St Martin of Tours

St Martin’s is Bilborough’s only surviving medieval building.

It was built on a piece of high ground between 1350 and 1400. There has been a settlement here since Anglo Saxon times, the village developed slowly over hundreds of years until suddenly in the 20th century it was swallowed up by outer city housing. In the later 20th century the church became too small to accommodate a growing congregation and to solve the problem, a modern extension was built in 1972. The Grade II* medieval church was lovingly restored between 2010 and 2014.

St Martin’s is home to one of the most beautiful and unusual paintings in the region. For many years the Annunciation mural was believed to have been destroyed. It has only recently been rediscovered and restored. It shows the Angel Gabriel telling Mary that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Very unusually, the scene is set in Bilborough. It was painted in 1946 by war artist, Evelyn Gibbs, one of the founder members of the Midland Group of Artists. Come and enjoy this timeless story of love and trust.

Also in St Martin’s you will find the memorial to Edmund Helwys who died in 1590, his son Thomas Helwys, who lived at nearby Broxtowe Hall, worshipped and was married at St Martin’s. Thomas became a nonconformist, closely associated with the Pilgrim Fathers. He travelled to Amsterdam to escape persecution and was one of the founders of the Baptist denomination. He is believed to have written the first request for religious liberty in the English Language.

St Martin's was restored in 1887-89 by Victorian architect JE Newbury/ Newberry, who went on to become known for his arts and craft style church design with fellow architect FH Greenaway. Newbury’s influence can be seen in the beautifully carved barrel vault ceiling.

Come and discover these hidden treasures for yourself. Take a tour of the church using our hand held tablets and find out more about our local history and the story of the restoration through images and videos on our pop up kiosk.