Description

TM 14 SW BELSTEAD 2/4 22.2.55 Church of St Mary II* Parish church. Medieval, C16, restored C19, 1980's. Flint and stone, stone dressings, brick, part rendered and lined as ashlar, plaintile roofs. Nave, chancel, south tower, north chapel, north vestry. Square tower, C14, 3 stages with brick embattled parapet. Set against middle bay of nave. Angle buttresses at junction with nave. Outer south doorway. Polygonal responds with moulded capitals. Arch of one chamfered order and 2 hollows with fillets. Continuous outer double ogee moulding. Hood mould. Above, single trefoil headed light with hood mould to ringing chamber. Bell openings, louvred on south and west, that to south formerly traceried. On east face a Perpendicular cusped traceried 2-light opening with stilted head, the cill below the bell stage. Inner south doorway. Multiple moulded orders including wave with fillets; deeply incised V, hollow chamfer. Scroll moulded hood with figure stops. Outer order forming taller arch, wave moulded jambs running into hollow chamfered arch. Nave, west window, 1980's, 3-light Perpendicular style. North and south diagonal buttresses. No openings on rendered south wall west of tower. North wall, one blocked doorway with multiple mouldings, and hood mould with one figure stop. South nave east of tower. 2-light C14 window with curvilinear tracery, much restored C19. Chancel. 2 2-light cusped Y-traceried windows with almost triangular heads, worn or broken stops, both restored. Priest's doorway. Chamfered 4-centred arch and hoodmould. East window. Fine 3-light Perpendicular window with supermullions and embattled transom, the lower cusped main lights of equal size. Under catslide roof to north, 2-light Y-tracery vestry window. North chapel. C16 and later. Tall stone plinth, part rendered. White brick embattled parapet. 2 windows of C19 plain lights beneath C16 moulded brick 4-centre arched hoods. Similar moulded brick hoods to blocked doorway and blocked west window of chapel. Interior: 3 bay north arcade between nave and chapel. C19 octagonal piers with hollow and wave moulded arches. Blocked north doorway with chamfered rear arch. Perpendicular shafts to rear arch of west window. C19 scissor braced nave roof on embattled wallplate. Timber chancel arch. Plastered chancel roof, embattled and coved cornice. Remains of rood stair. Piscina with remains of elaborate canopy with ?lion and lamb to left and right and human figure above. Quatrefoil drain beneath cusped head. Sedilia. Base of C15 timber screen, the panels with blind cusped heads, in pairs, between moulded shafts, and with band of encircled trefoils at base, much original colour surviving, the panels depicting saints. Jacobean 7 sided carved pulpit on stem. Font C15, East Anglian school, octagonal bowl supported by angels, the panels alternately a rose and angel bearing shield; band of roses below bowl, stem supported by lions alternating with moulded shafts. Early framed door with original strap hinges with incised decoration. Monuments. In chapel (1) Thomas Blofse 23 May 1722 and his first and 2nd wives. Marble. Rectangular inscribed panel breaking forward between pilasters with simplified acanthus capitals and similar frieze. Weeping amorini to each side of gadrooned base; brackets scrolled in perspective flank apron carrying achievement beneath which is panel inscribed to Tobias Blofse son of the above. Coved cornice crowned by open segmental pediment on pilasters of coloured marble, and capped by urn. Within the pediment a seated amorino, to each side a skull. (2) Elizabeth, oldest daughter of Robart D'Arcy, wife of Thomas Blofe d. 8 December 1653. Marble. Rectangular ground containing oval panel with swagged surround and achievement above. Below, kneeling weepers to each side of prayer desk. Scrolled apron between brackets bears pelican. Facetted boss to each side. (3) Elizabeth, wife of Tobias Hunt, grandson to Tobias Blosse 27 October 1727. Marble. Rectangular inscribed panel between scrolled brackets rising to Ionic capitals. Moulded cornice with achievement above. Gadrooned base, foliate feet, the apron a reversed gadroon above cherub's head. (4) In nave. Arabella Garrc (d.) 7 December 1760. Marble . Rectangular inscribed panel between scrolled brackets. Veined marble entablature grey marble base and apron with winged cherub above scroll. (5) Floor brass, on stone. 3 figures of knight and 2 wives, thought to be John Goldingham d.1518 and his 2 wives Jane and Thomasine. Blank indent. (6) 5 back stone floor tablets c.1632-1693, members of the Blosse family. (7) Wall monument. Sir Robert Harland, Bart, Admiral of the Blue, 1784. Simple rectangular marble tablet with paterae to feet, and entablature carrying small urns flanking achievement, but with details of his illustrious career. Flanked by monuments to his wife and daughters.

Listing NGR: TM1265941098

External Links

• Wikidata Q17533905

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Recommended Books

• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)