Description

BARKWAY CHURCH LANE
TL 3835 (North side)

Barkway
9/2 Church of
27.5.68 St. Mary Magdalene

GV I

Parish church. C13 origins. C15 nave rebuilt with aisles. 1861
restored, tower rebuilt, porch and vestry added by B. Ferrey at expense
of the Hon. Mrs. V. Harcourt. Knapped flint with stone dressings. Tiled
steep chancel roof, slate on shallower nave and porch roofs. Large 6 bay
nave with broad N and S aisles, narrower and shorter chancel, W tower, S
porch, N vestry/organ bay. Chancel: round arched 3 light E window with
C19 geometrical tracery. Quoins, coped gable parapet with ridge cross
and kneelers. To S a C19 pointed arched entrance, a restored C13 lancet
and towards W a low side window of 2 cinquefoiled lights, blind below a
transom, square head with mask stopped label. To N 2 blind lancets and a
large C19 opening of 3 cinquefoiled lights with a square head, 2 stage
buttress. Nave E end coped parapet with kneelers and ridge cross. 5
clerestorey windows to each side, paired cinquefoiled lights with square
heads, ball flower friezes. N and S aisles have restored C15 windows of
3 cinquefoiled lights with rectilinear tracery in depressed arched
heads, 3 to each side. S porch has outer moulded pointed arch with
shafted jambs, double plinth, diagonal buttresses, coped gable parapet,
2 light windows in returns with pointed arched heads. C15 inner 4
centred wave moulded entrance arch. Projecting vestry with a 3 light N
window as on aisles, double plinth, diagonal buttresses, coped parapet,
pointed arched door to W. 3 stage W tower rebuilt to original pattern.
To W rising through 2 stages is a tall 4 light window with rectilinear
tracery, ogee headed label with finial and stops. 2 light foiled belfry
openings with pierced quatrefoil panels. To N a small door and to N and
S an additional small light in belfry, clock imposed on N belfry
opening. Double plinth. String courses separate stages. 3 stage diagonal
buttresses, empty niches in lower stages with crocketed, finialed
surrounds. Buttresses to N and S where tower meets nave. To SE is
semi-octagonal ashlar stair turret with a small outer entrance.
Embattled parapet with crocketed finials at angles, weathervane at top.
Interior: early C15 pointed chancel arch, double order of wave mouldings
with label, semi-octagonal responds also wave moulded with elaborately
moulded caps, simpler bases. Tall pointed tower arch, outer wave, middle
casement and inner hollow mouldings, last of which terminates on engaged
shaft responds with foliated moulded caps. 6 bay nave arcades differ
very slightly in mouldings, that to N possibly a slightly later
rebuilding. Pointed arches, hollow, casement and wave mouldings
terminate on capitals of composite piers with 4 engaged semi-octagonal
columns, moulded caps and bases with hollows in angles, labels over
arcades with grotesque masks and animals at springings. Roofs rebuilt
in C19 re-using some old timber in nave, arched braces from posts which
rest on large carved C15 and C19 stone corbels, angels with shields,
crouching figures, grotesque heads, similar corbels in aisles. Chancel
roof is a depressed barrel vault, ceiled with bosses on C19 ribs, C15
moulded wall plates. Chancel N wall, upper part of rear arches of
blocked lancets. C15 wave moulded rear arch to E window, a similar
blocked arch over C19 door to S. At SE angle of nave a small door in
a splay to rood stairs, upper door blocked. Piscinae: chancel S wall,
C13 with a trefoiled head and C19 with 2 arches with a central marble
shaft, S aisle E end, a pointed wave moulded arch, broach stopped.
Furnishings include a simple C17 chest, an octagonal C19 Gothic pulpit,
C19 Gothic font, brass eagle lectern of 1881, early timber ladder in
tower. Monuments: in tower a large neo-classical marble monument by
J.M.Rysbrack to Sir J. Jennings, d.1743, a tall broad pedestal stepped
forward twice with moulded base and capping, epitaph over cartouche and
arms, flanking gadrooned projections, above a bust in Roman costume with
flanking putti and military accoutrements. N aisle wall, 2 marble pendant
epitaphs by P. Chenu to J.Andrew, d.1796, fluted pilasters frame epitaph,
above a black obelisk rises with a relief allegorical figure of Hope, and
to T.T. Gorsuch, d.1820, executed 1821, similar with tourchettes in place
of pilasters, arms at base, relief figure of Father Time. S aisle wall, a
similar marble monument by Kendrick to John Baron Selsey, d.1816, and
his son, d.1811, draped urn with willow branches and a pelican over
epitaph and arms. Small reset brass figures of R. Poynard, d.1561, and
his 2 wives. Chancel S wall: Baroque marble epitaph by Stanton to
Mrs. J. Chester, d.1702, aedicular frame to inscribed panel with a
segmental head, Solomonic Corinthian columns, open segmental pediment,
arms above with festoons, all surmounted by an urn, scroll brackets
below with skull, 2 seraphs and flowers. Another in a similar style to
Mrs. M. Chester, d.1703, inscribed panel bowed out slightly with skull
and cross bones to fluted pilasters with scrolled outer jambs, arms
above with scrolls to an urn with festoons, framing putti, at base
relief of skull and musical seraphs. Chancel N wall: E. Chester, d.1708,
marble, long epitaph in ellipse with aedicular surround, scrolled
pilaster jambs, scrolled broken pediment with arms above. T. Smoult,
d.1707, by R. Hartshorne, long epitaph in panel with aedicular surround,
Ionic columns of black marble, outer scrolled jambs, skull at base,
above a trumpet and leaf relief, panel with flanking funerary urns, book
with flanking seraphs. Smaller alabaster monument to Mrs. S. Castell,
framed panel with scrolled brackets and a seraph below, frieze with
lozenges, arms above. Huge wall monument to Dame S. Chapman, d.1800,
marble slab with festoon and urn above on a Gothic arched backing. Floor
slabs to Mrs. E. Devenish, d.1670, and Mrs. J. Chester, d.1702. Glass:
S aisle E window, centre light has remains of mid C14 Jesse window,
flanking C15 fragments of saints with musical angels above. Some C15
heraldic fragments in N aisle E window. E window Crucifixion, 1905 by
Clayton and Bell. (Kelly's Directory 1899: East Herts Archaeological
Society Transactions, vol.2, pt.2, 1903, p.151: RCHM 1910: VCH 1914:
Pevsner 1977).

Listing NGR: TL3828035610

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529045

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

• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
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  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
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  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
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  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings