Church of St Andrew

Details

BISHOP AUCKLAND

NZ22NW CROWN STREET, South Church 634-1/5/142 (North side) 21/04/52 Church of St Andrew (Formerly Listed as: SOUTH CHURCH (East side) Church of St Andrew)

GV I

Parish church, collegiate at one time. Existing collegiate church reconstituted in 1293 by Bishop Bek. C13 with C15 top stage of tower, and some C16 alterations. C19 restoration and 1881 organ chamber. MATERIALS: sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings; snecked stone S transept S bay. Roof not visible except for stone-flagged porch roof. PLAN: chancel with N organ chamber and vestry, aisled nave with transepts and S porch, W tower clasped by choir vestry in S aisle. EXTERIOR: clasping buttresses to chancel, angle to transepts, aisles, porch and tower. Sill strings, flower and head stops to dripmoulds. Y-tracery to most windows, cusped to nave clerestory. Chancel has bar tracery to 5 lancet-shaped lights in E window under pointed arch; low-pitched gable; S lancets and 2-light windows alternating in 4 bays defined by stepped coped buttresses. S transept has 3-light renewed S window, under battlemented parapet. Transept has C16 two-light window at W. 2-storey porch has pointed arch with drip mould, 2-light window above recessed in double-chamfered surround. Sundial in gable peak. Porch returns have high buttresses and plain chamfered lights, with square stair turret at W. 2 bays of S aisle W of porch, with central chimney and W end lancet. N aisle has old door in recessed chamfered pointed arch. 4-stage tower has shallow W buttress flanked by tall lancets; shouldered heads to first stage lights; 3rd stage round heads to 2 shafted lights and plain spandrel recessed under round arch; corbel tale above. Tall pointed arches to 2-light belfry openings under battlemented parapet. SW polygonal stair turret with slit lights has stone coping set against belfry stage. INTERIOR: porch has side stone benches and quadripartite vaults with fillets on ribs. Upper storey, reached by stairs from inside church, has truncated principal roof trusses. Old ledged boarded door from porch to church in nookshafts (restored) and pointed arched surround without capitals, under head-stopped drip mould. Recessed holy water stoup, basin lost, to right of door. Church interior rubble with ashlar dressings; low pitched roof on beams resting on stone corbels. High chancel arch 1864 restoration on corbels with nailhead and stiff leaf decoration. 5-bay arcades, E arches to transepts, have shafted and octagonal piers alternating. Chancel has aumbry at floor level on N, double piscina on S with fluted basins. 2 sedilia on S with roll moulded pointed arches on filleted shafts and a third with cusped head; blocked priest's door. N wall has blocked roll-moulded arch partly surviving, S has arcaded rear arches to windows. C19 floor tiles. N transept has cusped piscina, S transept a pointed arch over piscina adjacent to chancel arch. Aisle windows have sill strings and rear arches with restored pointed arches on N, straighter pointed arches on S; clerestory rear arches. Blocked pointed arch over SW vestry door. Tower arch triple chamfered on moulded capitals and polygonal shafts; blocked door above arch. Ledged boarded door, probably medieval, to tower stair. FITTINGS include 1939 stone font and C19 pulpit. C19 altar and carved and painted wood reredos on red marble plinth. High quality C15 chancel stalls with carved foliage on misericords, blind tracery panels and poppyheads. Cusped Communion rail possible of same period. At W end a late C8/early C9 cross, reconstructed in 1931, with inhabited vine-scroll on sides, a Crucifixion on one face with inscription AND.. probably for Andreas, and other figures. In N aisle medieval grave covers and other fragments of sculpture, and c1340 wood effigy of knight and C14 stone effigy of lady. Large brass c1380 to a priest. Many wall monuments of C18 and C19. STAINED GLASS includes much high quality C19 glass: in chancel in style of Kemp; in N transept to Joseph Reay d1821; S transept and S aisle first by Barnett of Newcastle c1870. 3rd windows in both aisles c1932 with mark of Wippell Mowbray Church Furnishing Co. This is said to be the largest parish church in Co. Durham. (Publications of the Surtees Society: Fraser C M: The records of Antony Bek (1947 vol.): Durham: 1953-: 35, DOC 37).

Listing NGR: NZ2175028470

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

385637

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Fraser, CM, The Records of Anthony Bek, (1947)

End of official list entry

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