Listed Building: Church of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints (1065930)

Church. C11, C12, C13 and C14, datestone 1640 on spire. Restored C19. Regular coursed and squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar with lead and Collyweston slate roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. South elevation of chancel is a 2-window range of 3-light Perpendicular windows, with 4-centred arch-heads, and hollow reveals. Plank and studded priest's door, to left of centre, has moulded stone surround and 4-centred arch-head. 2-stage buttress terminating at parapet level, between windows. Shallow gabled roof with castellated ashlar parapet. 5-light Perpendicular east window has hollow reveals and 4-centred arch-head. Tracery restored C19. 2-stage clasping buttresses, at corners, terminating at parapet level. Castellated ashlar parapet above window. North elevation of chancel is similar to south elevation, but with a blank bay to left. Evidence of a blocked priest's door to left of centre. South aisle of 3 bays, with wider bay to left. 3-window range of 2- and 3-light Decorated windows, with geometrical tracery, and carved label stops. 2-stage gabled buttresses at corners and between bays. Lean-to roof, with plain ashlar parapet, and 4 small gargoyles. 3-light east window has hollow reveals and 4-centred arch-head. Gabled porch breaks forward to left. Outer doorway has 2-centred, double-chamfered, arch-head with polygonal responds and one order of shafts. Band of nailhead decoration between chamfers and between responds and shafts. Hood mould also has nail head decoration. Trefoil head niche above arch. Inner doorway has 2-centred arch-head with moulded stone surround and fielded panelled doors. Steeply gabled roof with ashlar parapets and finial. Bay attached to west of south aisle abuts the base of the tower. C19 lancet window and studded plank door, to right, under wood lintel. Steep lean-to roof with Collyweston slates and ashlar gable parapet. Lancet window in west elevation. North aisle of 4 bays, 6-window range. 2 bays to right each have pairs of 2-light windows with Y-tracery. 2 bays to left each have 3-light windows with plate tracery. C12 north doorway, to far right, has semi-circular head with roll mouldings, nail head and floret decoration and 2 orders of shafts. 2-stage ashlar buttresses at corners and between bays. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet and 3 gargoyles. 3-light east window with intersecting tracery. Bay attached to west of north aisle is similar to that attached to south aisle. Nave clerestory is rendered and has a 3-window range to north and 5-window range to south, of 3-light windows with cusping. Shallow gabled roof with castellated ashlar parapets. West tower of 5 stages. Lower 3 stages of C11 regular coursed limestone with two, 3-stage, ashlar buttresses to lower 2 stages. West doorway has 2-centred arch-head with moulded surround. 2 bands of nail head decoration and 2 orders of shafts. Quatrefoil to centre of second stage and single-light window to centre of third stage. Upper 2 stages are ashlar. Upper stage is octagonal with castellated parapet and gargoyles at corners. Pinnacles with panel tracery and crockets rise across intermediate faces of octagon. 2-light bell-chamber openings, with transoms, rise through both stages on cardinal faces of octagon. Set back, octagonal, spire rises from the octagon and is supported by flying buttresses from the pinnacles. Spire has crockets and 2 tiers of lucarnes. Lower lucerne, on west face, has datestone 1640. Interior: 4 bay nave aracade of triple chamfered arches with polygonal piers. Double chamfered chancel arch is similar with octagonal responds. C12 semi-circular tower arch is doubled stepped and chamfered, with semi-circular responds and waterleaf capitals. C11 triangular head door above, now blocked. Doubled chamfered arch with corbelled respond from south aisle to vestry, at base of tower. Corresponding space to north of tower forms a separate room. 2 windows in north wall of north aisle and east window of north aisle, have internal shafts. 2 blocked priest's doors in chancel, one with a moulded stone surround and 4-centred arch-head. Square-head niche to left of altar. Trefoil head piscina to south wall of south aisle. Original roof structure in nave has castellated cross beams. Aisle roofs have moulded cross beams. C19 chancel roof. Fragment of nailhead frieze, to wall of south aisle. Jacobean pulpit with hour glass stand. Fragment of Perpendicular screen reset in south aisle. Clock mechanism dated 1695 is alongside. Plank door with strap hinges into room to north of tower. Stained glass: fragments of medieval glass to tracery of south aisle, south windows. Late C19 lancet window in vestry. Fragment of medieval wall paintings above chancel arch to north wall of chancel and to north aisle. Monuments: Griffin King, d.1796, inscribed tablet in south aisle. Saxon cross shaft with carvings in north aisle. Plain chest tomb with coffin lid in south aisle and various coffin lid fragments in north and south aisles. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p309; RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p120; C.A. Markham: Stone Crosses in Northamptonshire: p83)

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 12:56PM