Description

NZ 45 SW SEAHAM CHURCH LANE
(South side)

2/29 Church of St. Mary
(Formerly listed as
21.6.50 St. Mary's Church,
I Seaham Hall)

Church. Possibly C8 with additions and alterations between Cll-C16, restored 1913.
Dressed sandstone and limestone with low-pitch graduated green slate roof, and porch
roof of sandstone flags. West tower, aisleless nave and chancel, south porch and
north vestry.

Tall narrow 4-bay nave has quoins and chamfered plinth; north and south walls each
have 2 possibly C8 windows with monolithic round-arched heads, original rear-arches
and deeply splayed internal sills; north-west window has external moulding of
concentric circles, rear-arch of north-east window has wheatear moulding; 2 C13
lancets in north wall and one lancet in south wall have C8 rear-arches; two 2-light
Perpendicular-style windows in south wall with massive probably C14 buttress to
right. Course of herringbone masonry c.2 metres above ground level in north wall
is partly hidden by late C19 north vestry.Slightly projecting C15 battlemented
parapet with one original water spout in south wall.

Lower and narrower, probably late C12, 2-bay chancel has chamfered plinth and C15
battlemented parapet; 3 lancets in south wall and 2 in north wall have chamfered
reveals and pointed splayed rear-arches; buttressed east end has 2 round-headed
lancets under continuous hoodmould with nailhead decoration and splayed rear-arches.

Mid C13 west tower has quoins and chamfered plinth; ground floor lancet in west
wall and 3 lancets above have pointed heads and chamfered reveals; original roof
line visible in east wall; corbel table supports restored C15 battlemented parapet.

Probably C16 porch has quoins, chamfered round-arched entrance and elaborate sun-
dial with plaque dated 1773; left and right returns have slit lancets with wide
internal splays; low-pitched stone-flagged roof carried on 2 slightly pointed and
chamfered transverse ribs; blocked opening with fragmentary shaft and re-set head
corbel above south door within porch.

Interior: Nave has round-headed piscina in south wall near chancel arch. South
wall of chancel has piscina with pointed head and slightly projecting stoup and
aumbry with broken trefoiled head and carved relief of a hand raised in blessing
on rear wall; both piscina and aumbry have borders with nailhead decoration.
Double-chamfered pointed chancel arch, restored in 1920, springs from double-head
corbels and has pointed hoodmould above with original head corbel to right. Chancel
and nave roofs of 1920 with 3 and 5 King-post trusses respectively. Double-chamfered
pointed tower arch on corbels with dogtooth moulding has chamfered jambs with bar
stops. C18 panelled box pews in nave and chancel with 3 original brass name plates.
Polygonal pulpit of wood with classical details c.1579. Medieval or possibly C17
round font, with moulded base, cylindrical shaft and floral border, has possibly
C17 font cover of wood.

Listing NGR: NZ4224050499

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529878

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

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas