Building record 755/1/1 - St Mary's Church, Whittlebury

Church. C13th, C14th, restored 1870 by J.P. St. Aubyn at expense of Sir Reginald Loder of Whittlebury Lodge, tower raised 1887. Coursed squared limestone and ironstone, plain tile roofs

{1} Church. C13th, C14th, restored 1870 by J.P. St. Aubyn at expense of Sir Reginald Loder of Whittlebury Lodge, tower raised 1887. Coursed squared limestone and ironstone, plain tile roofs. Chancel, vestry and organ chamber, nave, north and south aisles, south porch, west tower. 2-bay chancel has 3-light east window with geometrical tracery, 2-light Decorated style windows to south, all with hood moulds. Vestry and organ chamber to north with 3-light Decorated window to north with hood mould. 3-light straight-headed window to organ chamber. North aisle has tall 4-light arch mullion window to north-east of ironstone, with cut spandrels and hood mould, a stone inscribed 'GW' to left of head, another to right inscribed 'IR 1775', a buttress to middle of north wall, blocked chamfered north door with hood mould and 2-light window to north-west with Y-tracery of ironstone and hood mould with label stops, datestone inscribed '1638' to north-west corner South aisle has 2-light Decorated style windows to south and one-light window to east with quatrefoil in head with hood mould. South door has sunk-quadrant moulded arch and hood mould in south porch with double sunk-quadrant moulded arch with hood mould. 3-stage west tower has chamfered west door with hood mould, 1-light windows to middle stage recessed in chamfered surround, stonework face to middle stage. South inscribed 'Thomas Cooke, 1808', 2-light bell-openings with Y-tracery and hood moulds, diagonal buttresses and battlemented parapet. Chancel, south aisle and porch have stone chamfered eaves and stone-coped gables. Interior: chancel has encaustic tiled floors and elaborate marble reredos with 3 mosaic panels above altar, piscina with 2 pointed trefoil arches and corner colonette in splay of south-east window and fine C19 arch-braced collar-truss roof. Nave has octagonal piers and polygonal responds except for semi-circular respond with shaft, to south-west, plain moulded capitals, and double-chafmered arches. Fine C19 crown-post roof. Tower arch has chamfered jambs, moulded imposts, arch chamfered to head with nailhead and beaded fillet surround and outer arch with similar ornament; nutmeg frieze higher up on west wall. Floor of south porch of slate laid edgewise in square blocks, in alternating directions. Parish chest of c.1300. C19 stained glass windows in north-east and south-east aisle windows and east and south-east chancel windows. C19 marble wall monuments including large monument to Charlotte Bradshaw d.1820 by Chatney.

{5} Drawing of church.

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

{10} Description of Romanesque features of church including tower arch and, north arcade of nave. The arcade may date from the 1170s or '80s; the tower arch from twenty years or so later.

{11} The first mention of the church or chapel occurs in 1322. It was extensively altered in 1815.

{12} (SP 68974423) St Mary's Church

{14} Undated photo, also two photos dated 25.11.1993;

{15} Sketches of tiles, plan of church, with measurements, opened after restoration October 1878;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 7/116 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F07 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.460-61 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Northampton Museum 6 Inch Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN10162.

<5> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1983, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1982, p.173 (checked) (Article). SNN24591.

<6> 1928, Kelly's Directory (1928), (unchecked) (Trade Directory). SNN104681.

<7> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, (unchecked) (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<8> Barnwell P., 2004, The Whittlewood Project: Notes on The Medieval Churches, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105022.

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

<10> King's College, London, 2017, A corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, Site 443 (Website). SNN110894.

<11> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p. 72 (Book). SNN77328.

<12> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 6" 1955 (Map). SNN112944.

<13> Historic England, Undated, St Marys Church, Whittlebury, BF107442 (Archive). SNN114165.

<14> Photographs of buildings in Whittlebury (Photographs). SNN114176.

<15> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/302/2,3,4,12 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 3:28PM