Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 27/09/2012
SE 50 SE
3/8
12.6.50
TOWN OF DONCASTER
CHURCH STREET
(north side)
MINSTER CHURCH OF ST GEORGE
(Formerly listed as St George's Church, Church Way)
GV
I
Parish church. 1854-8 by Sir George Gilbert Scott with Perpendicular style
tower and late Geometrical/early Decorated style nave and chancel. Ashlar
with leaded roofs. Cruciform plan with five-bay nave with north and south
aisles, central porch to south aisle, central crossing tower with 2-bay
north and south transepts, 3-bay chancel with north and south aisles. Deep moulded plinth, continuous sill string-course, offset buttresses with
crocketed gablets between all bays and Geometric traceried windows with hoodmoulds and foliage or head stops, throughout. West elevation: tall gabled nave has central pointed door in elaborately moulded door-case of four orders flanked by cusped pointed arched blind arcade; doorcase and arches under crocketed gablets with large foliage finials, gablet over the door with bust
of St George in moulded trefoil, and gablets over arcade with blind trefoils. Above, large pointed 7-light sub-arcuated window. Above again two roundels
with busts flanking central Christ figure set in large gableted and
crocketed canopy. Moulded and crocketed copings plus ridge cross to gable, flanked at eaves by large octagonal colonnetted pinnacles with crocketed
spires. To either side of nave, buttresses with gableted trefoil-headed
niches to second stages and blind tracery to third stages. Aisles have sub-arcuated 3-light windows and outer buttresses with blind tracery to top
stages. North elevation has 5-pointed 3-light aisle windows with mixed
Geometric and Decorated tracery. To eastern end is a polygonal staircase
turret with pointed door, chamfered windows, ballflower cornice and pyramidal roof. Buttresses have large gargoyles in the gablets. Slightly projecting parapets with moulded copings are set on foliage brackets. Above the
clerestory has 10 pointed 2-light windows with triangular sectioned pilaster
buttresses between surmounted by gableted and crocketed pinnacles. Pierced
quatre-foil parapet on foliage brackets. South elevation similar but with
central 2-storey gabled porch. This has pointed doorcase of 3 orders below crocketed gablet, flanked by crocketed pinnacle buttresses. Diagonal offset buttresses to either side with panelled and pinnacled tops. Second storey
with gableted niches flanking central 2-light pointed window. Foliage
brackets supporting parapets with blind quatrefoils, above. Transepts each
have large pointed sub-arcuated 6-light windows and flanking buttresses with gableted offsets, and gableted and crocketed panelled pinnacles to top.
North transept has two roundels with bosses and central diamond shaped window over the main window. South transept has two gableted and crocketed niches
plus 2-light windows above the window. To base is a pointed doorcase of
2 orders below crocketed gablet. Central tower has 2 tall stages above the crossing. Angle buttresses with traceried panelled sides and nodding ogee crocketed gablets to offsets, also similar pilaster buttresses between bays. Circular staircase turret to north-east corner with 3 bands. Lower stage has
2 pointed 2-light windows with stringcourses above and below, to each side.
Bell stage has frieze of blind quatrefoils to base and 2 large pointed 3-
light openings, with wide transoms, below crocketed gablets. Similar frieze
of quatrefoils above and ballflower frieze to cornice. Pierced, crocketed
and gableted parapets with corner and central pinnacles. North and south elevations of chancel have large 4-light pointed windows and 2-light windows above to clerestory. Similar parapets and buttresses as those to nave and
aisles except southern buttresses have statue niches beneath nodding ogee
gablets, and gableted pinnacles. East elevation has slightly advanced chancel with large pointed sub-arcuated 8-light window with pierced quatrefoil over. Flanking buttresses, pinnacles and gable copings similar to west end. To
either side aisles have similar 5-light windows flanked by pinnacled
buttresses.
Interior has 5-bay nave arcades with keeled quatrefoil piers, naturalist
foliage capitals and moulded pointed arches with hoodmoulds and foliage stops Similar arches into the transepts and similar - compound piers with more
richly moulded arches to crossing. Chancel has similar 2-bay arcades to
either side and beyond to east, each has an open 3-light pointed traceried
window into the aisle. To either side of all arches are roundels, or
quatrefoils in the chancel, with bust of saints and Old Testament figures. Between the arches are clustered wall shafts on foliage corbels supporting
roof trusses. Similar shafts on angel corbels to clerestory. Nave roof
trusses have pierced decoration and chancel has pointed barrel vault with
cusped panels. Nave aisles have pointed stone arches springing from the
nave arcades with large pierced roundels in the spandrels to the nave side. Crossing has roundels with busts over the arches with deep band of blind quatrefoils above. Window openings above again and sexpartite vault to top.
All windows have similar detailing as exterior, ie with sub-arcaution, hoodmoulds, and stops, plus continuous sill string-course. Above south door
is an open arcade into parvise. Original fittings include large polished
granite font with circular bowl on colonnetted stem, nave and choir stalls
with carved bench ends and poppy heads, large circular stone pulpit with
arcaded steps to side and arcaded balustrade, both with polished marble
columns, and a stone reading desk with diapher work front and seat behind
for 3 clerics. Chancel also has a sumptous stone reredos with richly
painted crocketed and gableted trefoil arcade, which continues right around
the sanctuary. South chapel has blind arcading to sides with polished marble columns, and ornate metal railing between the arches to chancel and crossing. Similar railings to north chancel organ bay. Encaustic tile floors throughout Monuments all C19 except for painted wooden memorial with pedimented top on twisted columns to Robert Mercer, died 1698. Elaborate stained glass to many
of the windows, east window by Hardman, west window by Ward and Hughes, south chancel chapel windows by Wailes, aisle east windows by Capronnier and south transept south window by Clayton and Bell. Architectural sculpture by John
Birnie Philip.
Source: 'Yorkshire, West Riding' Pevsner pg 181,
Church Guide and 'History of St George's Church', Jackson (1855).
Listing NGR: SE5741703561
