Round Church Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
Listed Building Description
Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.
TL 4458 NE BRIDGE STREET (North East side) 667/3/14 Church of the Holy Sepulchre 26/04/50
GV I
Includes: CHURCH OF THE HOLYSEPULCHRE, ROUND CHURCH STREET On east side of Bridge Street opposite the north end of St John's Street. One of the 5 surviving round churches in the country. The circular nave with its aisle is of the first half of the C12; the upper part was altered in the C15 and there are remains of that date in the chancel. The building was drastically restored and in part rebuilt in 1841, to which date much of the Eastern arm belongs. The work was done under the direction of A Salvin, and financed by the Cambridge Camden Society. Most of the fittings date from this period. Nos 8-19 (cons), The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and The Church of St Clement form a group. (Sources: The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of Cambridge: 1959:-)
Listing NGR: TL4488358807
Overview
The Round Church (officially the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) was built around 1130, making it one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge. It is one of only four medieval round churches in England.
History
Records indicate that the Round Church was founded by the Fraternity of the Holy Sepulchre on land given by Abbot Reinald of Ramsey between 1114 and 1130.
Nothing else is known about this Fraternity, but their name indicates they had a connection to the Crusades and the Holy Land like the Templars and Hospitallers (who built the other round churches). The shape is based on the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The Round Church of Cambridge was built in about 1130 and was originally a wayfarers' chapel, but soon became a parish church, served by the Austin Friars from the nearby Hospital of St. John (now St. John's College).
A rectangular chancel was added in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 15th century. The 15th century also saw the addition of a belfry, which was removed as part of the 19th-century restoration.
A major restoration was carried out in the 1840s after part of the round nave collapsed. Overseen by Anthony Salvin and the Cambridge Camden Society, the restoration is widely considered sensitive and accurate to the church's original appearance.
Description
The exterior of the Round Church features two cylindrical levels with round-arched windows and a conical roof. The round Temple Church in London also had a conical roof before it was destroyed by fire, as reflected in this photo.
Entrance is through the west door, a round arch with Norman zigzag decorations and three carved capitals on each side. The door itself is made of wood.
Inside, the round nave is supported by eight massive cylindrical pillars and surrounded by a vaulted ambulatory. The pillars feature some Norman carved decoration. The fine vaults over the ambulatory were re-erected from the original stonework in the 19th century.
The entire clerestory (the upper level) dates from the 19th century, but reproduces the original architecture. Corbels of human heads top each pillar in the clerestory. The domed ceiling is painted in a light grey-blue and a lamp hangs from the center.
The interior is lit by small, jewel-like stained glass windows designed by Thomas Willement and added in the 1840s restoration. There are no pews or tombs in the floor to interrupt the symmetry of the space; just colored tiles. The 15th-century chancel includes an angel roof of the same date.
The Round Church is no longer used as a church; it now houses exhibitions on the history of the church and Christianity in Cambridge (called "Saints and Scholars"). It is open daily.