Church of St Editha, Tamworth, Staffordshire

Description

SK 2004 SE; 670-1/7/57

TAMWORTH,
CHURCH STREET (north side),
Church of St. Editha

11/05/50

Former collegiate church. C9 origins shown in plan of former
crossing tower; Norman crossing arches and chancel south wall
and part of north wall; Early English north porch; most of
church mid to late C14 following fire of 1345; late C14-early
C15 west tower; C15 clerestories and roofs; extensively
restored by B. Ferrey and G.G. Scott, 1850s, and W. Butterfield,
c1871. Moulded plinths and plain parapets. 3-bay chancel with
crossing and 7-bay clerestory over both; 4-bay north chapel
and north transept; 2-bay south chapel and vestry; nave with
clerestory and 5-bay aisles; west tower. Chancel has plinth
and 6-light east window with king mullion and Perpendicular
tracery, mid C14 crocketed hood mould with stops, flanking
niches with crocketed ogee hoods and offset diagonal
buttresses; C14 two-light south windows and C19 four-light
clerestory windows, most with crocketed ogee hoods, plain
parapet; north chapel has hollow-chamfered plinth and 7-light
Perpendicular east window and 4-light north windows with head
stops to hoods between offset buttresses; north transept has
4-light window, embattled parapet; south chapel has offset
buttresses flanking windows with renewed tracery of unusual
form, blocked east window, gabled vestry has straight-headed
windows, of three round-headed lights to east and of 2+2 lights
and three traceried lights to south, plain south door. North aisle
has plinth and plain parapet, 3-light windows with Geometrical
tracery between offset buttresses and 2-storey porch with
round-headed entrance with C20 glazed infill and door, 1st
floor light with crocketed hood with stops, stair turret in
buttress to right, 5-light transomed west window with
Perpendicular tracery interrupted by tower buttress; south
aisle has plinth and 3-light windows with early Perpendicular
tracery between offset buttresses, end gabled buttresses with
stack to east, crocketed pinnacle to west, pointed entrance
with continuous leaf-trail moulding, entrance to crypt, slate
sundial to plain parapet, clerestory as to chancel, 4-light
west window with pinnacle to parapet. 3-stage tower has gabled
angle buttresses incorporating stair turrets, plinth and
string courses, C19 west entrance has hollow-chamfered
architrave with arms of diocese and province to spandrels and
Tudor flower, paired doors, embattled parapet to wall passage
below 6-light window with Perpendicular tracery; C19
south-west stair entrance has niche with St George; 4-light
transomed south window with Perpendicular tracery, small
lights to second stage; bell stage has paired Y-tracery louvred
openings, cornice with gargoyles, embattled parapet with
crocketed pinnacles with wind vanes and truncated spire.

INTERIOR: chancel has three unglazed 2-light windows to north over
three mid-C14 arched tomb recesses with cusping, all open to north
chapel; east window flanked by two tiers of niches with
crocketed ogee heads, similar niches alternate with clerestory
windows, panelled roof has stop-chamfered members, with bosses
to sanctuary; crossing has round-headed north and south arches
with flat responds, jambs of west arch have chevron moulding
with C15 cusped panels to former arch abutments, squint to
south aisle; north chapel has glazed C19 screen with
brattishing, C15 panelled roof with bosses, 1882 sedilia and
piscina project with cusped arches and gables, niches flank
east window; transept has C19 panelled roof; south chapel has
C14 two-bay west arcade with filleted quatrefoil piers, north
wall has round-headed entrance to chancel with blocked deeply
splayed window above and shafted buttress to vestry, C14 south
piscina, C15 roof with few bosses; aisles have C15 panelled
roofs with bosses, pointed entrance to porch with rib
vaulting; similar panelled roof to nave, arcades with
quatrefoil piers with fillets, clerestory as to chancel, C19
west wall has unglazed traceried opening over doorway with
continuous moulding; tower has rib vault and deeply splayed
windows and blind arch to north; crypt has single-chamfered
vaulting. FITTINGS: chancel has 1852 reredos by G.G. Scott and
J.B. Philip, cusped arcading with marble shafts flanking five
cusped gabled arches with mosaic, 1887, by Salviati, encaustic
tiles to sanctuary, C19 traceried rail; crossing has stalls
with C20 book rests; north chapel has late C19 traceried
timber altar and reredos with riddel posts; south chapel has
free-standing organ; nave has rich C19 timber pulpit with
detached shafts, 1854 font by G.G. Scott, octagonal with
shafted pier and enriched panels. MEMORIALS: chancel has three
tombs to recesses: to east, Sir Baldwin de Freville, d.c1400,
and wife, chest with figures under gablets with pinnacles,
inscription to cornice and two effigies to top; C15 tomb, chest
with cusped panels and shields and moulded square balusters to
angles, effigy of woman with kennel head-dress; to west, Sir
John Ferrers, d.1512, and wife, chest with Tudor flower and
shields, Tudor flower to cornice and 2 effigies, the male now
without legs; to north a wall tablet to Elizabeth Adderley,
d.1661, oval panel with flanking scrolls and foliage with
cartouche to apron and segmental pediment with swan-neck
pediment above; to south tablet to Henry Michel, d.1629, and
wives, round-headed panel; Thomes Willington, d.1696,
cartouche with Latin inscription and flanking drapery, apron
in form of drapery with further inscription and armorial
bearing above; Francis Blick, d.1842, rich Gothic Revival
tablet in form of niche; north chapel has tomb recess with
effigy of priest, Baldwin de Witney, d.1369; C14 floor slab
with indents for missing brasses; transept has fragment of C15
effigy of knight; wall tablet to members of Comberford family,
d.1671-1725, in form of drapery with Latin inscription; south
chapel has wall tablet to Elizabeth Hood, d.1899, in early C19
style with stole and weeping figure by draped urn and willow;
north aisle has war memorial wall slabs; tablet to John
Horner, d.1769, obelisk with putto and portrait medallion and
apron with palms; other C18 tablets to west wall; tower has
large monument to John Ferrers, d.1680, and his son, Humphrey,
d.1678, by Arnold Quellin of Grinling Gibbons' studio, chest
with cartouches flanking trophy of arms supporting tablet with
Latin inscription, flanked by free-standing kneeling figures
in Roman armour, top sarcophagus with gadrooning, festoons,
putti and flaming urn, with free-standing armorial bearing to
front; tablet to John Clarke, d.1818, weeping figure by tomb
with armorial bearing. Stained glass: medieval fragments to
vestry east window; chancel east window, 1870, by Wailes; good
south clerestory windows, 1873, by Ford Madox Brown for Morris
and Co; good north chapel east window, 1874, by E.Burne-Jones
for Morris and Co., also 2 windows to north, 1901 and 1925,
and 2 windows by Messrs Camm, 1939 and 1940; 2 north aisle
windows by H. Holiday, 1919, and one by G.E. Smith, 1945;
3 south aisle windows by H. Holiday for Powell and Son, 1881-6;
also C19 windows to transept and south chapel. One of the
largest parish churches in Staffordshire, especially notable
for its Norman work and for its monuments.

(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Staffordshire: London:
1974-: P.274-77; Pace GG: The Collegiate and Parish Church of
St Editha, Tamworth: Tamworth).

Listing NGR: SK2078604090

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 30 October 2017.

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Church of St Editha

A Grade I Listed Building in Tamworth, Staffordshire

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