Church of St James the Great

Details

ST 77 SW WICK AND ABSON C.P. ABSON

8/360 Church of St. James the Great

G.V. I

Parish church. C12 origin, C15 tower, east wall of nave rebuilt c. 1600, with contemporary windows, chancel restqred by Ewan Christian 1873-4. Coursed limestone freestone tower, random rubble with stone dressings and quoins, sandstone rubble porch, plain tiled roofs with raised coped verges and cross finial to chancel, stone tiled roof to porch. West tower, nave, south porch, chancel. Norman style north and south doorways, Perpendicular style tower, chancel has Early English east window. 3-stage tower has west door with fleurons round the architrave, crocketed ogee hood with angels carrying shields as stops, double doors, pointed arched 6-light window above with hood mould, 2 mullions and transom, lattice glazing; 2nd stage has single light to north and south, 2-light to west, all pointed arched windows with hood mould and stone bell louvres, similar larger 2-light window to all sides at 3rd stage; weathered angle buttresses with crocketed pinnacles, string courses continued around stair turret but not buttresses, embattled parapet with blind trefoil-headed recesses, central merlon each side has crocketed pinnacle and niche, in east niche a sculptured figure, 2 fine gargoyles to each side, including an anthropophagus to south, the victim's feet resting on the string course and his calves grasped by the dragon's hands; stair turret to south east, with lancets, similar parapet to tower, obelisk and ball. 3-bay nave has to north a stair turret (for rood stair) with lancet and pitched roof, two 6-light mullion and transom windows with lattice glazing and hood mould, blocked C12 doorway with jamb shafts with scalloped capitals, round roll-moulded head and hood mould, small lancet with lattice glazing, weathered buttresses; to south, small C19 pointed arched 2-light window, 2 similar 6-light mullion and transom windows to right; 2nd bay from left has porch, large and gabled, with stone sundial fixed in gable above pointed arched door with hood mould and relieving arch; inner door has round head, jamb shafts with scalloped capitals, roll-moulded head, image niche above, C19 door, stone bench to each side and ceiled wagon roof with moulded ribs; stack rising behind porch to right. 2-bay chancel has to south a blocked, priest's door with pointed arch, 2 paired lancets with trefoil heads, no window to north, east window of 3 lancets, the central one being taller, all lattice glazing; inserted phallic figure in east wall, probably not pre-Conquest. Interior: tall printed tower arch in surround of 2 chamfered orders, C19 panelled screen with door; nave has ceiled wagon roof with 3 tie-beams, blocked north door has pointed arch and imposts remaining, also remains of smaller inserted door with pointed segmental head; similar head to south door. Tall pointed chancel arch in 2 hollow-chamfered orders, to left the segmental-headed upper door to former rood loft; chancel has common rafter roof with collars and struts below collars, pointed segmental head to blocked priest's door. Fittings: Perpendicular octagonal bowl font in nave, bowl enriched with arcading, quatrefoils and flowers on an arcaded shaft; pulpit in nave, c. 1630, panelled with sounding board; fine altar table, c.1600, with carved female figures as legs; dado of C18 pew ends in nave; seats in nave dating from 1901, choir stalls perhaps by Ponting; parts of carved wooden mediaeval screen preserved in nave. 3 early C18 brass memorial plates in nave, to Gabriel Ivy, Richard Ivey and Deborah Ivyleafe, 1737; C18 ledger stones in nave; marble tablet in nave, to Mrs. Christian Haynes, 1818, by Emett of Frenchay. All windows lattice glazed except north east nave window with stained glass of 1952. (Sources: Verey, D. : Buildings of England Gloucestershire : The Vale and The Forest of Dean. 1970).

Listing NGR: ST7052674843

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

401144

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 1 The Cotswolds, (1970)

End of official list entry

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