Church of St Nicholas

Details

SP 1039-1139 SAINTBURY SAINTBURY

14/111 Church of St. Nicholas 25.8.60

I

Church of St. Nicholas. Norman doorways to nave; C13/14 tower and north transept; C14 chancel. Nave: uncoursed rubble. Chancel: North transept and tower all coursed squared and dressed limestone. North transept and chancel with angle buttresses. Limestone slate roof with slightly stepped coping to gable ends and roll-cross saddles. Tower of 3 diminishing stages, with projecting plinth and a ribbed, broach spire. North porch, dated 1842. Plan: nave with north porch and north transept, south tower opposite in the position of an opposing transept chancel. C19 porch has a pointed arch with engaged columns to either side, hood with stops in the form of heads over. transept: single 2-light window with trefoil over in W wall. 3-light window with Decorated tracery in N wall. Single light with trefoil head in wall. Nave: 2 Decorated windows of 2-lights with trefoils over, in walls. 4-light window with reticulated tracery. Tower: large C19 pointed window with mullion and transom in S wall. Steps up S face of nave to small unpainted door with blind 'Y' tracery, giving access to tower. These steps partially cover blocking of Norman S doorway which has a tympanum with incised lozenge pattern and double round arch over. Outer arch supported on moulded impost. Inner arch, set back slightly supported on a lintel. Sundial, in low relief over. Single, 2- light early decorated windows on N and S of nave. 4-light window with Perpendicular tracery in W wall of nave. All windows have diamond leaded panes except the S window which has rectangular leaded panes. Tower has 1 and 2-light belfry windows and 1 and 2- light lucarns in spire. All with limestone louvres. Interior: Simple nave, with indentation and outline of Norman door still apparent. Low pitched C15 timber roof of 4-bays with moulded principal rafters with braces on projecting stone corbels. Ridge and common rafters moulded also. Pointed, flat-chamfered arches dying into their responds, to N transept and S tower. 2 steps down to N transept with timber barrel vaulted roof with boss decoration. C13 piscina with trefoil head and credence shelf left of entrance to former rood loft in E wall. Base of tower has a piscina and credence shelf with a C14 trefoiled head and ogee arch with crockets and pinnacles in N wall. 8 steps up to small plank door in W wall giving access to tower. 2, widely spaced steps up to chancel through angular, low chancel arch to chancel. Early C18 barrel vaulted roof, with small bosses. Double piscina with triple sedilia with trefoil arched heads in window splay of sanctuary window in the S wall. Floor and nave and transepts flagged. Furniture: font at W end of nave. C15 octagonal bowl with four leafed flowers on each face. Pedestal with central shaft and attached columns. C18 ogee shaped cover. Finely carved C17 chest with C19 pointed canopy in SW corner of nave. W window contains some medieval glass, with leaf decoration. C18 pulpit with fielded panels. C19 box pews in nave and chancel. C15 pews with blind tracery on the ends in N transept which also contains a C17 holy table standing on the mensa of the original stone alter. C19 stained glass vine leaves in E window. N transept is divided from the nave by a Late C19/early C20 Arts and Crafts style screen. Tower: stone dole table at centre with lozenge shaped, octagonal top on octagonal support. Early C18 screen divides nave from chancel. Primitively carved figure probably Cll, of a man with a large face and diminitive body set in the internal splay of the chancel S window. Chandelier by C.R. Ashbee inscribed 'To Saintbury Church/In thanksgiving for/The birth of his/little daughter Mary/Elizabeth from her/Father C.R. Ashbee/Lady Day l911. C17 alter rails. Reused stained glass in E window of chancel. Memorials. Painting of Madonna and Child in indentation formed by blocking of S door. Cl9, decorated wall tablet to members of the Joseph family, with full female figure in relief above inscription, by Stephens of Worcester. Details of C19 bequest on plaque left of N door of N transept: small brass plaque in memory of Alice Bartlett (died c1574) below N window. C20 memorial plaque on E wall. Sanctuary E wall: C19 brass memorial plaque left of window. Painted memorial portrait of William Warburten (died c1647) to right. Floor composed largey of C17 and C18 ledger tombs. (David Verey, The Buildings of England: The Cotswolds, 1979).

Listing NGR: SP1171239460

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

127028

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 1 The Cotswolds, (1970)

End of official list entry

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