“I am the good shepherd and know my sheep” is a quote from John 10:14 of the King James Version of the Bible which appears in the ornate window in the south wall of the nave in St. Mary de Ballaugh (New Church) on Station Road in Ballaugh. (
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The quote appears below a depiction of Jesus in long flowing robes wearing sandals holding a lamb under his right arm and a shepherd’s crook in his left. There is another lamb by his feet. The window is the third window from the front of the nave on south side of the church. It is the most ornate in the south wall of the nave.
The Bible verse in full is quoted below:
“I am the good shepherd, and know my
sheep, and am known of mine.” (
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Below the quote is a floral design of white flowers on a light-blue background and at the foot of the window is the following dedication:
“THIS WINDOW IS ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN LOVING
MEMORY OF HUGH STOWELL FIRST RECTOR OF THIS CHURCH
CALLED HOME OCTOBER 14 AD 1835 FROM THE
DUST THE PROPHET CRIETH PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD” This church was built between 1830 and 1832 to succeed an old church at The Cronk, to the North, which was felt to be too small and too distant from the main centre of population in the Parish.
The new church is indeed much closer to the centre of the modern village and as originally designed had the capacity to seat 600, although this has now been reduced by the rear of the nave being converted into a meeting room, a kitchen, and toilets.
The pinnacles on the church and the gateposts, were intended to prevent the Devil from sitting on the building or its gateposts.
The church was built in local stone to a designed by Joseph Hanson and Edward Welch which is a restrained Early English Gothic Revival.
St. Mary’s is a nave church with a commanding square buttressed tower, housing three bells, which is topped by an octagonal lantern, which is a design unique to the Island.
Sir John Betjeman likened the tower to the much taller Boston Stump in Lincolnshire. Both a tall lantern or drum without a parapet and the drum has small diagonal buttressed and tall pinnacles.
The church is surrounded by a large graveyard where the Parish Memorial stands and nearby is a memorial bench commemorating the centenary of the ending of WWI.
Inside the building is a list of all the fighting who fought in WWI which can be found below the gallery across the west end of the church. Below this gallery a collection of flags hang and the plaster walls have inscriptions from the Bible round them.
The gallery was used as a Sunday School up until 1910 and the opening of the nearby church. Access to the gallery was blocked off in 1966.
The interior is relatively wide when compared to many Manx churches and this results in a feeling of spaciousness which is enhanced by the white wall plain windows. There are box pews on either side and down the middle of the nave. It is alleged by some authorities that the box pews are original but other claim they are Victorian replacements.
The chancel is small in comparison to the nave and features a simple altar with a small wood reredos behind.
In front of the chancel is an angel lectern and white painted pulpit which is dedicated to the nineteenth century Bishop of Sodor and Man – Rowley Hill.
On the north wall of the nave is the highly decorated organ which was installed in 1879.
Many of the interior wall have memorials including several diamond shaped enamel memorials which share much in common with funerary hatchments. (
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