Church of St James

Details

SKILLINGTON CHURCH STREET SK 82 NE (north side) 5/128 Church of S t. 20.9.66 James G.V. I Parish church. C11, c.1300, C13, C14, C17, C19. Coursed limestone rubble, ashlar, slate and lead roofs. Western tower, nave with clerestory, aisles, south porch and chapel, chancel, vestry. 3 stage C13 tower in coursed limestone rubble has plinth, 2 chamfered string courses, broach spire with 2 sets of alternating lucarnes having double pointed openings to the lower set, the gables surmounted by crosses. The bell openings have paired lights with Y tracery, double chamfered surrounds and hoods. On the south and north sides to the second stage is a C13 lancet with hood mould. In the west wall a 2 light Y tracery window with hood mould. The C19 added vestry on the north side has a plain tiled roof, a 3 light mullioned window and a pointed doorway. The north wall of the north aisle has an early C17 3 light chamfered mullioned window with chamfered surround and hood mould. In the east wall a 2 light C14 window with cusped heads to the lights and quatrefoil over. The north east angle of the nave has exposed Cll long and short work. The ashlar clerestory is battlemented with a pair of 2 light openingshaving trefoil heads to the lights and 4 centred arched surrounds with hood moulds. The chancel has a stone coped slate roof and in the north wall a small 2 light Y traceried window. The east window is of 3 lights with cusped heads to the lights and restored C14 curvilinear tracery to the head. The south window to the chancel is a C16 single light in deeply set concave 4 centred arched surround with cusped head to the lights. The tall south chapel has a low pitched lead roof and stepped corner buttresses, with plinth and string course, a 3 light window with cusped heads to the lights, triangular head and a steeply pointed hood with human head stops which rises to a crocketed pinnacle at the roof gable. In the south aisle a 2 light window with geometric tracery and hood mould. The gabled south porch has a pair of heads to each eaves, a double chamfered pointed outer doorway with angle shafts and capitals with debased naturalistic foliage. The porch has side benches and steeply pointed inner doorway with recut single chamfered arch. The clerestory on the south side has a pair of windows as the north and an additional single light with cusped head and 4 centred arch. Interior. c.1200 2 bay nave arcades with circular piers and responds, double chamfered arches and hood moulds. The north arcade has nail head decoration to the hood, imposts and octagonal abaci, the south aisle has a debased form of stiff leaf carving to the capital only. The C13 tower arch is triple chamfered, the outer 2 orders are continuous, with inner octagonal responds and imposts. The south aisle has at its eastern end a double chamfered arch to the chapel, with semi- circular responds as the south aisle. The C13 chancel arch has 2 roll moulded orders and hood mould. The chamfered responds have triple short shafts with stiff leaf capitals and annular bases on tall chamfered plinth. In the chancel a further archway to the south chapel matching that from the south aisle. A piscina in the south wall with pointed head. In the south chapel east wall a blocked pointed window opening. The south east angle of the nave is exposed with Cll long and short work. In the south wall, beneath the window, a C14 composition of a double piscina with cusped trefoil over, a 2 seated pointed arched sedilia with central shaft having naturalistic capital, and hood mould with central human head carving. The adjacent priest's door has pointed rear arch with hood mould with human head stop. Fittings. All fittings are C19 except for a C17 oak chest and the fine C14 octagonal font with cusped panels to the bowl and richly ornamental octagonal stem. Monuments. Built into the north wall of the chancel are 2 fine C13 grave slabs with crosses fleury, one re-used in memory of John Bowfield, d.1730. There are 2 stained glass windows to the memory of Rev Charles Hudson, vicar, killed on the Matterhorn in 1865.

Listing NGR: SK8955425898

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

193369

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.