Description

SP 1039-1139 SAINTBURY SAINTBURY

14/111 Church of St. Nicholas
25.8.60

I

Church of St. Nicholas. Norman doorways to nave; C13/14 tower and
north transept; C14 chancel. Nave: uncoursed rubble. Chancel:
North transept and tower all coursed squared and dressed limestone.
North transept and chancel with angle buttresses. Limestone slate
roof with slightly stepped coping to gable ends and roll-cross
saddles. Tower of 3 diminishing stages, with projecting plinth and
a ribbed, broach spire. North porch, dated 1842. Plan: nave with
north porch and north transept, south tower opposite in the
position of an opposing transept chancel. C19 porch has a pointed
arch with engaged columns to either side, hood with stops in the
form of heads over. transept: single 2-light window with trefoil
over in W wall. 3-light window with Decorated tracery in N wall.
Single light with trefoil head in wall. Nave: 2 Decorated windows
of 2-lights with trefoils over, in walls. 4-light window with
reticulated tracery. Tower: large C19 pointed window with mullion
and transom in S wall. Steps up S face of nave to small unpainted
door with blind 'Y' tracery, giving access to tower. These steps
partially cover blocking of Norman S doorway which has a tympanum
with incised lozenge pattern and double round arch over. Outer
arch supported on moulded impost. Inner arch, set back slightly
supported on a lintel. Sundial, in low relief over. Single, 2-
light early decorated windows on N and S of nave. 4-light window
with Perpendicular tracery in W wall of nave. All windows have
diamond leaded panes except the S window which has rectangular
leaded panes. Tower has 1 and 2-light belfry windows and 1 and 2-
light lucarns in spire. All with limestone louvres.
Interior: Simple nave, with indentation and outline of Norman door
still apparent. Low pitched C15 timber roof of 4-bays with moulded
principal rafters with braces on projecting stone corbels. Ridge
and common rafters moulded also. Pointed, flat-chamfered arches
dying into their responds, to N transept and S tower. 2 steps
down to N transept with timber barrel vaulted roof with boss
decoration. C13 piscina with trefoil head and credence shelf left
of entrance to former rood loft in E wall. Base of tower has a
piscina and credence shelf with a C14 trefoiled head and ogee arch
with crockets and pinnacles in N wall. 8 steps up to small plank
door in W wall giving access to tower. 2, widely spaced steps up
to chancel through angular, low chancel arch to chancel. Early C18
barrel vaulted roof, with small bosses. Double piscina with triple
sedilia with trefoil arched heads in window splay of sanctuary
window in the S wall. Floor and nave and transepts flagged.
Furniture: font at W end of nave. C15 octagonal bowl with four
leafed flowers on each face. Pedestal with central shaft and
attached columns. C18 ogee shaped cover. Finely carved C17 chest
with C19 pointed canopy in SW corner of nave. W window contains
some medieval glass, with leaf decoration. C18 pulpit with fielded
panels. C19 box pews in nave and chancel. C15 pews with blind
tracery on the ends in N transept which also contains a C17 holy
table standing on the mensa of the original stone alter. C19
stained glass vine leaves in E window. N transept is divided from
the nave by a Late C19/early C20 Arts and Crafts style screen.
Tower: stone dole table at centre with lozenge shaped, octagonal
top on octagonal support. Early C18 screen divides nave from
chancel. Primitively carved figure probably Cll, of a man with a
large face and diminitive body set in the internal splay of the
chancel S window. Chandelier by C.R. Ashbee inscribed 'To
Saintbury Church/In thanksgiving for/The birth of his/little
daughter Mary/Elizabeth from her/Father C.R. Ashbee/Lady Day l911.
C17 alter rails. Reused stained glass in E window of chancel.
Memorials. Painting of Madonna and Child in indentation formed by
blocking of S door. Cl9, decorated wall tablet to members of the
Joseph family, with full female figure in relief above inscription,
by Stephens of Worcester. Details of C19 bequest on plaque left of
N door of N transept: small brass plaque in memory of Alice
Bartlett (died c1574) below N window. C20 memorial plaque on E
wall. Sanctuary E wall: C19 brass memorial plaque left of window.
Painted memorial portrait of William Warburten (died c1647) to
right. Floor composed largey of C17 and C18 ledger tombs. (David
Verey, The Buildings of England: The Cotswolds, 1979).

Listing NGR: SP1171239460

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Nicholas at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17540308

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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