Listed Building: Church of St James (1191273)

Church. C12 to C14, west wall and spirelet rebuilt and church restored 1880 by Carpenter and Ingelow. Squared coursed and regular coursed limestone with lead roof. Aisled nave, chancel, south porch and west spirelet. South elevation of chancel of 2 windows of C14 two-and 3-light windows with curvilinear tracery. Small low side window, with similar tracery, to far left. Central priests door. 3-stage clasping buttress at corner. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet. 4-light east window ha Curvilinear tracery and carved label stops. North elevation of chancel is of one-window range with C19 three-light window with tracery. North aisle-vestry projects over one bay of chancel. Circular stair turret, with conical roof, is attached to right bay of chancel and rises from north aisle roof. South aisle of 2 bays, one-window range to right, with a 3-light square-head window, restored C19. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. C14 two-light east window is a double lancet, with trefoi tracery, probably restored C19. Gabled porch, to left of south aisle, has outer doorway with 4-centred-arch head, roll moulding and hollow semi-circular responds. Inner doorway has 2-centred-arch head with roll moulding and studded plank door, probably rehung. Octagonal, Holy Water stoup to right of door. Single-light windows in return walls. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapets. North aisle of 4 bays. 3-window range of 2-and3-light square-head windows, restored C19. North doorwa , to far right, has roll mouldings and 2-centred-arch head. Three 2-stage buttresses between bays. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. 2-stage west tower and spirelet project from centre of west wall and are flanked by 2-stage buttresses. 2-light west window has 4-centred-arch head, transom and cusping.Window is set in arch-head recess at base of tower, flanked by shallow buttresses. Corbelled bracket above apex of window. Upper stage of tower has 2-light bell-chamber opening with ogee-head lights, to west face. One bell is hung in each opening. Other faces have single-light openings with transom and cusping. Quatrefoil frieze and moulded cornice above. Broach spirelet with one tier of lucarnes. Interior: 2 bay nave arcade. North arcade is c1200 with chamfered and roll moulded, semi-circular arches and circular pier with matching responds. The south arcade is c1300 with double-chamfered and hollowed arches with quatrefoil pier. Semi-circular respond to east and octagonal pier to west abutting the west wall. C12 semi-circular chancel arch with semi-circular responds and scalloped capitals. Moulded tower arch c1880 may incorporate medieval masonry. Semi-circular arch above the chancel arch, is probably late C19 and gives access to the organ loft. 2 moulded arches between north chapel and chancel have carved label stops and a masonry pier between. Small doorway, to right, gives access to north chapel. Late C19 roof structures. C19 squint to right of chancel arch. Niche o left of altar and piscina, with trefoil head, to right. Remains of sedilia alongside. 2 squints in north wall of chancel. Niche to north wall of north aisle and trefoil head piscina to right of south aisle altar. Turret stair rises from north chapel. Jacobean pulpit panels. Reading desk, lecturn and bench in the chancel also have reset Jacobean panels. Various C19 and early C20 painted screens and organ gallery, above the chancel arch, all decorated with High Anglican symbolism. The cha cel screen is by Sir Ninian Comper. Octagonal font supported on 5 shafts. Stained glass: late C19 chancel windows and mid C20 east window of south aisle. Monuments: Susanna Welles died 1658; brass wall plaque to west return of north arcade. Robert Negus died 1657; inscribed plaque to south wall of north chapel. Various C18 inscribed floor tablets and C19 wall tablets. At the west end of the nave springing of a further arcade abutts the west wall. The respond abutting the wall on the north side as nailhead decoration. The church had links with the Oxford Movement in the late C19. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p431. VCH: Northamptonshire, Vol.3: p109)

Record last edited

May 26 2023 10:37AM