Description

SJ 4629-4729; 15/41

LOPPINGTON C.P.,
LOPPINGTON

Church of St Michael

28.10.60

GV

I

Parish church. C14 and late C15, partly rebuilt mid-C17 and early C18;
restored 1870. Regularly coursed and dressed yellow and red sandstone;
plain tile roofs with coped verges and ornamental cresting. Nave, chancel,
west tower, south aisle and porch.

Tower: late C15 in three stages with
diagonal buttresses and slightly projecting north-east rectangular
stair turret. Embattled parapet with gargoyles to three corners encloses
pyramidal roof with ornamental brass weathercock. Two-light trefoil-
headed openings to belfry with small lancet to second stage on south;
west window of three cusped lights with panel tracery above. Segmental-
headed west doorway has hoodmould and nail-studded door. Vaulted canopy
for former statue has bracket beneath to string course of second stage,
which is carved with a female figure holding a shield with a cross upon
it. Nave: north side buttressed in two unequal bays with heavily restored
2-light C14 window immediately to west of buttress and pointed triple-
chamfered C14 doorway reused when this section of wall was rebuilt in
mid-C17; section to east rebuilt 1716: see date stone inscribed "EDWARD
KYNASTON/SAMUEL HAMPTON/CHURCHWARDENS/1716". C15 south aisle buttressed
in three bays has two broad 3-light windows with 4-centred arches on south
and one on west with a similar window of four lights to east; all have
head stops, that to west on south with two heads to one stop.
Timber-framed porch in west bay dated 1656 with name of Nicholas Dickin, churchwarden,
in raised lettering to lintel, considerably restored with sandstone
ashlar side walls. Heavily restored C15 south doorway has a 4-centred
arch under a square label with spandrels; massive nail-studded double
doors and a C18 royal coat-of-arms above on outside. Short one-bay
chancel has C15 window on south, similar to those in aisle, and a contemporary
narrow doorway with 2-centred arch to west. Restored 2-light trefoil-
headed window on north with armorial shield to apex and east window
of three lights with reticulated tracery, hoodmould and head stops.

INTERIOR:
pointed tower arch with moulded capitals C15 but chancel arch with corbelled
responds and carved heads is C19. Three-bay C15 south arcade with C19
round-arched, and octagonal piers replacing oak columns inserted after
damage in Civil War. Main feature is mid-C17 arch-braced collar-beam
roof to nave: carved pendant knobs, single tiers of ogee-curved wind braces
and miniature hammer beams, which have shields bearing arms of local
families except to north-west, which has carved grotesque face. Similar
but less elaborate roof to aisle. Late C19 octagonal font but large
basin nearby is probably medieval. Panelled pulpit is probably early
C18 and some contemporary panelling has been reused in C19 pews and
organ gallery. C17 oak chest in front of north door and C19 board recording
benefactions of Mary Griffiths of Woodgate (q.v.) to parish. Late C19
stained glass in various windows throughout. MONUMENTS: C18 and C19
wall tablets and memorials to various members of local families throughout
church; C18 funerary hatchments in chancel (north wall) and aisle (south wall).
The church was granted to Wombridge Priory (Herefs) c.1190. In 1643
it was held by Parliamentarian forces but was subsequently stormed and
taken by the Royalists, considerable damage being caused in the process.

Listing NGR: SJ4716029275

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529637

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

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  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
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  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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