Building record 1223/1/1 - Church of St. Nicholas

12th, 13th and 15th centuries, altered and restored 1848 by R.C. Hussey at a cost of £3,000 and again restored by E.F. Law in 1860-1. Coursed squared limestone, with ironstone and limestone dressings, lead and copper roofs. Chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, south porch and west tower.

{1} Church. C12th, C13th and C15th, altered and restored 1848 by R.C. Hussey at a cost of £3,000 and again restored by E.F. Law in 1860-1. Coursed squared limestone, with ironstone and limestone dressings, lead and copper roofs. Chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, south porch and west tower. 3-bay chancel has 4-light east window with Perpendicular tracery, 3-light windows to south with intersecting tracery and roll-moulded and chamfered priest's door to south. String courses at level of springing. Priest's door and windows, forming hood moulds. Diagonal off-set buttresses and off-set buttresses between windows to south. C19 vestry to north with 2-light east window and lancet window to north. North chancel chapel continues north aisle and has two small rectangular 1-light windows to north-east one above the other. Chapel and aisle have 3-light Perpendicular windows to north with 4-centred heads, hood moulds and transom at low level, below which they are blank. Blocked north or with double wave mouldings and hood mould. Aisle has diagonal off-set buttress, 3-light Perpendicular window to west end with segmental head and hood mould and lean-to boiler room below. Nave has 5-window clerestory of 2-light windows with straight heads, foiled heads to lights and hood moulds. South aisle has 3-light Perpendicular east window, 2-light windows to south with ogee-arched heads and 2-light Perpendicular window to west end with straight head; all have hood moulds. Many-moulded ogee-arched head and hood mould in porch with Tudor-arched doorway and double-leaf doors. Battlemented parapets to aisle and porch and diagonal off-set buttresses. 3-stage west tower has fine west door elaborately moulded and with deep and wide hollow chamfer, double-leaf doors and hood moulds. Blocked 2-light window to middle-stage south with Perpendicular tracery and hood mould. 2-light bell-chamber openings with cinquefoil-headed lights. Hollow-chamfered plinth, and battlemented parapet. Overhanging eaves to nave, chancel and north aisle. Interior: chancel has 2-bay arcade to north chancel chapel with octagonal pier, and double-chamfered arches on corbels. Tripartite chancel arch, probably of 1848, with 2 tall octagonal piers, wide central arch and outer arches dying into wall. Nave has 3-bay arcades. That to north with octagonal west pier and C12 circular east pier with scalloped capital; double-chamfered arches. That to south has octagonal carved head corbels either end and double-chamfered arches. Octagonal font with panelled stem and tracery patterns and bowl with pointed quatrefoils and shields. C19 box pews. Wall-mounted oil lamps in chancel. C19 and C20 stain-glass windows. Monuments: brass to Agnes Ogle d.1616, wife of Cathbert Ogle. Wall monument of stone and alabaster to Gabriel Clarke d.1624, with black marble inscription plate. Similar monument to Cuthbert Ogle d.1633, with cartouche of arms above. Wall monument of veined marble with slate inscription plate and cartouche of arms above to John Barrow d.1744, and his wife Anne d.1757, erected by Mr. John Enston of Northampton and signed Henry Cox. Wall monument with stone surround and slate inscription plate to John Meal d.1742 'Late Gardener/To His Grace the Duke of/Grafton/whome He served faithfully/At Wakefield Lodge/Sixteen Years'. Wall monument of slate with veined marble brackets and cornice to Joseph Scrivener and his wife Elizabeth d.1780 signed Cockerill, Wappenham.

{5} Updates previous survey carried out by Hugh Richmond for RCHME.

{10} Undated photo, also two photos dated 29.10.1993;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 15/99 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F11 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.376-7 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, (unchecked) (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<5> Barnwell P., 2004, The Whittlewood Project: Notes on The Medieval Churches, Potterspury: St Nicholas (unchecked) (Report). SNN105022.

<6> Riden P.; Insley C., 2002, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN102540.

<7> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.316-18 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<9> DRAWINGS, (unchecked) (Illustration). SNN56586.

<10> Photographs of buildings in Potterspury (Photographs). SNN112957.

<11> PEVSNER N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 348 (Series). SNN113374.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1955, 1950s/60s Ordnance Survey 6 Inch Mapping Series (SP44NE) (Map). SNN61128.

<13> Historic England, Undated, St Nicholas Church, Potterspury, BF107388 (Archive). SNN116434.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:25PM