Building record 2707/1/6 - Church of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints

Church of Saxon origin with 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th century additions. There is a datestone of 1640 on the spire. The church was restored in 1885. Built of regular coursed and squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar with lead and Collyweston slate roofs. The church consists of an aisled nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. Saxon cross shaft with carvings in north aisle.

{1}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).

{5} The south aisle chamber of the church is recorded as being used as a house, with the north aisle chmaber serving as a lumber room and dove-cote until 1810, after which the the south aisle chamber became a schoolroom for the Sunday School. Soon after 1850, both the south and north aisle chambers were in use for the school. The school moved to a barn in 1862 and the north aisle chamber reverted to use as a lumber room and coal store.

{6} Archaeological evaluation of the north aisle chamber prior to its conversion into a kitchen and lavatory did not identify any significant archaeological remains. The remnants of three plaster floors were identified; the latest was retained until c1850, but the date of the lower two is not known and could be from the medieval period onwards.

{7} Undated photo.

{9} [Former list description] Church of The Virgin Mary and All Saints. A church of dressed stone, nave and chancel with battlemented parapets, aisles with plain parapets, consists of chancel, nave with clerestory, aisles, south porch and west tower with spire. The west end of the nave, lower part of tower, north door and arcaded font are Norman. The tower forms west end of nave with aisles carried past. Nave arcades have 4 bays, the clerestory five windows on south side and 3 on north. The north aisle is mainly Early English. The east
part of south aisle is Decorated and the west end has two Transitional lancet windows. The south porch is Early English. Both nave and aisles have good Perpendicular timber roofs. The pulpit is early 17th century and in the church are the remains of a saxon cross and of stone coffins. The tower has battlemented parapet and crocketted spire. The west door is Transitional with 2 orders. The church was restored in 1885. In the churchyard are some good 18th century headstones.

{8} Church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and All Saints. The nave, chancel arch and arcades are Early English and Decorated. The tower arch is Norman with high above a single blocked Saxon light. The west wall of the tower also shows Saxon work. The cross shaft (c 900 AD) has been erected on a modern stone plinth and base in the north arcade - see photograph.

{11} TL 0633 9616: Church. [TU].

{15} Ground plan of church by JC Traylen, 1881-6.

{16} In 1721 there was still extensive remains of medieval glazing present in the church. The only remains are reticulated tracery in three south aisle windows, heavily restored in 1884-5.

{17} Rubbings, notes, drawings and measurements done during restoration of the cross shaft prior to repairs of 1883, also notes and a sketch on the west tower in August 1884;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 16/171 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G12 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> 1975-85, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Series). SNN100542.

<4> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<5> Gordon, C J, 1890, The Parish and Manor of Nassington cum Yarwell (Uncertain). SNN46589.

<6> Johnston, A G, 1998, St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church, Nassington, 1998 (Report). SNN111881.

<7> Photographs of buildings in Nassington (Photographs). SNN112850.

<8> Seaman, B H, 1970, Field Investigator's Comments, F1 BHS 16-JUN-70 (Notes). SNN111541.

<9> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, DOE(HHR) District of Oundle and Thrapston Rural District, April 1963 (Report). SNN112993.

<10> Serjeantson R.M.; Ryland W. (Editors), 1906, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p. 189 (Series). SNN100369.

<11> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), O.S. 6" 1958 (Map). SNN112944.

<12> Historic England, Undated, St Mary the Virgin and All Saint's Church, Nassington, BF044019 (Archive). SNN113382.

<13> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire I (North-East), BF112022 (Archive). SNN113295.

<14> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<15> Lambeth Palace Library, Incorporated Church Building Society Archive, ICBS08962 (Digital archive). SNN115761.

<16> Marks R., 1998, Stained Glass Of Northamptonshire, 144-5 (Book). SNN101533.

<17> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/192/1-10 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 11:45AM