Description

SP 7048 EASTON NESTON EASTON NESTON PARK

12/45 Church of St. Mary
17/05/60

GV I

Church. C13 and C15. North chancel chapel added mid C18; restored 1863 by E.F.
Law and C20. Coursed limestone rubble with limestone and ironstone dressings and
lead roofs. Chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, vestry, south porch and
west tower. 2-bay chancel has 3-light east window with C19 geometrical tracery,
2-light window to north with pointed trefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil to
head, and 3-light Perpendicular windows to south with 4-centred heads; all have
hood moulds with label stops. Blocked, roll-moulded south door in massive offset
buttress with pointed arched opening for access. Diagonal buttresses and
chamfered plinth and string course. North chapel has round-arched window to east
with moulded stone surround and keyblock. Ironstone ashlar walling with
limestone angle pilasters and moulded stone eaves. Raised on burial vault. North
aisle has 3-light windows to north with 4-centred heads and hood-moulds and
similar, larger window to west. Vestry to north-west has 3-light
hollow-chamfered stone mullion window to north and lean-to roof. South aisle has
3-light windows to east and south with straight heads and ogee-arched lights and
3-light west window with cinquefoil-headed central light flanked by pointed
trefoil-headed lights and 3 quatrefoils to head; all have hood mould.
Many-moulded south doorway with hood mould and label stops in porch with
continuous chamfered doorway with sunk quadrant moulding and hood mould. Niche
above porch doorway with triangular cinquefoiled head and small rectangular
window to north side with stone lintel. 3-stage tower has 2-light west window
with quatrefoil to head, similar bell-chamber openings and 1-light windows to
north and south of middle stage, all with hood moulds. Door to south with
4-centred head, C20 1-light window to north side of first stage, polygonal stair
turret to north-east with cruciform slit windows. Diagonal offset buttresses and
battlemented parapet. Plain stone-coped parapets to nave, aisles and chancel.
Interior: chancel has chamfered pointed arched niches, flanking east windows,
with traces of medieval wall-painting inside. Piscina with shafts, cusped head,
shelf and drain. Sedile with similar head and shafts. Round-headed arch to
chapel with moulded abaci and keyblock. Squint between chancel and south aisle.
Chamfered chancel arch. Nave has 3-bay arcades with octagonal piers, moulded
bases and capitals, polygonal responds and chamfered arches. Perpendicular roof,
much restored, resting on painted head corbels. North aisle has piscina with
cusped head and traces of medieval wall-painting to jambs of former east window,
overlaid by C16/C17 texts. Window partly blocked and filled by arch to C18
chancel chapel similar to that in chancel. South aisle has many-moulded piscina.
Octagonal font with stiff-leaf foliage. Complete set of C18 box pews and
double-decker pulpit with marquetry to panels and sounding board. Communion rail
with twisted balusters, and communion table, both c.1700. Royal Arms of George
IV, dated 1825, oil on board. 5 Fermor hatchments, oil on canvas. Stain-glass
east window said to be designed by Sir F. Shuckburgh (Pevsner) made by F and C.
Crace. Others signed T. Crace 1841. Monuments: Chest tomb with brasses to
Richard Fermor, merchant of Staple of Calais and purchaser of the manor, d.1552
and his wife Anne; palimpsest of brasses of c.1480-1525, Wall monument to Sir
John Farmer (sic) d.1577 and his wife Dame Maude with small figures kneeling at
prayer desk facing each other, of limestone and alabaster with apron and
cartouche of arms above. Large alabaster monument to Sir George Farmer (sic)
d.1612 and Dame Mary d.1628 with two recumbent effigies, children kneeling in
relief to front of tomb chest, arch behind supported by Corinthian columns, its
head filled by scalloped fan with pennons. Strapwork to spandrels, obelisks and
achievement of arms flanked by allegorical figures. Attributed to Jasper
Hollemans. Marble wall monument of similar size to Sir Hatton Fermor erected
1662 with life-size standing figures of Sir Hatton and his wife, a bust between
them, flanked by black marble corinthian pillars with three female half-figures
at prayer on cornice and obelisk finials. Attributed to Pierre Besnier. Marble
wall monument (in chapel) to Anne Fermor d.1740 with obelisk background. White
marble wall monument by Chantry in style of Greek stele erected 1819 to 2nd Earl
of Pomfret d.1785 and his wife Anne Marie d.1787 with relief of figures bidding
farewell. White marble wall monument to 3rd Earl of Pomfret d.1830 with lifesize
male figure seated by urn. Another large Grecian style monument to Peter Denys
d.1816 and Lady Charlotte Denys d.1835 with relief of three female genii
hovering over draped urn and sarcaphagus. Acroteria and urn on top. Both by E.H.
Baily. Other C19 and C20 Fermor and Fermor-Hesketh monuments.
(Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, pp200-201; Laws Plans,
Northamptonshire Record Office)

Listing NGR: SP7021449182

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527159

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)