Building record 551/1/1 - Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Church. C13-C15, restored 1878 when the tower was rebuilt and enlarged and a new vestry and organ chamber added. Coursed squared ironstone and coursed ironstone rubble, tile roof to nave and chancel, rest lead. Chancel, nave, north and south aisles, west tower.

{1} Church. C13-C15, restored 1878 when the tower was rebuilt and enlarged and a new vestry and organ chamber added. Coursed squared ironstone and coursed ironstone rubble, tile roof to nave and chancel, rest lead. Chancel, nave, north and south aisles, west tower. 3-bay chancel with east window of three lights and cusped intersecting tracery flanked by buttresses. A 3-light straight-headed Perpendicular south-west window with limestone moulded surround and tracery, a double-chamfered priests door to right, other windows of 2 lights with cusped Y-tracery. C19 vestry and organ chamber to north-west. North and south walls show signs of re-building. Nave has 4-window clerestory with 2-light straight-headed Perpendicular windows except for 1-light north-west window and simple 2-light window to left recessed in rectangular frame. 3-window aisles. North aisle with 2-light windows with cusped Y-tracery and chamfered pointed arch of blocked north door; south aisle has 2-light straight-headed windows. Both aisles have single lancet west windows. Gabled south porch with double-chamfered door; tile roof. South door has moulded arch, hood mould with label stops. 3-stage west tower has diagonal west buttresses, moulded west door and west window of 2-lights with cusped Y-tracery. Belfry stage has 2-light windows with foiled Y-tracery. North and south aisles have plain parapets, the west tower a battlemented parapet. Single storey lean-to store with tile roof to north-east corner of tower. Interior: C19 stained glass east and south-east chancel windows, cusped arch-headed piscina, raised sanctuary with encaustic tile roof. Double-chamfered chancel arch, inner order with polygonal responds. 4-bay nave arcade: north arcade of C13 with chamfered arches and circular piers and octagonal abaci, westernmost pillar with multi-scalloped capital. South arcade has double-chamfered arches and octagonal piers. Other C19/C20 stained glass windows in tower and aisle windows. Squint between south aisle and chancel. Font with octagonal bowl possibly of 1660's (Pevsner). C19 roofs. C19 pews in nave and chancel have some medieval elements. Early C14 effigy of a Lady, brass of c.1400, wall monument to Mrs Knightley died 1730 (Buildings of England: Northants, p.468, Kellys Northants, 1903).

{3} Coffin lid drawing, 1877

{8} There is a temporary roof covering to the vestry. Flashings to the north aisle have become detached and there is evidence of water ingress internally. The south porch roof has numerous slipped slates. There are localised stonework defects. Drainage at ground level appears defective in places. A Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair grant has been offered in 2016 which will hopefully address the repair work.

{10} Romanesque style north arcade of nave. Stylistically the capital of pier 3 [the multi-scalloped capital] of the north arcade is not much earlier than the rest, but it is earlier.

{11} Undated photo.

{12} [Former list description] A. Church of St. Mary
Stone, tile nave and chancel roofs, aisles lead. The church consists of chancel, nave and clerestory, aisles, south porch and west tower. The north arcade of the nave is Transitional or Early English, the south arcade Decorated. The clerestory is Perpendicular. The north arcade has round piers, the south octagonal, one pier in the north arcade has a scalloped cap. Each arcade has 4 bays. The roof trusses rest on carved corbels.
The restored chancel has Decorated and Perpendicular windows. On the north side is a recess in which a recumbent female effigy found when the north aisle was restored has been placed. This is said to be Maud Holand, 1330. Two of the choir stalls have poppyhead bench ends.
In the N. aisle is an old chest and the font at the west end of the nave is C15-16, vase shaped.
The tower has two stages, battlemented parapet and diagonal buttresses. The south porch is mainly C19, the north door is blocked.
The church was restored and partly rebuilt in 1878. In the chancel is a wall monument to Giles Knightley of Hinton, 1743, and members of his family - an arched recessed panel with springers and key block flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters supporting small cornice and segmental pediment with central coat of arms.
Under the tower is a lead panel. Graphical material omitted. In the churchyard are good carved headstones, some late C17, mostly C18.

{13} Ground plan of church by Albert Hartshorne, 1878.

{15} Copy of churchwarden's accounts 1609-1642, letter, paintings, sketches, drawings, measurements, notes on pew panels, report re restoration, newspaper cutting, plans, sections, photos, rubbings;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 18/154 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F05 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, Parish Files (unchecked) (Archive). SNN115.

<4> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.535-36 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77327.

<5> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.131-32 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<6> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.468 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<7> Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society, 2011, TACS (Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society) Location Database, (unchecked) (Gazetteer). SNN107648.

<8> Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2016, p. 51 (Report). SNN110747.

<9> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<9> Historic England, 2017, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2017, p. 58 (Report). SNN111090.

<9> Historic England, 2018, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2018, p. 58 (Report). SNN111434.

<10> King's College, London, 2017, A corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, Site 401 (Website). SNN110894.

<11> Photographs of buildings in Woodford Cum Membris (Photographs). SNN114309.

<12> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, MHLG(HHR) Daventry RD Northants Feb 1964 117 (Report). SNN112993.

<13> Lambeth Palace Library, Incorporated Church Building Society Archive, ICBS08210 (Digital archive). SNN115761.

<14> Historic England, Undated, St Marys Church, Woodford Halse, Woodford cum Membris, BF107448 (Archive). SNN115807.

<15> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/312/1-9,16-157 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 3:54PM