Church Of St Laurence

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

SP 02 72 ALVECHURCH CP BEAR HILL (south side)

15/10 Church of St Laurence 16.11.67

GV II*

Parish church. Fragments of C12, C14 north aisle, tower of 1676 built by the Richards brothers, rest rebuilt by William Butterfield, 1859-1861.

Sandstone ashlar with machine-tile roof. West tower 1676, north aisle C14, nave, south aisle and chancel 1859-1861. West tower: incorporates some C15 features, rebuilt 1676, three stages, each offset. C17 balustrade with crocketed pinnacles, diagonal buttresses: west wall: second stage has a window of trefoiled lights under 2-centred head; first stage: square-headed window with chamfered reveals, below clock and a datestone inscribed: "Samuell Richards and / Thomas Richards 1676" over a pair of addorsed dragons; ground stage: window of three cinquefoiled lights under 2-centred head with label over an entrance with 2-centred arch. Nave: 1859-1861, four bays with (from left to right) clerestorey windows: cinquefoil lancet, a pair of similar lancets, a pair of trefoiled lancets, and a similar pair with quatrefoil above; south aisle: 1858-1861, lean-to roof, five bays, left-hand bay has timber-frame south porch to re-set restored C12 door which has a roll moulding to semi-circular head, a billeted label, and respond shafts with capitals; other bays mostly have paired trefoil lancets, each with a re-set C12 or C14 corbel above; east window has two trefoiled lights under a 2-centred head; north aisle: C14, altered C15, gabled roof; three bays defined by stepped buttresses, each bay with two windows of two trefoiled lights under 2-centred head; east window has reticulated tracery under a 2-centred head, and had five lights obscured by lean-to C19 vestry. Chancel: 1859-61, three bays, that to left covered by south aisle, trefoiled lancets to each bay; east window: three stepped trefoiled lancets. Interior: nave: north arcade of three bays with 2-centred arches and circular plan piers, south arcade of four bays wth 2-centred arches and slender columns, respectively Norman and Early English in style, but all C19; tower arch: 2-centred of two continuous orders; chancel: arcade to aisles on each side of two bays with 2-centred arches and slender columns. Re-set head of a C14 sedilia in south wall of chancel; north aisle; early C15 tomb recess behind organ has an ogee cinque- foiled arch, crocketed and terminating in a carved finial; effigy in recess is a recumbent stone knight. Roofs: nave: seven bays: arch-braced collars, south aisle: lean-to roof; chancel: two bays, cusped arch-braces to collar; north aisle: common rafter roof with scissor-braces. Fittings: mostly C19 by Butterfield; the low chancel screen is made up from probably C15 woodwork, including a frieze with trailing foliage, all painted. North aisle: wall tablet to Edward Moore, died 1746, with Corinthian pilasters; brass mounted on wall to Philip Chatwyn, died 1542; chancel: tomb slab bearing a cross flory, chalice and the arms of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester (1443-76).

(VCH 3, pp 255-256; BoE, pp 68-70 Hereford & Worcester Record Office, Probate records 3585/767).

Listing NGR: SP0266472445

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1407 IOE Records taken by David Molyneux; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr David Molyneux. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project