Description

SO 51 NE WELSH BICKNOR CP WELSH BICKNOR

6/168 Church of St Margaret

GV II*

Parish church. Ancient site, church rebuilt 1858-9 by T Henry Rushforth
of London for the rector Stephen Allaway. Coursed and squared sandstone
rubble, ashlar dressings, marble enrichments to interior, tiled roof,
stone roof to porch. West porch, south-west tower, nave and chancel
with north vestry. Imaginative Norman and Early English style with
"muscular" effects owing something to Street. West gabled orch with
polychrome pointed arched doorway of three orders, engaged shafts to
responds with stiff-leaf capitals, niche with inset figure in gable.
Square plan tower spurred base, three stages, two string courses with
stiff-leaf decorated corbel table and elongated animal forms at corners,
short broached spire, two plain single light windows to first stage; single
light semi-circular headed window with engaged shafts and stiff-leaf
capitals to responds, arcading to bell stage, in similar style. Nave,
three bays Norman style west end with four semi-circular headed single
light windows with chevron ornament to surrounds, circular window in gable
with similar chevron ornament. One 2-light and one single light window to
south side with similar engaged shafts and stiff-leaf capitals to responds,
similar 2-light window to two-bay chancel with doorway further to east.
Interior: king post roof with head shaped corbels. Triforium arcade at
west end, solid central pier with elaborate marble capital (heads and
foliage) to two-bay arcade of south aisle, decorative chancel arch with
bird motifs. Fittings: pulpit, entered from vestry, with polychrome
marble insets and heads, similar enrichments to font. Late C14 effigy in
recess to east wall of south aisle (resited from earlier church) a lady
largely defaced with angels supporting cushion, feet resting on animal,
angular folds to clothing in style of Westminster and Wells; thought to
be Lady Margaret Montague who may (or may not) have been nurse to the
infant Henry V at Courtfield (qv). Stained glass windows in west wall
represent single biblical figures; excellent stained glass in east window
probably by Clayton and Bell. A most interesting High Victorian church
combining constructional polychromy with idealising details of high quality
particularly inside.

Listing NGR: SO5922817675

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17539603

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)