Building record 707/4/1 - St. Mary's Church Building

13-15th century, chancel partly rebuilt 1833, general later 19th century restoration. Coursed squared limestone and ironstone with ironstone dressings, chancel partly rendered, copper, lead and slate roofs. Chancel, vestry, nave, north and south aisles and porches, west tower.

{1}The watching brief found no evidence for late Saxon or Medieval remains. The fact that only post-medieval pottery was recovered implies that the graves disturbed were not of an earlier date.

{2}- {4} Church. C13, C14 and C15, chancel partly rebuilt 1833, general later C19 restoration. Coursed squared limestone and ironstone with ironstone dressings, chancel partly rendered, copper, lead and slate roofs. Chancel, vestry, nave, north and south aisles and porches, west tower. 3-bay chancel has 4-light Perpendicular east window with hood mould, 2-light windows north and south with Y-tracery to continuous hood moulds, vestry to north-east with one-light window to north with hood mould, priest's door to north with many moulded arch on shafts with moulded capitals and datestone above inscribed 'REBUILT 1833'; chamfered plinth, diagonal offset buttresses, offset buttresses flanking priest's door and one to south, string course and plain ironstone parapet with stone coping. Nave has low stone-coped east gable. North aisle has 3-light Perpendicular east window, 4-centred head and hood mould, similar windows to north and 2-light west window with Y-tracery and hood mould, double hollow-chamfered north door with hood mould and label stops. North porch has moulded doorway with round-arched head, small rectangular blocked windows east and west, tile roof and stone-coped gable with kneelers. South aisle has 3-light Perpendicular windows to east and south with depressed arch heads and hood moulds, and double hollow-chamfered south door in gabled south porch. Porch has doorway with moulded wood surround and timber lintel, small rectangular windows east and west and sundial in gable. 3-stage west tower has many moulded west door and 3-light Perpendicular window above, both with hood moulds, octagonal timber clock face to middle stage north with timber hood mould, 2-light bell-openings with quatrefoiled heads and hood moulds, and tall battlemented parapet with angle pinnacles. Diagonal buttresses to tower and north aisle. Interior: chancel has 3 arches behind altar with ogee heads, pierced cusps and traces of original colour, renewed piscina and stone brackets either side of east window. Double-chamfered chancel arch with semi-circular responds and shafts to west side with moulded capital to north, stiff-leaf capital to south and pinnacled niche set diagonally in angle between arch and south arcade. 3-bay nave has double-chamfered arches, round-arched to north on circular piers with moulded capitals, pointed to south on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and polygonal responds to south and east end of north aisle. South aisle has piscina and blocked squint with cusped head. Octagonal font with bowl decorated with leaf patterns, probably C17. Another font with eared projections possibly a re-used medieval mortar. Original mid C18 timber reredos now at east end of south aisle with painted commandments framed by pilasters with fruit and flower drops. Good late C19 stained glass east and west windows, a C16 or early C17 painted glass shield in head of south aisle window, old crown glass in chancel windows, some quarries scratched with names and dates, earliest, Thomas Parbery 1790, Plumber, another Thomas Coles Wm Sharp Brackley May 9 1807. Brasses to Thomas Lovett of Astwell Castle d.1492 and wife; Constance Butler d.1499; Thomas Lovett d.1542 and wife, all in south aisle; a knight of c.1460, Sir Thomas Filling, Chief Justice, d.1481 and wife, both in nave and from Bittlesdon Abbey, Buckinghamshire. (Buildings of England: Northanptonshire, p.441-2; Kelly's Directory for Northamptonshire, 1928).

{8} The earliest surviving elements of the current church building are probably the north arcade which may be as early as 1200 and the chancel arch. The Early English stiff-leaf south capital of the chancel arch may date to around 1225. The chancel may also be of this date. It has been therefore been suggested that the nave may have existed, unaisled, in the 12th century.

In 1330, Gilbert de Middleton established a chantry for a warden, five priests, one of whom was to serve the church and two clerks in order that mass was sung for his soul every day. The chantry is recorded as late as 1453, but, as there was no Dissolution certificate for it, it must have disappeared prior to c 1500. Pevsner (1973) believed the wide chancel may have been connected with this uncommonly large chantry.

The south arcade and south aisle date from the 14th century, as well as the north porch, although this has been much altered. The church has a pinnacle tower which is 15th century in date. The construction of spires upon church towers, which constitute much more prominent landmarks, was far more common in the north-eastern parts of the county than here. The roofs are all post-medieval, with the roof of the nave dating to 1757. The south porch is also post-medieval and the north vestry was built in the 19th century before Clarke drew the church. The chancel was repaired by the rector in 1833.

In 2004 the Diocesan Clocks Advisor, Mr John F.H. Smith, wrote that the clock situated on the north face of the tower was ‘of national importance’. It was described in 1990 by Mr C Pickford as having "a wrought iron frame with two trains, end to end, the frame having curved scrolled finials on corners. The trains are capstan wound. On the going train the great wheel has forked iron spokes (an unusual and original feature). The going train is regulated by a pendulum and anchor escapement but there are redundant holes in the frame which indicate conversion from an earlier verge and foliot escapement." It is thought to date from the mid-17th century and is unusual for having only a single hand.

{11} Description of Romanesque font. Pevsner describes the font as 'Norman, circular, with two defaced knob-like heads.' The 'heads' are simply lugs.

Description from record 707/4:
{1} At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, Giles de Pinkney held two hides in Wappenham, with which a priest was attached, suggesting that a church was already in existence.
In 1330, Gilbert de Middleton established a chantry for a warden, five priests, one of whom was to serve the church and two clerks in order that mass was sung for his soul every day. The chantry is recorded as late as 1453, but, as there was no Dissolution certificate for it, it must have disappeared prior to c 1500.

{12} Undated photo, also photo dated 25.11.1993;

{15} Notes on the church, drawings, sketches, newspaper cutting, plans, measurements, painting;

<1> Jackson, D and Atkins, R, 1998, An archaeological watching brief at St Mary's Church, Wappenham, Northamptonshire, October 1998, (unchecked) (Report). SNN44568.

<2> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 11/104 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<3> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F07 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<4> Bailey, B, Pevsner, N, and Cherry, B, 2013, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 635 (Book). SNN111989.

<5> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p 729-31 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77327.

<6> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p 212-14 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<7> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<8> Walker, C., 2012, Supplementary Heritage Assessment for Wappenham Wind Turbine November 2012, (checked) (Report). SNN109269.

<9> Clarke, G., St. Mary's church, Wappenham, (unchecked) (Drawing). SNN54482.

<10> Whellan W., 1849, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Directory). SNN100427.

<11> King's College, London, 2017, A corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, Site 1070 (Website). SNN110894.

<12> Photographs of buildings in Wappenham (Photographs). SNN114134.

<13> Bloxham M.H., 1878, On The Medieval Sepulchral Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.248 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN107097.

<14> Historic England, Undated, St Marys Church, Wappenham, BF107427 (Archive). SNN115888.

<15> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/283/1-9,14,19,22-24 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 3:49PM