Details
RICKMANSWORTH CHURCH STREET
TQ 0694 SW
(West side)
Rickmansworth
13/137 Church of St. Mary
26.7.51
GV II
Parish church. West tower probably c.1630. Aisles remain from 1825-6
rebuilding by W. Atkinson. Nave, chancel, chapel and vestry 1890-1 by
Sir A. Blomfield. Early C20 porch. Knapped flint with stone dressings.
Stock brick aisles. Slate aisle roofs. Leaded nave and chancel roofs.
Gothic Survival tower, Gothick Revival aisles and Decorated Gothic
Revival nave, chancel, S vestry and N porch. W tower: 4 stages. 3 stage
clasping buttresses with stone quoining. Chamfered pointed arch to
double door to W. Cornice to empty panel above. Plinth, string courses
between stages. 2nd stage 3 light traceried window dated 1933 with 1630
incised above. 3rd stage 2 light square headed windows with cusped
lights, hood moulds. Belfry: 3 light pointed arched openings with
uncusped traceried heads, hood moulds. Embattled parapet. Leaded
spirelet. 6 bay aisles, stock brick with red brick window surrounds.
Stone capped plinth and buttresses. To S: windows to 4 centre bays and
on W return 2 lights under ogee arched heads, leaded panes, chamfered
reveals, hood moulds. C18 tomb panels beneath 2 windows. Oversailing
courses to moulded stone course at eaves. Lean-to roof. To N: similar
windows, E end C19 tomb plaque. Nave: 5 bays with 3 light clerestorey
windows, 4 centred heads, cusped lights, hollow moulded inner and
chamfered outer surrounds. Moulded cornice, embattled parapet. Chancel:
large 5 light E window with decorated tracery, pointed arched head. 2
stage diagonal buttresses. S return has tall 2 light window with
traceried head. N return has 3 light window with traceried round arched
head. Gargoyles at returns. Coped parapet, embattled to N and S.
Crocketed and cusped panelled corner finials. To SE is vestry, 1 storey
and flat roofed. 4 light window to E, square head with cusped lights,
hood mould. Stepback to entrance bay with 4 centred head over door. Coped
parapet. On W bay of N aisle is porch. Entrance on E return in pointed
arch. 2 traceried lancets to N and 1 on W return. Diagonal buttresses.
Embattled parapet. Interior: pointed tower arch with 2 chamfered and an
outer hollow order. 5 bay nave arcades with octagonal piers with moulded
bases and capitals, pointed arches, 2 hollow orders, moulded string
course below clerestorey. Shafts between bays act as corbels to timber
braces to roof, 4 centred arched braces with traceried panels to
brattished tie beams, wind braces. Curved braces to lean-to aisle roofs.
Ogee heads to doors from aisle W bays. Chancel arch has hollow moulded
orders on short respond columns on angel corbels. Pointed arches from
aisles to N chapel and S vestry and from chancel to N chapel. Triple
sedilia and piscina in chancel S wall with crocketing and cusped panels.
Stiff leaf frieze below windows. Engaged shafts at angles. Octagonal
C19 font at W end of nave. Traceried timber screen from nave to tower.
Octagonal pulpit and choir seating of 1890. Mosaic strips on chancel E
wall. Monuments: chancel N wall chest tomb to H. Cary, Earl of Monmouth,
d.1661. Moulded base and renewed marble slab on top. Front has bolection
surround to lengthy inscription. Alabaster arms in high relief on short
ends. N chapel wall slab to T. Fotherley, late C17, signed by W. Woodman,
aedicular Baroque surround, scrolled open pediment, seraphs and foliage
with scrolled jambs, swags below bracketed sill. N chapel W wall fragment
of inscribed stone to T. Fotherley, d.1624, and wife, d.1584. At W end of
S aisle marble slab by Flaxman to Earle family, 1796, an urn surmounts
Greek Revival tablet with arms below. W end of N aisle marble slab by
J.J. Saunders to H. Fotherley Whitfield, d.1813, draped urn on tablet.
C17 floor slabs, further C18 wall slabs. Crucifixion in E window by
Burne-Jones, 1896. (VCH 1908: RCHM 1910: Pevsner 1977).
Listing NGR: TQ0613094220
