Building record 2189/1 - Church of St. Margaret, Luddington

St Margaret's Church was built in the 13th to 15th centuries, the chancel was rebuilt 1875 by R H Carpenter and the spire was restored in the late 19th century. Built of coursed limestone rubble, with cobbles, squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar. The roofs are of lead and Colleyweston slate. The church consists of a nave, chancel, south aisle, south porch and west tower.

{1} Church. C13 to C15, chancel rebuilt 1875 by R.H. Carpenter, spire also restored late C19. Coursed limestone rubble, with cobbles, squared coursed limestone and limestone ashlar. Lead and Collyweston slate roofs. Nave, chancel, south aisle, south porch and west tower. South elevation of chancel of 2-window range with 2-light windows to left and single lancet to right. Central priest door. All openings have hood moulds with carved label stops. Corbel table with plain ashlar parapet. Gargoyle to left of centre and panelled pinnacle to south east corner. Single-stage buttress to far right. Steeply pitched roof is set back behind parapet. 3-light east window with quatrefoils and trefoil is flanked by 2-stage gabled buttresses. North elevation of chancel is a 3-window range of lancets. Parapet with gargoyle to right is similar to south elevation. Single-stage buttress to far left. South aisle of 3 bays, 2-window range. 3-light windows with hollow reveals and 4-centred arch heads, to far left and right. 2-stage buttresses between bays. Lean-to roof. Ashlar parapet with roll moulding and 4 gargoyles at mid points and corners. 3-light east and west windows are similar to other aisle windows. Central Perpendicular porch has ashlar facade. Outer doorway has 4-centred arch head with roll mouldings, semi-circular responds, hood mould and carved label stops. Inner doorway has 4-centred arch head and continuous roll mouldings. 2-stage clasping buttresses at corners. Return walls have single-light square-head windows. Shallow gabled roof with roll moulded parapet. Gargoyles at corners and mid points of return walls. Finial at apex. North elevation of nave of 4 bays, 2-window range. Alternately spaced, tall, 3-light windows with hollow reveals and segmental heads. Perpendicular priest door, in bay to right of centre, has 4-centred arch head with continuous roll mouldings. 2-stage buttresses between bays. Bay to far left has shallow lean-to projection with stone slab roof. Small quatrefoil window to left. Shallow gabled roof with roll moulded parapet and 4 gargoyles at mid points and corners. West wall of nave has central 2 stage buttress. South nave clerestory is a 3-window range of 2-light windows with 4-centred arch heads. Parapet is similar to north side with 4 gargoyles. C13 west tower of 4 and a half stages. Shallow ashlar pilasters at corners. Square-head west window in second stage. Lower part of fourth stage is sub-divided by plain string course to form a half stage. 2-light bell-chamber openings, with Y-tracery, to each face of upper stage. Short, ashlar broach spire with one tier of lucarnes. Interior: 3-bay nave archade to south aisle with double-chamfered Perpendicular arches. Chamfered projections to nave and aisles have no capitals. Semi-circular responds, with polygonal capitals to each opening. Double-chamfered chancel arch is similar. Tall, single-chamfered, tower arch with plain responds. Doorway with 4-centred arch head, to left of pulpit, gives access to roof loft stair. C19 roof structures; some medieval corbels in nave and aisle. 2 panels of C13 diapering reset in north wall of chancel. C16 bench ends in nave and aisle have linenfold panelling, probably restored C19. Octagonal font. Stained glass; fragments of C15 canopy work to east window of south aisle and north-east window of nave. Mid C19 drawing by George Clarke shows spire capped with a pyramid roof. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p298; Northamptonshire Records Office - Pictorial Collection)

{3} C13 to C16 church in limestone. C13 west tower has broach spire, rebuilt in C19. C19 chancel has a slated roof. Some structural settlement has occurred to the chancel south side. Nave and south aisle roof coverings have reached the end of life and are leaking extensively. There are isolated slate failures. Rainwater goods and external drainage are also in poor condition. The interior is damp and rot is starting to appear in pews. Heritage Lottery Fund grant-aided repairs to commence in July 2016 and should be complete at the end of the year.

{7} Undated photo.

{8} (TL 1031 8365) St Margaret's Church.

{9, 10} Luddington Church is largely 15th century and apparently on the site of a 13th century church; it was "very completely restored", and the chancel rebuilt, in 1874.

{12} The surviving medieval glass is in two nave windows.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 13/93 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G10 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2016, p. 53 (Report). SNN110747.

<5> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<6> Lee M., 2004, Henry Penn, Bellfounder, 1685-1729, p.41-53 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109357.

<7> Photographs of buildings in Luddington (Photographs). SNN112635.

<8> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 6", 1958 (Map). SNN112944.

<9> JPG, 1967, Field investigators comments, F1 JPG 05-OCT-67 (Notes). SNN114960.

<10> Page W. (ed), 1930, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p. 84 (Series). SNN100370.

<11> Historic England, St Margaret's Church, Luddington, BF107365 (Archive). SNN114961.

<12> Marks R., 1998, Stained Glass Of Northamptonshire, p. 142 (Book). SNN101533.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 12:47PM