Description

NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME

SJ8446SE CHURCH STREET
644-1/8/6 (North West side)
21/10/49 Church of St Giles

GV II*

Parish Church. Medieval foundation, with refaced C13 tower and
fragments of original masonry, largely as rebuilt by George
Gilbert Scott in 1876. Coursed and squared sandstone with
plain tiled roofs. West tower, nave with 2 aisles and
clerestory, chancel. West tower is substantially C13, though
refaced. 3 stages with clasping angle buttresses, stair turret
to NW and embattled parapet. Moulded West door with 4 shafts.
Bell chamber lights and clock over. 2-light Decorated windows
to aisles, with foiled tracery. Gabled south porch with
clustered shafts and foiled arch. Clerestory with alternating
foiled 2-light Decorated windows and foiled circles with
continuous hoodmould. Higher south aisle chapel with massive
west pinnacle and gabletted buttresses. North porch and chapel
similar to south. Angle buttresses with gablets to chancel
which has 3-light windows to north and south and a massive
7-light East window with slender tracery.
INTERIOR: nave arcade of 6 bays partially blocked at lower
level in 2 western bays by the insertion of a parish room, but
leaving the upper part of the arcade clear. Alternating
octagonal and cylindrical shafts in a pale stone with
contrasting red foliate capitals. Heavily raftered roof with
collar and kingposts. Pews possibly date from the time of
Scott's work, with poppy head bench ends to the north.
Globe-like wrought-iron candelabra in aisles. Pulpit and font
also probably from the time of Scott's rebuilding, but the
pelican lectern was made from a carving which hung over the
communion table in the earlier church, and is dated 1786.
There is also a flat and worn effigy on a tomb slab in the
south aisle which survives from the early church. Encaustic
tiled floor to chancel, and reredos with traceried panels with
pinnacles, containing gilded emblems and lettering of prayers
and texts, and with a central painted figure. Altar piece and
traceried rails date from Scott's rebuilding. Sedilia
installed as memorial for World War II. North aisle chapel has
oak reredos with high relief of Last Supper against a pale
painted ground. Stained glass by Lavers and Barraud, and
Westlake: east window (n.d.) represents Crucifixion in a
landscape, east windows of chapels both by same artist,
showing nativity and baptism of Christ. Series of windows in
aisles depict miracles and Old Testament scenes. Many of these
windows are dated earlier than Scott's work.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Staffordshire).

Listing NGR: SJ8467846050

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17544860

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.

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