Listed Building: Church of the Holy Cross (9/85)

Church. Late C13 to mid C14 with earlier origins. Restored 1874-1877 by E.F. Law and again in 1880. Coursed squared ironstone and limestone, slate roofs to nave and chancel, lead roofs to aisles. Chancel, north and south chancel chapels, aisled nave, south porch and west tower. 2-bay chancel has 5-light east window and 3-light window to south, both with reticulated tracery and hood moulds with label stops, and quatrefoil clerestory windows. Chancel chapels continue aisles overlapping chancel and have rose windows to east ends in square chamfered stone surrounds; rose window to north chapel C19. South chapel has narrow blocked chamfered doorway with hood mould to east wall by chancel and 3-light window to south with cinquefoil-headed lights and hood mould. North chapel has 3-light window to north with cusped ogee-arched heads to lights and hood mould and small 2-light low-side window to north-west with Decorated tracery and hood mould. Nave has 4-bay clerestory with pointed trefoil windows to south side only, with hood moulds. North aisle has 3-light windows to north with straight heads and ogee-arched heads to lights, and north doorway with continuous sunk quadrant and wave moulding and hollow chamfer. South aisle has 2-light windows to south with Decorated tracery and double-chamfered south doorway in porch rebuilt C19. Both aisles have 3-light west window with identical late C13 tracery. 3-stage west tower has triple-chamfered west doorway, small 1-light chamfered windows to middle stage, and 2-light bell-chamber openings (mullions broken away). Battlemented parapet with tall corner pinnacles, and short crocketed spire with one tier of lucarnes on octagonal recessed base with 2-light windows on four sides with Decorated tracery. Doorways and windows of tower and aisles have hood moulds. Plain stone-coped parapets to body of church and angle buttresses to chancel. Interior: raised sanctuary with encaustic-tiled floor approached by 3 steps with tiles to fronts of risers with inscription "DO THIS IN REMBRANCE OF ME/I WILL WASH MY HANDS IN INNOCENCY O LORD/AND SO WILL I GO TO THINE ALTAR. Chamfered arched aumbry and piscina with pointed trefoil head. Double-chamfered arches to chancel chapels, with polygonal east responds, semi-circular west responds. Double-chamfered chancel arch, continuous to outer arch, semi-circular inner responds. Nave has 4-bay arcades with circular piers, moulded bases, octagonal abaci and double-chamfered arches. Chancel chapels both have a piscina, that to north with cusped head, that to south with cinquefoiled head. C19 roofs throughout. Font has plain circular bowl. Stained glass east windows that to chancel of 1894 and signed H.A. Hymers 182 Kings Road, Chelsea. Fine brass corona with oil lamps. Monuments: wall monument to Dame Jane Sapcotes Harrington, d.1610, of alabaster with apron, Ionic half-columns flanking inscription and painted coat of arms above with strapwork surround. Wall monument of limestone to William Dry, Yeoman, Lord of Mantells Manor, d,.1637 with panelled pilasters and pair of obelisk finials. Wall monument of white and coloured marbles to Richard Dodwell, d.1726, with Corinthian pilasters, apron with cherubs heads and coat of arms and segmental pediment with urn and lamp finials, all with gilded flame finials. (Buildings of England, Northamptonshire, 1973, p.306; B.E. Evans, The Story of Milton Malsor, 1924, p54-119)

Record last edited

Nov 30 2021 3:57PM