Church of St. Mary Magdalene and attached railing, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

Description

SK7953NE
619-1/8/133

NEWARK ON TRENT
CHURCH WALK (north side)
Church of St. Mary Magdalene and attached railing

29/09/50

GV
I
Parish church and attached railing. Crypt and crossing piers c1180; crossing and west tower c1220; south aisle and spire early C14; nave arcade, clerestorey and north aisle mid C15; chancel, choir, sanctuary, lady chapel and aisles, late C15; transepts and chantry chapels early C16. Library above south porch presented by Bishop White, 1698. Restored 1853 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Nave roof, south porch and spire restored 1913. Chapel of St George decorated by Caröe, c1920. Chapel of the Holy Spirit decorated by Comper, 1930. Ashlar with lead roofs. Moulded plinths and crenellated parapets throughout. Nave and chancel aisle windows have hood moulds and mask stops. Engaged west tower with spire, nave and chancel under continuous roof, with clerestorey and aisles, north porch, south porch and library, vestry, chantry chapels, transepts, crypt, now treasury.

West tower, four stages, has gabled angle buttresses up to the bell stage, and flat clasping buttresses with gabled tops above. String courses, quatrefoil frieze, mask corbel table, crocketed corner pinnacles. West side has moulded doorway with dogtooth bands and hood mould and four shafts. C14 traceried panelled door flanked by single niches. Above it, a C15 five-light lancet with transom and panel tracery. Above again, a four bay blind arcade with two niches and above it, trellis decoration. On each side, a clock. East side has two bay arcade. Bell stage has on each side a moulded double opening, each divided into a traceried double lancet bell opening. Over all, a crocketed gable. On either side, and in the gable, a canopied ogee headed niche with figure. Octagonal broach spire with weathercock and four tiers of gabled lucarnes with double lancet openings. Nave clerestorey has coved eaves, crenellated parapet and gables, gargoyles and gabled sanctus bellcote with pinnacles. On either side, ten triple lancets with panel tracery and linked hood moulds.

North nave aisle, six bays, has moulded plinth and eaves band, crenellated parapet, and buttresses with shafts and crocketed pinnacles, those at the angles with niches. Six four-light lancets with panel tracery. West end has a similar five-light lancet. Central square north porch has plinth, angle buttresses and low pitched crenellated gable. Roll moulded elliptical arched door with three shafts and hood mould, and C20 doors and overlight. South nave aisle, six bays, has moulded plinth, mask corbel table and crenellated parapet. Four crocketed gabled buttresses and angle buttress, with gabled niches. Six four-light Decorated lancets, the third from left partly covered by the south porch. Plain west gable has a six-light lancet with flowing tracery. Two storey south porch and library has plinth and string courses and low pitched gable with pinnacles. Elliptical arched five-light lancet with figure in niche above. On either side, a segment headed four-light lancet with hood mould. Depressed four-centred arched doorway with single shafts and hood mould, with C20 glazed screen and door. On the east side, a blocked Tudor arched door.

Chancel clerestorey has twelve triple lancets similar to nave clerestorey, with a double lancet at the west end. East end has a full height seven-light lancet with traceried transom and round headed lights. In the gable, a canopied niche with figure and cross. On either side, a gabled buttress, each with a figure niche, all crocketed. North chancel aisle and St George's Chapel, four bays, has buttresses with two-stage detached wall shafts with crocketed pinnacles. Frieze of shields. To east, a five-light lancet with panel tracery and to west, four similar four-light lancets. Off-centre C14 moulded doorway with crocketed ogee finial. East gable has a six-light lancet and above it, a figure niche with pinnacle. Similar south chancel aisle and Chapel of the Holy Spirit has to east two five-light lancets and to west, three four-light lancets with four-centred arched heads, the lower parts covered by a single storey vestry.

Vestry, three bays, Perpendicular style, has off-centre door and three untraceried triple lancets, and at the east end a similar four-light lancet, all with four-centred arches. Transepts have angle buttresses with figure niches and pinnacled gables with central niches. North and south gables have seven-light Perpendicular lancets with depressed four centred arches and panel tracery. North transept has on either side a four-light lancet with panel tracery, similar to those in the aisles, and in the south west corner a crenellated octagonal stair turret. South transept has to east a partly blocked five-light lancet.

INTERIOR: five-bay nave has coved piers with lobed bases, four shafts and small foliate capitals. Moulded arches with hood moulds and figure stops. Clerestorey has moulded sill band and linked hood mould with mask stops, alternate stops forming roof corbels. Painted low pitched roof with arch braces and panels with bosses, continued over the crossing. Triple chamfered tower arch with hood mould and dogtooth band, and filleted triple shafts. To north and south, similar smaller arches into the aisles, with hood moulds. Depressed four-centred arched west doorway with C19 wooden screen and carillon mechanism to left. West window has late C19 stained glass. North aisle has an unpainted panelled roof similar to the nave and windows with moulded surrounds, hood moulds and mask stops. Three north west windows have stained glass c1900.

East end has moulded arch with hood mould and figure stops and piers similar to the nave arcade, the south one with figure brackets. To left, a painted stone figure niche with billeted canopy. West window has a plain bracket to right and an unusual triple-head bracket to left. South aisle has a similar roof to the north aisle, with a single purlin gabled roof to the two west bays. Moulded eastern arch has hoodmould and stops, and triple shafts with foliate capitals. Eastern bays have square corbels with fleurons. Windows have moulded surrounds, double shafts and hood moulds. Three south east windows have stained glass by Wailes and Gerente, mid C19. Central moulded doorway has above it a double chamfered window to the library, with traceried wrought iron grille. Two south west windows have stained glass by Kempe, 1901. Both nave aisle west windows have stained glass by Burlison and Grylls, late C19.

South porch has restored beamed ceiling and chamfered stone benches on each side. C19 enclosed stone spiral stair with shouldered doorway and six stepped lancet openings. Moulded south doorway has triple shafts and two mask stops but no hood mould. C18 framed panelled screen and door. Library above has low pitched roof with arch braces and panelled ceiling. C19 fitted bookcases and door screen. Crossing has piers with triple shafts and foliate and mask capitals, and moulded arches with hood moulds. Those to chancel and transepts are higher than that to nave. Clerestorey has moulded sill band.

Chancel arch has restored oak rood screen with traceried crest and canopies, said to be the sole surviving work of Thomas Drawswerd of York, 1508. Chancel and aisles have six bay arcades and clerestorey similar to the nave. East ends form central Lady chapel, northern Chapel of St George and southern Chapel of the Holy Spirit. Three east end windows are flanked by canopied niches, the larger central ones with restored figures. Central window has noteworthy stained glass by Hardman, 1862.

North chancel aisle has moulded western arch with triple shafts and hood mould, and wrought iron screen, 1862. Moulded windows with linked hood moulds and niches between them. Renewed flat roof with moulded timbers and short wooden wall shafts. Wood panelled eastern chapel has traceried screen and altarpiece, and late C19 stained glass window by Hardman. South chancel aisle has similar western arch and screen, flanked by single Tudor arched doorways, that to left to former rood. Similar roof, slightly cambered, with bosses. East window has reset medieval stained glass by Joan Howson, 1957. South side has east window with stained glass by Percy Bacon, 1929. Central cusped piscina and to its right, Tudor arched vestry door with flanking pilasters and crest. Rectangular Meyring chantry to north east of chancel, 1500, has angle buttresses and crenellated crest. Towards the chancel, a moulded four-centred arch. Towards the aisle, panelled base and five-light transomed opening. Similar Markham chantry, to south east of chancel, 1508, has frieze of shields. Towards the chancel, a panelled four-centred arch and a four-seat sedilia. Towards the aisle, a six-light transomed opening with two panels painted with scenes from a danse macabre. Transepts have low pitched roofs with moulded timbers and short wooden wall shafts on mask corbels. Windows have moulded surrounds with hood moulds and stops. South transept east window, blocked at the foot, has C19 stained glass.Two bay crypt, now treasury, has keeled roll-moulded rib vaults with bosses.

Fittings include octagonal C15 font with bowl c1660, altered C16 traceried bench ends with poppyheads in the chancel aisles, and elaborate traceried panelled choir stalls with misericords, c1500, matching the rood screen. C16 cope chest and two freestanding collection boxes. C19 benches, skeleton pulpit, brass eagle lectern, and Gothic organ case by Scott. Large panelled gilt wood reredos with central canopy, by Comper, 1937. On the east side, a 13-seat sedilia with ogee openings. Above it, a mosaic Adoration by James Powell & Sons, 1912. Memorials include large Flemish brass to Alan Fleming, 1363. Purbeck marble chest tomb with quatrefoil panels to Robert Brown, 1532. Wall tablet to Anne Markham, 1601, removed from Cotham, with relief figure panel with weepers in an inscribed Classical surround. Garlanded marble and slate tablet with crest to Hercules Clay, 1644. Strapwork marble and alabaster tablet with broken pediment to Henry Trewman, 1655. Painted alabaster bust in oval niche, with pedimented surround and two inscribed panels, to John Johnson, 1659. Two similar alabaster busts in oval niches, with inscriptions, to R. Ramsey, 1639, with broken segmental pediment, and to T. Atkinson, 1661. Marble tablet with pediment, crest and bust to Daniel Crayle, 1727. Tablet with profile medallion by Roubiliac to Anne Taylor, 1757.

Outside, wrought iron spearhead railing and two gates with stone plinth, late C18, running from the south transept to the corner of the south chancel aisle.

Listing NGR: SK7994553928

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