Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST MARY (1065862)

Church. C11 to C15, tower rebuilt C17 and north aisle and transept demolished, porch remodelled as datestone 1662. South transept truncated 1808; church restored 1910 and organ chamber added. Regular coursed and squared coursed limestone with ashlar dressings. Collyweston slate and lead roofs. Nave, chancel, remains of south transept, south porch, north organ chamber and west tower. South elevation of chancel of 2-window range of lancets, under hood moulds, with nailhead decoration. Ashlar buttr ss between windows. C12 priest door, to left, has semi-circular head with zig-zag decoration. Low side window, with arch-head, at intersection of aisle transept and chancel wall. Steeply gabled roof with Collyweston slates, behind plain ashlar coping with finial. 3-light west window, with hollow reveals, and Perpendicular style tracery, renewed C19. Flanking ashlar buttresses. North elevation of chancel is similar to south elevation, with a 2-window range of lancets. South aisle of 4 bays, 3- indow range. 3-light window with intersecting tracery and carved label stops, to right. 3-light centre window has triangular head, 3 cusped circles and carved label stops. 2-light window, to left, has similar cusped circle. Ashlar buttress to corner and between centre and right window. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapet. Bay to right originally projected as the south transept. 3-light east window has intersecting tracery. Single lancet in west wall. Gabled porch breaks forward in bay to l ft of centre. Double stepped and single chamfered outer doorway, has quatrefoil responds and one order of shafts. Nailhead decoration to steps and hood mould. C12 inner doorway with semi-circular head, nailhead decoration and 2 orders of shafts. Single stage buttresses, flanking outer doorway, to return walls. Ashlar gable parapet and C19 finial. Datestone in apex of gable EC/LS/1662. North elevation of nave of 3 bays. 2-window range to centre and right of C17 four-light square-head windows. -stage buttresses between bays and to right hand corner. 2 C15 two-light clerestory windows to far left. Shallow gabled roof has plain ashlar parapet to centre and right bay and castellated ashlar parapet to left bay. Early C20 gabled organ chamber breaks forward to far left. 2 single-light square-head windows with roundel above, in north gable. South nave clerestory of 5-window range of C15 two-light windows similar to north elevation. 2 bays to right, corresponding with the line of the former south transept, set-back slightly. West tower of 2 stages. 3-stage ashlar buttresses to west facing corners only. Evidence of early foundations at base of buttresses. Lancet window to west face of lower stage. Small square-head window to lower west face of upper stage. 2-light square-head bell-chamber openings, with arch-head lights, to each face of upper stage. Castellated ashlar parapet with crocketed pinnacles at corners. Interior: 3-bay south nave arcade of early C13 double chamfered arch s with circular and quatrefoil piers with nailhead decoration. East respond has capital with carved heads. Similar arch gives access to former south transept, from south aisle. Late C12, single stepped, semi-circular arch from nave to former south transept has flat responds. This bay breaks forward from the line of the south arcade. Moulded and chamfered chancel arch with semi-circular responds. Late C12 triple stepped and chamfered tower arch, with polygonal responds, is set in square surrou d. Moulded and chamfered chancel arch with semi-circular responds. Double chamfered arch with polygonal responds to organ chamber. South aisle roof has some original timbers. Other roofs are C19. Octagonal font on octagonal base, probably modified. Double piscina with trefoil head openings and central column, to right of altar. Trefoil head piscina in former transept. Evidence of jambs of former east window in chancel. Stained glass: fragment of medieval glass to south window of former trance t. C19 glass in chancel. Early C20 furnishings. Monuments: fragments of stone coffin lids in porch. Early C19 inscribed marble tablet to Cheeseman family on south wall of nave. Inscribed tablet recording restoration of church in 1910 by Brassey family of Apethorpe Hall (q.v.). (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p469; RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p166)

Record last edited

Jul 24 2023 4:35PM