Listed Building: Church of St. Mary the Virgin (1040946)

Church. C14 and C15 with late C12 origins; restored 1853 by E. F, Law, vestry and organ chamber and alterations to chancel by E. Swinfen Harris 1879, further restoration of 1901. Coursed squared limestone; lead and copper roofs. Chancel, vestry and organ chamber, aisled nave, north and south porches and west tower. 3-bay chancel has 3-light Perpendicular east window, 2-light windows to south with Y-tracery and trefoil to heads, and chamfered priest's door to south, all with hood moulds. Plain stone-coped parapet of ironstone and fine limestone east gable cross probably of 1879 and designed by E. Swinfen Harris. Vestry and organ-chamber to north has 3-light east window with straight head and ogee-arched lights, low gable to north and hollow-chamfered stone eaves. External covered stairway of 1879 on north side of chancel leads to rood screen gallery door inside church and has blocked hollow-chamfered door with 4-centred head and hood mould and 3 stepped 1-light windows with cusped and hollow-chamfered stone surrounds with ogee-arched heads. Nave has 4-bay clerestory of circular windows with moulded stone surrounds and plain ironstone-coped parapet. Stone dated 1594 to middle of parapet to south side, probably recording date of repair or rebuilding. North aisle has 3-light east window with reticulated tracery, and similar 2-light windows to north and west, all with hood moulds. North door has narrow hollow chamfer and wide inner wave moulding and hood mould. North porch doorway has hollow chamfer, sunk quadrant moulding and hood mould with label stops. 1-light window to either side of porch with cusped light, cut spandrels, straight head and hood mould. South aisle has similar windows to north aisle, except for 3-light east window with Curvilinear tracery, quatrefoil to head and hood mould. Many-moulded south door with hood mould in gabled porch with chamfered doorway and chamfered inner arch on corbels and hood mould. Both aisles have hollow-chamfered stone eaves and diagonal offset buttresses. 3-stage tower has small Tudor-arched west door and 2-light Decorated window above, and similar larger bell-chamber openings all with quatrefoils to head and hood moulds. Small 1-light round-headed windows to middle stage west and south. Battlemented parapet and set-back offset buttresses. Gargoyles to middle of north and south sides. Interior: chancel has cusped hollow-chamfered piscina, double-chamfered doorway to vestry with hood mould and label stops and C19 door with fine ornamental hinges. South door has fine C14 foliage finials of former hood mould or reset. Tie-beam roof largely C19 with wall-posts on moulded stone corbels and curved bracing to ties and wall-plate. Double-chamfered chancel arch. Nave has 5-bay arcades with high moulded bases, double-chamfered piers and arches and thin capital mouldings. North aisle has cusped ogee-arched piscina and tomb recess with many-moulded arch, pierced cusping and hood mould. Squint between chancel and south aisle, which also has cusped moulded piscina. Plain image brackets to left of east windows to both aisles. Single-stepped pointed tower arch of c.1200. Good C19 tiled floors to nave and chancel. Font has octagonal plinth, stem and tapered bowl. Rood screen Perpendicular with 1-light ogee-arched divisions and panel tracery above. Communion rail, C17 with fat turned balusters now used as stall fronts. Reredos of 1879 designed by Swinfen Harris with polyptych altarpiece panel, probably painted by Nathanial Westlake. Monuments. Wall monument with brass to Richard Lightfoot, d.1625, in pilastered limestone surround with apron and hour-glass to finial. Wall monument resembling small hatchment, with coat of arms and inscription to Jane Nailour, d. January 1655/6, daughter and sole heir of Robert Wicken; oil on canvas. Wall monument to Mrs. Mary Arundell, d.1676, recording her gift of £50 for communion plate and the same towards 'beautifying and repairing' the church; oil on board. Wall monument to Anna, wife of Francis Arundell, d.1674, with bolection-moulded slate surround to marble inscription panel. Veined marble wall monument to Reverend William Rolfe, d.1693. Wall monument to John Blackburn, d.1719, with bolection-moulded stone surround painted black. Wall monument signed Middleton, Towcester, to John Smith, merchant in London, d.1768, erected by his executers in memory of his parents sister and uncle. Limestone with slate inscription panel flanked by ornamental volutes and with large urn finial. Veined marble wall monument to Reverend Joseph Tordiff, d.1775, with urn finial. Wall monument to members of Vernon family beginning with Henrietta Vernon, d.1796; oil on board. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p415; Illustrated Notes on St. Mary the Virgin (guide) 1975)

Record last edited

Feb 23 2024 9:38AM