Listed Building: Church of St. Margaret (11/115)

Church. C14-C15, incorporating C12 work, restored in 1840 by R.C. Hussey. Coursed ironstone and limestone rubble, coursed squared ironstone and sandstone tower, tile and lead roofs. Chancel and north sacristy, aisled nave and south porch, west tower. 5-light window with flowing tracery in east wall of chancel, two 4-light windows with flowing tracery in north wall and priests doorway with crocketed ogee hood in south wall flanked by 4-light windows with flowing tracery. Circular low-side window (blocked) to left bay. 5-light east window to south aisle has tracery with a large roundel framed by mouchettes. Windows to south aisle east of porch, all 3-light with cinquefoil motif in the tracery. 3-light window with Reticulated tracery west of porch and 3-light west window with cinquefoil tracery. Perpendicular south porch has arch with continuous hollow mouldings. C19 inner doorway with 7-panel door. West tower of 3 stages with broach spire and gabled lucarnes with ball-flower decoration. C19 west window to north aisle. C14 three-light window with Intersecting tracery to west of north doorway. C14 north doorway has arch with continuous mouldings. Three 3-light windows with flowing tracery to east, 4-light east window with mouchette tracery and hood with large head stops. Interior: 5-bay nave arcades. The south arcade incorporates Early English work and has responds with stiff leaf capitals to the west. The two octagonal east piers and the double-chamfered arches are Decorated. Similar octagonal piers and double chamfered arches to north arcade. Perpendicular clerestory and roof to nave. Decorated sedilia and piscina in the chancel, with crocketed ogee canopies. Doorway to sacristy has crocketed ogee arch with large head stops. The chancel windows have double label stops carved with figures, exotic beasts and foliage. The shield on label stop of south-west window has coat of arms of Thomas de Astley. The chancel arch has large head stops of a bishop and a king. Stone corbels to nave roof include reused C12 beasts' heads. Romanesque sandstone font, the base formed by three crouching figures supporting a circular bawl carved all over with bead decoration. Stone effigy of a woman c.1300, badly eroded, fragments of Flemish C16 stained glass in north aisle window. Reused Jacobean panelling in the aisles. The organ was built for the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in 1829, and not proving satisfactory it was later sold and installed here. Parson's Hutch, in the south aisle, a sentry box like structure formerly used to shelter the parson at funerals, probably C18-C19, The Church is said to have been remodelled for Sir Thomas de Astley in C14. (Buildings of England; Northamptonshire, p.169).

Record last edited

Dec 1 2021 11:05AM