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
