Details
RICKINGHALL INFERIOR BURY ROAD (NORTH SIDE)
TM 07 NW
1/107 Church of St. Mary
15.11.54
GV I
Parish church. C12 tower, otherwise late C13 and early C14 with C15
alterations. Refitted 1858-9 by J.D. Wyatt, windows restored 1870 and 1891.
Flint rubble, part cement rendered; ashlar and red brick dressings with some
knapped flintwork. Machine tiled and plaintiled steeply pitched roofs. Short
3 bay nave with separately roofed south aisle/chapel of equal dimensions,
chancel, south porch, west tower. Round tower of coursed flint rubble: lower
stage has a restored 2-light C14 window, curvilinear tracery in a segmental
pointed arched head, above are 2 lancets, one cusped; string course to C14
octagonal belfry, four 2-light openings with cusped Y tracery in segmental
pointed arched heads, ashlar quoining, string course with 4 gargoyles to
embattled parapet with cusped and finialed flushwork panels, blank shields in
octafoils, crocketed finials; tower to east shows line of steeper and taller
C14 roof. Nave to north is cement rendered, 3 Perpendicular windows with
hoodmoulds, brick voussoirs; those to centre and east are tall and 3-lights,
that to west is 2-lights over an entrance with a segemental pointed arch,
inner chamfer and outer wavemould, mask stopped hood mould, four 2 stage
buttresses, exposed wallplate, coped gable parapets to east and west with a
finial to east. South aisle: two 2-light late C13 windows to south towards
east end, Geometrical tracery in pointed arched heads, trefoiled lights with
bud cusping, 3 quatrefoils at head, that to east has richer tracery with leaf
carving in spandrels of cusping, mask stopped hoodmoulds; to returns 2 stage
diagonal buttresses with knapped flint, ashlar pinnacles with cusped and
crocketed gablets with grotesque masks, crocketed spirelets; aisle to east has
a large 5-light window with a pointed arched head, cusped pointed lights with
leaf carved spandrels, tracery renewed as rectilinear, mask stopped hoodmould,
offset at sill level, coped parapet with ridge cross; aisle west window is 3-
lights in a pointed arched head, restored curvilinear/intersecting tracery,
coped gable parapet with finial. C14 south porch from west bay of aisle is 2
storeys, upper level rebuilt in C16; C14 entrance arch, outer hollow dying
into filletted roll mould, inner filletted roll and hollow dying into chamfer,
filletted hoodmould; above arch is a flushwork frieze with damaged MR and IHS
crowned monograms, C16 knapped flint to chamber with a cusped 2-light window
with a depressed arched head, shallow coped gable with broken ridge cross; 2
stage diagonal buttresses to returns each with 2 small Y traceried pointed
arched openings and a quatrefoil, C16 flint above; inside porch side walls
have low double arcades with hollow moulded segmental pointed arches on small
restored semi-octagonal shafts with moulded caps and bases, stone seats to
sides, C16 roof with roll and hollow moulded binding beam and joists; C14
inner entrance, a pointed arch with 2 continuous quadrant mouldings, mask
stopped hoodmould. Chancel: to east an offset plinth and string course below
restored 3-light C14 window, pointed arch, complex curvilinear tracery, mask
stopped hoodmould, 2 stage diagonal buttresses with cusped gablets, moulded
kneelers to coped gable parapet; to north a C15 or C16 2-light window with
cusped ogee headed lights, square head and hoodmould; to south two 2-light C14
Y traceried windows in pointed arches, that towards west has cusping, that to
east is plain with a mask stopped hoodmould, central low side door with a
restored 4-centred arched head, roll moulded jambs. Interior: C12 plain round
tower arch with impost bands, above tower arch a blocked C12 round opening;
C14 broad and pointed chancel arch, double hollow mouldings, semi-octagonal
responds with moulded caps and bases, capital to north has stiff leaf carving,
outer hollow moulds with cusped stops. 4 bay nave arcade has complex piers of
quatrefoil section with outer fillet and inner spurs, moulded bases and ring
capitals, hollow moulded pointed arches with outer quadrant mouldings, to
aisle C19 masks at springings. 6 bay nave roof, restored C15 or C16 false
hammerbeam with arch braced brattished collars, double brattished wallplates
and hammerbeams, moulded braces, butt purlins and ridge piece; aisle and
chancel roofs are ceiled. In south aisle: richly moulded rear arch to east
has filletted roll leaf stopped hoodmould, double shafted jambs, vine scroll
frieze at sill, hoodmould continues as impost band and hoodmould to south with
a filletted roll moulded jambs to south east window, a moulded base to west,
to west end a filletted roll leaf stopped hoodmould with a filletted roll
mould at sill level; in aisle south wall a blocked banner stave cupboard with
a 4-centred arched head; towards east end of aisle a restored angle piscina,
trefoiled openings, dogtooth and ball flower mouldings, stiff leaf cap to
shaft, crocketed and finialed gablets, adjacent dropped sill sedilia. Nave
north door and chancel north window have simply moulded rear arches. Chancel
south wall has a simpler C14 angle piscina, caps and bases to shafts,
trefoiled pointed arched headed opening, octafoil bowl, adjacent dropped sill
sedilia. Octagonal C14 font in south aisle, moulded base, 7 of 8 faces on
bowl have pointed arched 3-light 'windows' with curvilinear and Y tracery.
Two C17 oak chests, one with a carved 3 panel front, a C17 Communion table
with turned legs, a C17 chancel chair, an C18 bier. C19 reredos reusing
traceried panels with carved spandrels and cusping from C15 screen, C19
painted figures; C19 seating, pulpit, reading desk by Burrell, brass lectern,
Communion rails, floor tiling. In nave and chancel simple C19 marble mural
memorials, in nave to west a tablet with a cornice to J. Amys, d.1767. Late
C19 glass in chancel to east and south west, some C17 and C18 fragments in
chancel south east window.
Listing NGR: TM0387775126
