Building record 3629/1/1 - Church of St. Mary, Main Street

Church built late 12th century, with 14th, 17th, mid 19th and 20th century alterations and additions. Built of regular coursed and squared coursed ironstone and limestone with lead roofs. The church consists of an aisled nave and chancel.

{1} Church. Late C12, C14, C17, mid C19 and C20. Regular coursed and squared coursed ironstone and limestone with lead roof. Aisled nave and chancel. South elevation of chancel of one-window range with 3-light C14 window with 4-centred head. 4-light east window with Y-tracery supporting a roundel with cusping. North elevation of chancel of one-window range with late C13 two-light window with blank bay alongside. South aisle of 3-window range of 2-light windows with Y-tracery. Small door opening to right has single-chamfered pointed arch. Late C12 door opening to left has semi-circular arch with 3 roll mouldings and an outer zig-zag moulding supported on 3 orders of shafts with volute capitals. Projecting stone surround to door opening has ashlar coping with inscribed stone "AND DN 1602 CD IB". Lean-to roof with ashlar parapets, parts having quatrefoil frieze. Mid C19 north aisle of 3-window range of 2-light Gothic windows with 2-stage buttresses between. Similar east and west windows. Nave clerestory of 3-window range of 2-light square head windows, one blocked to south. Shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapets. West tower collapsed 1967. The base is now formed into a single storey vestry with a re-used ashlar coping with a corbel table below. C14 single-light window on west elevation. West wall of chancel above the vestry has datestone 1970 with flanking buttresses, glazed tower arch and bellcote at apex. Interior: 3-bay nave arcade. The south-east bay is an early C13 double chamfered arch with polygonal responds. The 2 south-west bays are probably late C13 double-chamfered arches with octagonal pier, separated from the south-east arcade by a section of wall. North arcade is mid C19 of double-chamfered arches with octagonal piers. Small early C19 double-chamfered arch with polygonal responds between chancel and south aisle. Double-chamfered tower arch now part glazed. Some original timbers may remain in the nave and south aisle roofs. C14 piscinas in chancel and south aisle. Perpendicular rood screen restored C19. Monuments: 2 early C19 marble tablets to Carwarden family in west wall of south aisle. C19 font. Ribbed and braced door. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.293).

{3} Nothing was visible in the area where pipes were being laid between the porch and the edge of the church yard. A small hole had been made in the wall of the church, adjacent to the porch so that pipework from the new WC could exit. Nothing of any archaeological significance was visible although the builders commented on the extremely poor quality of the church masonry.

{5} The medieval tower footings survive next to the south and north aisles but the building of the western half of the 1970s vestry involved the complete removal fo the tower in this part and the laying of concrete and brick foundations. This vestry was smaller than the medieval tower and a section of the probable west wall of the tower was found. The medieval footings of the north aisle long abandoned seem to have survived and been reused for the later 1850 north aisle footings.

{7} The main south doorway of the church dates from around 1195 although it is not in its original position, and the majority of the church dates from the 13th century.

{10} Undated photo.

{11} Ground plan of church 1850-1 by EF Law.

{12} The church was originally a chapel annexed to the church at Great Harrowden.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 2/231 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> 1986, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G05 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN100394.

<3> Tingle, M., 1994, St Mary's Church, Little Harrowden: Watching brief, 1994, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49332.

<4> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<5> Atkins, R., 2000, Archaeological Watching Brief At St Mary's Church, Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire, p.6 (checked) (Report). SNN100331.

<6> Chapman A.; Chapman P., 2000-01, Little Harrowden, St Mary's Church, 29/230 (checked) (Note). SNN103999.

<7> Walker, C., 2008, An archaeological desk-based assessment on land at Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire February 2008, (checked) (Report). SNN108111.

<8> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.293 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

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

<10> Photographs of buildings in Little Harrowden (Photographs). SNN112602.

<11> Lambeth Palace Library, Incorporated Church Building Society Archive, ICBS04237 (Digital archive). SNN115761.

<12> Walker, C., 2008, An archaeological desk-based assessment on land at Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire February 2008, (checked) (Report). SNN108111.

<13> Historic England, Undated, St Mary's Church, Little Harrowden, BF107360 (Archive). SNN115825.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:41PM