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

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17533905

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

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)