts about this. You may also need to seek advice about invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed and aquatics colonising streams or pools, which can spread in churchyards.

N.B. If a species is not recorded this does not indicate absence. It is always good practice to survey.

No species data found for this record

Caring for God’s Acre can help and support you in looking after the biodiversity present in this special place. If you know that any of these species occur close to the Friendless Church and are not recorded here, please contact Caring for God’s Acre with details (info@cfga.org.uk).

To find out more about these and other species recorded against this Friendless Church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas.

The church was the centre of many people’s lives and remains a guide to their cares and concerns. Glimpses into those lives have often come down to us in the stories we heard as children or old photographs discovered in tattered shoe boxes. Perhaps your ancestors even made it into local legend following some fantastic event? You can choose to share those memories with others and record them for future generations on this Forum.

Tell us the story of this building through the lives of those who experienced it. Tell us why this church is important to you and your community.

Upload your photographs, share your videos, or compose your story below using a Facebook, Twitter, Google or Disqus account.

Refresh
WhoActionWhen
Oliver LackRemoved asset source linkMon 13 Feb 2023 14:11:40
Oliver LackModified asset data - Modified the Archaeology and History DescriptionMon 13 Feb 2023 14:11:07
Oliver LackModified asset data - Modified the Archaeology and History DescriptionMon 13 Feb 2023 14:05:02
Oliver LackAdded SourceThu 01 Dec 2022 16:12:20
Oliver LackAdded SourceWed 19 Oct 2022 11:44:01
Oliver LackModified asset data - Modified the Summary DescriptionWed 19 Oct 2022 11:42:54
Oliver LackAdded fabric typeWed 19 Oct 2022 11:42:32
Oliver LackAdded interior feature typeWed 19 Oct 2022 11:42:09
Oliver LackAdded interior feature typeWed 19 Oct 2022 11:41:46
Oliver LackAdded interior feature typeWed 19 Oct 2022 11:41:25
First Previous Next Last 
Page 1 of 3 (26 items)
Page size:
Site Map  | Privacy | T & C | © 2014 - 2025 Archbishops' Council  | Web site by exeGesIS SDM | Rev. 3.4.8529.22773
  • Home
  • Login
  • Register
  • Church Search
  • Site Map