Church of St. Swithin

Details

BAUMBER CHURCH LANE TF 27 SW 4/1 Church of St. Swithin 14-9-66 I Parish church. Cll, C12, C13, 1758, 1892, restoration by W. Scorer. Red brick with ashlar dressings, coursed limestone rubble, lead and slate roofs. Western tower and porch, nave, aisles, chancel and vestry. The stone church was completely brick clad and refenestrated in 1758 and the 2 stage brick tower has plinth, cill band, dentillated band, corbelled band, battlemented parapet with dog tooth cornice. There are corner buttresses and at the base of the south western one the stone foundations of the earlier church can be seen. The south side has a 3 light pointed window and to belfry stage on all faces are 2 light openings with wooden tracery and louvres. The western side has a gabled porch with battlemented parapet, corner panelled buttresses which are surmounted by decorated ashlar obelisks with foliate crockets. Above the porch on the tower face, the corbelled band is formed into a pediment and beneath this is a plain eared ashlar panel. The porch has side lights, and the inner doorway is late C12, set in coursed limestone rubble walling, with zigzag decoration to the square cut arch. The single order of collonettes is missing, but of the remaining capitals, one is waterleaf, the other has worn figure carving. The door is C18 having 6 panels. On the north side of the tower is a blank pointed headed opening. The aisle has a plinth, cill band and moulded ashlar cornice. At both ends is a blank pointed headed opening with a blank quatrefoil over. The north side has 3 three light windows subdivided by plain buttresses. The nave has a dentillated cornice and lead roof, and at the east end is a lozenge shaped opening with curved sides. The chancel which has a hipped slate roof has 2 three light windows to the north side and a blocked pointed opening to the east end. The south side of the church matches the north with the addition of a C19 vestry with 3 light east window and south door. All windows have matching intersecting cusped tracery dating from C19 restoration. Interior. The rear of the west doorway is a plain semi-circular headed opening, as is the opening from tower to nave. On the nave side of the doorway a stripwork surround has been hacked back, suggesting a Cll date. Inside the tower are massive framed trusses, possibly built to support the bell chamber. The wide C13 3 bay arcades have octagonal piers and capitals with double chamfered arches. The C13 chancel arch has been replaced by a 3 bay C18 screen with octagonal posts and ogee arches with feathered gilt decoration and finials. Behind can be seen the C13 respond and detached annular shaft of blocked arches into vanished chancel chapels. The chancel has a coved ceiling with a pretty pierced quatrefoil frieze. On the south wall is a C19 door to the vestry. Above the chancel screen is a wall painting including the Royal Coat of Arms and some texts. The nave has panelled walls to dado height. Between nave and chancel is a low timber screen which extends to form a C18 pulpit with brattished top. The fine tester is now hung at the west end of the north aisle, it has an ogee top with finials. The C19 choir stalls and octagonal moulded font match the C18 Gothick fittings. In the nave are 4 hatchments to the Lievesey and Clinton families, and a Commandment Board. Monuments. At the west end of the south aisle is a large ledger slab with Lombardic inscription to John Eland and his 2 wives d.1473. On the south wall is a tablet to the Barber and Rowlands families d.1776-1797.

Listing NGR: TF2219374456

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

195186

Legacy System:

LBS

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