Description

BRANCEPETH NORTH DRIVE
NZ 2237
(South side, off)
Brancepeth Park
15/20 Inset Church of
10/5/67 St Brandon
I

Parish church. Late C12 tower; early C13 aisled nave with late C13-early C14
east bay and transepts; aisles widened and extended to engage tower in C14;
chancel rebuilt, south transept extended to east and north chapel and nave
clerestory added in C15; c.1630 north porch; C19 south porch and restorations.
Chancel roof 1638 by Robert Barker for Rector John Cosin. Dressed sandstone
chancel, north chapel and east bay of south transept; squared and rubble stone
elsewhere. Lead roofs. West tower engaged by aisles; aisled nave with north
and south porches and transepts; aisleless chancel with north and south
chapels, the latter on east return of transept.
Unbuttressed 4-stage tower with round-headed loops on second stage, paired
lancets above and embattled parapet on corbel table. 3-bay nave has 3-light
clerestory windows between thin buttresses. Buttressed aisles have pointed
windows with mainly restored curvilinear tracery. Buttressed 3-bay chancel
has chamfered plinth and pointed windows with Perpendicular tracery. Defaced
stone panel with Christ in mandorla on south-east buttress of chancel.
Diagonally-buttressed transepts have pointed windows with curvilinear tracery.
North and south chapel windows similar to chancel. Low-pitched roofs behind
parapets. North porch, added by Cosin, has pointed doorways, blocked on west
return, framed by pilasters with strapwork, friezes with Cosin Arms and cherub
heads; semicircular pediment on front and battlements on returns. Gabled
south porch.
Interior: Pointed double-chamfered arches to tower, 3-bay nave arcades and
chancel, the latter arch moved one bay to east in late C13. Arcades under
hoodmoulds and on octagonal piers with moulded capitals. Elaborate C15 wood
nave roof with carved bosses. C15 ribbed wood tunnel vault, between south
transept and chancel, has bosses with shields, crocketed extrados and crowning
angel bust.
Woodwork: Reredos re-uses C15 Perpendicular panelling. Altar in south
transept by Thompson of Kilburn made from C14 Flemish chest with Flamboyant
tracery. Superb fittings with elaborate carving installed by Cosin c.1630-40
in two distinct styles: 1) contemporary Jacobean with strapwork and Classical
motifs (nave pews, box/family pews and pulpit); 2) conscious Gothic Revival
with poppyheads, tracery, some Classical motifs and strapwork (font cover,
rood screen, choir stalls and chancel panelling). 1628 6-leg Communion table
and contemporary rail. 1638 chancel roof has flat rib vault and ceilure above
altar with lierne ribs and bosses with winged angels. 2 carved wood fragments
above chancel arch: 1) with Gothic ribs, cresting and Instruments of the
Passion (possibly contemporary with the Cosin fittings); 2) with square
panels containing Flamboyant tracery. Font cover raised on 4 iron posts in
1972 by G.G. Pace.
Monuments. Large cross-legged stone effigy of Robert Neville died 1319.
Recumbent wood effigies of Ralph Neville died 1484 and his wife. Stone tomb
chest of Ralph Neville died 1523. Brasses to Thomas Claxton died 1403 and
Richard Drax died 1456. Several C17 and C18 floor slabs and wall monuments.
Glass: 3 possible Flemish roundels in north aisle window; Boyne testimonial
window 1864 by Blackmore of London.
Note: John Cosin (1595-1672), Rector of Brancepeth 1620-46 and Bishop of
Durham 1660-72, was responsible for sumptuous fittings in several churches in
the County including the Cathedral. Brancepeth Church is the most complete.
(G. Foley, Brancepeth Church Guide, 1980).
(N. Pevsner revised E. Williamson, The Buildings of England - County Durham,
2nd. edition, 1983).

Listing NGR: NZ2248337697

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529777

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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  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
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  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)