Description

WEST KEAL HALL LANE TF 36 SE (east side) 5/89 Church of St.Helen 3.2.67 G.V. II* Parish church. C13, C14, C15, chancel by G. E. Street 1867, tower rebuilt 1881-4. Squared greenstone rubble with limestone ashlar dressings, squared limestone rubble, red brick patching, slate and leaded roofs. Western tower, clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel, vestry, south porch. Tall 3 stage tower, rebuilt 1881-4, with corner stepped buttresses, gabled, moulded plinth, string courses and embattled parapet with corner pinnacles. To belfry stage are 3 light louvred openings with ogee heads to the lights, panel tracery and fleurons to the reveals and arch. Pointed west doorway with hood mould and above a 4 light window with panel tracery. To either side a single reset shield. Above an ogee headed niche and shield. The north aisle with lead roof has been extensively patched in brick. To the west a 2 light C19 window. On the north side a 3 light C19 window with flat head, and 3 C19 2 light windows in semi-circular headed brick openings. The nave is in squared greenstone with slate roof and has 5 two light clerestory pointed windows, one with original late C14 ogee headed tracery. The C19 vestry is in squared limestone rubble with north doorway and 2 light window. The limestone chancel rebuilt 1867 by Street has at the east end a stepped triple lancet with trefoil heads. In the south side a 2 light C19 plate traceried window. The south aisle, also with brick patching has in the east end a C15 3 light window with segmental head and mouchettes. On the south side are 3 leaded lights in earlier C15 segmental headed openings. Clerestory of 5 plain lights is similar to north side. Gabled squared limestone ashlar C15 porch, with angle buttresses, parapet and fleuron string course, and outsize gargoyles to sides. Tall pointed outer arch with double hollow chamfers. Inside are 3 cells of rib vault with angel corbels. C15 inner doorway with moulded and hollow chamfered arch, with fleurons and heads in the inner order. C15 wooden door. Interior. 5 bay C14 nave arcades with double chamfered arches and decorated capitals containing foliage, animals, monsters, dragons and heads. Western impost of north aisle has C13 stiff leaf carving. C19 tower arch with deeply moulded pointed arch and small responds. Stoup on south wall with small animals head in basin. Wide double chamfered chancel arch with C13 keeled responds, and C14 capitals carved with heads and C19 arch. C19 chancel with pointed doorway to vestry, aumbry with trefoil head and roundel decoration, double sedilia and piscina. The rear arch to the east window has shafted reveals and blank sexfoils between the lights. Fittings. C19 reredos with stone corbelled shelf. C19 stone chancel screen. C19 octagonal font with traceried side panels.

Listing NGR: TF3674963754

External Links

• Wikidata Q17548433

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

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas