Description

WEST TANFIELD CHURCH STREET
SE 2678-2778
(west end)
10/50 Church of St Nicholas
22.8.66

GV I

Church. Early C13, late C13, C15 and C19 restoration. Coursed squared
stone, ashlar, Welsh slate roof. West tower, nave, south porch, north aisle
with vestry, chancel. West tower: Perpendicular, 3 stages. Offset diagonal
buttresses up to belfry level. To south side a buttress like stair tower up
to the belfry, to bottom is a segmental-arched doorway, above very small
one-light chamfered openings. Stone bands between stages. Blank second
stage. Belfry openings have pointed-arched head with hoodmoulds, cusped
tracery of 2-lights. Projecting embattled parapet. West tower: window has
pointed-arched head with hoodmould, of 3 lights with rectilinear tracery.
Clock face below belfry to west facade. Nave: 4 bays. C15 walls, refaced
1860. South porch of c1200, outer round-arched moulded doorway with
hoodmould which continues as eaves band, set in steeply gabled porch with
stone roof and a tunnel vault. Inner doorway similar with board door. To
left of porch a 2-light flat-headed window with hoodmould and rectilinear
tracery. To right of porch 2 flat-headed 2-light windows with cusped
rectilinear tracery and hoodmoulds. To right is a wide original stone
offset buttress. Stone coping, gable cross. North aisle: Perpendicular,
4 bays, gabled east end. Offset angle buttresses between bays and offset
diagonal buttress to east. To west is a vestry with 3-light pointed-arched
cusped traceried window with hoodmould, to its east a small outshut porch
with pointed-arched doorway. Three 3-light windows with rectilinear tracery
and segmental heads with hoodmoulds. East window to north aisle has pointed
arch with hoodmould and is of 5-lights with cusped rectilinear tracery.
Stone coping, gable crosses. West window of 3-lights with pointed arch,
hoodmould and rectilinear tracery. Chancel: C13, 2 bays. Walls refaced in
1860. Offset diagonal buttresses to east. Two 4-centred arched windows
with hoodmoulds, of 3 cusped lights, to south. East window has pointed arch
with hoodmould, of 3-lights, with intersecting tracery. Stone coping, gable
cross. Interior: north arcade of 4 bays, late C13, octagonal piers and
capitals, double chamfered pointed arches with hoodmoulds. Similar arch
from north aisle to chancel. Chancel has pointed arch of C19. Behind the
chancel arch, facing the north chapel, is a recess with moulded shallow arch
to front, cusped 2-light opening through to chancel to rear and similar
single light openings to east. Possibly a small chantry chapel. (A chancery
was founded in 1335 to be read for Maude Marmion.) In the north aisle, some
C15 stained glass with figures including a large figure of a female saint
and a small crucifix. C19 hammer beam roofs. Monuments: several to the
Marmion family: effigies of Sir William Marmion 1275, a lady late C14, and
another lady on a tomb chest. A cross legged knight and a later C14 lady
arranged as a couple placed under a tall canopy with openwork cusping and a
crocketed gable perhaps late C13. Alabaster effigies of Sir John Marmion
1387 and his wife on a plain stone plinth, by her head 2 angels, by her feet
a dog. All this is placed under an ironwork hearse of the same date, at
each corner and on apex of ogee arches are candle spikes with leaf motif wax
holders. The horizontal pieces of ironwork are castellated. Ironwork of
this date over a tomb is probably unique in this country. Brass to Thomas
Sutton, Rector c1492.

Listing NGR: SE2679878743

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17538124

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair