Listed Building: Church of St. Nicholas (1228501)

Church. C.1300 to c.1350. Squared coursed limestone, lias and granite with ashlar dressings with lead and slate roof laid to diminishing courses. Aisled nave, chancel and west tower. Chancel: South elevation of 3-window range of 3-light windows with Intersecting tracery; that to right is blocked. North elevation similar with blocked window to left retaining its tracery. 5-light east window with Intersecting tracery has roundel above. Gabled roof with ashlar gable parapets and large rectangular ribbed finials at eaves. South aisle of 3-window range; the centre window of 3-lights has Intersecting tracery and the windows to left and right of 3 lights have Rectilinear tracery. Similar east and west windows, that to west is blocked. South porch to left has cusped outer arch and ashlar gable parapets. South aisle has lean-to roof with ashlar gable parapets and ball finials at the corners. North aisle of 3-window range of 3-light windows; the 2 to the left have Rectilinear tracery and that to right has Intersecting tracery. North door to right. Similar east and west windows. Lean-to roof with ashlar parapets and with corner to finials. The aisle and chancel have 2-stage buttresses between the windows. Nave clerestory of 5-window range of 2-light square-headed windows has gabled roof. West tower of 3 stages with clasping buttresses at the corners, 2-light window in lower stage. 2-light bell chamber opening with Y-tracery in the third stage. Stair turret to north-east corner. Castellated parapet, now rendered, has crocketed corner pinnacles partially rebuilt on arched brick supports. Interior: Double-chamfered chancel arch. 5-bay nave arcade of double-chamfered arches with tall piers having a continuous chamfered moulding. Piscina in south aisle has crocketed gable, adjacent is a low stone bench with quatrefoil decoration. Nave and aisle roofs probably C14 with carved tracery to tie beams of nave roof and wall shafts supported on carved brackets. Font, C14 with tracery decorations. Pulpit incorporates part of the rood screen. Screens: Rood screen with Perpendicular base and top reset from Lutterworth, Leicestershire; tower screen also Perpendicular. Choir stalls have panelled fronts one with misericord; C16 linenfold panelling behind; C18 wrought iron communion rail. West gallery on Tuscan columns supports early C17 organ reputedly from the Royal Chapel, Whitehall. Stained glass: Chancel east window early C14 depicting the Virgin, Saints, Abbots and the Crucifixion. Also early C14 the chancel side windows depicting 10 apostles and 2 saints; north window also has Christ and the Virgin. North-aisle east window c,1330-40 depicting the Virgin, Crucifixion and Saints. Also c.1330-40 the south-aisle east window, the south-east window tracery head, the north-west window the adjacent north-east window and the large spires in the chancel north window. In the south-east window glass c.1500 depicting the Virgin and St. John the Evangelists and in the 2 windows adjacent to the west the Visitation and various saints. South aisle windows probably early C16 depicting figures. East window c.1558 depicting members of the Cave family and Henry VII and Elizabeth of York came from Stanford Hall probably C19. Monuments, south aisle: Defaced effigy of a priest C14 on chest tomb in arch recess decorated with quatrefoils and flanked by buttress. Between north aisle and nave Sir Thomas Cave, died 1558; alabaster chest tomb with 2 recumbent figures decorated with shields roundels, putti and kneeling figures. North aisle: Sir Ambrose Cave, died 1568. Chest tomb decorated with 3 roundels; shield above flanked by Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. North aisle: Henry Knollys and wife Margaret Cave c.1600; 2 effigies at different levels with kneeling daughters flanking flat arch over. North chancel: Sir Thomas Cave died 1613. Chest tomb with 2 recumbent effigies, kneeling children, strapwork cartouche and flanking columns. Adjacent is Richard Cave died 1606, kneeling child. North aisle: Dorothy St. John died 1630; small chest tomb with black top decorated with shields and garlands. South chancel: Sir Thomas Cave died 1733 alongside Sir Verney Cave died 1734, bust and obelisk. South aisle: James Callan died 1751, small sarcophagus with Rococo volutes and obelisk over. South chancel: Sir Thomas Cave died 1778 but early C19 profile in oval medallion. North chancel: Sir Otway Cave died 1830, relief depicting 3 figures, one on a couch reputedly by Kessells. North aisle west Robert Ottoway Cave died 1844, figure on couch by Westmacott. South aisle west: Third Lady Braye died 1862, recumbent and kneeling figures by Mary Thorneycroft. North aisle: Edmund Verney c.1896 has free standing figure to left. 17 hatchments. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.407).

Record last edited

Dec 20 2023 12:38PM