Church of St James the Great

CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, CHURCH STREET

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1041108
Date first listed:
17-May-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St James the Great
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, CHURCH STREET

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Location

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Date:
2007-09-11
Reference:
IOE01/16841/29
Rights:
© Mr Roger Ashley. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1041108
Date first listed:
17-May-1960
Date of most recent amendment:
22-Jun-1987
List Entry Name:
Church of St James the Great
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, CHURCH STREET

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, CHURCH STREET

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
West Northamptonshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Paulerspury
National Grid Reference:
SP 71568 45496

Details

PAULERSPURY CHURCH STREET SP7145 (West side) 12/40 Church of St. James the Great 17/05/60 (Formerly listed as Church of St. James)

GV II*

Church. C13, C14, C15, much restored (including rebuilding) 1844, 1854 (chancel), and 1864. Coursed squared limestone, slate roofs, lead to north aisle, chancel chapel and west tower. Chancel, north chancel chapel and vestry, nave, north and south aisles, north and south porches, west tower. 3-bay chancel has 3-light Decorated style east window, 3-light windows with intersecting tracery to south and north-east, all with hood moulds, priest's door to south, chamfered, with hood mould linked to string course, buttresses to angles and between bays to south. North chancel chapel continues north aisle and has coupled lancets to south, attached vestry to east with small rectangular windows with chamfered stone surrounds to east and north and ridged stone roof and 5-sided tower beside chancel with similar windows. Nave has 5-bay clerestory with spherical triangle windows and quatrefoil tracery. North aisle has 2-light windows to north with Y-tracery, double-chamfered north door with hood mould and carved head stops within porch of 1864. South aisle has 2-light east window with Decorated-style tracery, 2-light windows to south with Y-tracery and quatrefoil in heads, all with hood moulds. South door with double sunk chamfers within porch with double hollow-chamfered doorway with hood mould, one-light windows to east and west with ogee head, diagonal buttresses, tile roof and stone-coped gable. 3-stage west tower has chamfered west door, a 3-light Perpendicular window above with hood mould continuing string course. C19 single-storey lean-to store to north, stair turret projection to south-east with small quatrefoil windows and one small 2-light trefoil headed window at middle stage level. Tall 2-light Perpendicular bell-openings, with transoms and hood moulds. Diagonal buttresses to west angles and battlemented parapets. Interior: chancel has fine C14 triple sedilia and double piscina, seats with pointed trefoil heads, miniature rib vaults within with foliage bosses, projecting divisions with crocketted pinnacles, crocketted hood moulds with ogee-arch frieze above the underside carved with foliage and fantastic beasts and brattishing on top; piscina has six-pointed star in spandrel. Chancel chapel windows have detached shafts inside and half columns, moulded capitals and arches with dog-tooth ornament; 2-bay arcade to chancel with octagonal pier and double-chamfered arches. Nave has 5-bay arcades with similar piers and arches, alternating with circular piers to north. C19 roofs except for C20 roof to chancel chapel. Triptych reredos of 1880 designed by Swinfen Harris with panels painted by Nathaniel Westlake. Fine C19 Perpendicular-style painted stone pulpit. Norman tub font with palmette style ornament either side of scalloped beaded fillet. Stained glass: south-west chancel window 1878 by Clayton and Bell, tower window by Hardman 1893, and C17 painted armorial panels in heads of chancel chapel windows. Monuments: mid C14 oak effigies of knight and lady, her pillow supported by angels, on panelled stone chest tomb, thought to commemorate Sir Lawrence de Pavely and his wife. Large black marble and alabaster chest tomb with relining effigies of Sir Arthur Throckmorton d.1603 and his wife, leaning on one elbow and facing each other. C17 wall monument with segmental pediment filled by cartouche. Mali monument to Benjamin Bathurst d.1704 and his wife d.1727 topped by urn against obelisk panel (behind organ). Wall monuments to Joseph Spinall d.1726 by Hunt, and Robert Sheddon of Paulersbury Park d.1826 by Theakston, and other C19 wall monuments. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.371; Kelly's Directory for Northamptonshire, 1928; Guide to the Church of St. James the Great (no date).

Listing NGR: SP7156845496

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
234550
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Guide to the Church of St James The Great Paulersbury, ()
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (1973)
Kellys Directory in Northamptonshire, (1928)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St James the Great

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 09-Jun-2026 at 16:44:17.

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End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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