Church of St Mary and St Stephen
CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST STEPHEN, CHURCH LANE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1232841
- Date first listed:
- 31-Jan-1967
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary and St Stephen
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST STEPHEN, CHURCH LANE
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 1999-09-08
- Reference:
- IOE01/01291/19
- Rights:
- © Mr Brian Wilcockson. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1232841
- Date first listed:
- 31-Jan-1967
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary and St Stephen
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST STEPHEN, CHURCH LANE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST STEPHEN, CHURCH LANE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- County Durham (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Wolsingham
- National Grid Reference:
- NZ 07347 37392
Details
WOLSINGHAM CHURCH LANE(North end) NZ 0737 Wolsingham 39/344 Church of St. Mary 31.1.67 and St. Stephen
GV II
Parish church; 1848 rebuilding by W. Nicholson, with changed dedication to St. Matthew, of C12 and C13 building; earlier dedication restored with 1896 reconsecration. 1856 tower heightened. Sandstone rubble tower, coursed squared sandstone C19 work, with ashlar plinth and dressings; roofs of graduated Lakeland slates with stone gable copings. Tower and 4-bay nave with clasping south aisle and south porch; north aisle and tower choir vestry; 4-bay chancel with north vestry and organ-chamber. Gabled porch has 2-centred-arched shafted surround to wrought-iron gate; flanking buttresses have setbacks and gablets; church door of studded boards with elaborate hinges; lancet windows, paired in clerestory and stepped in east end, have drip moulds with head or ballflower stops; west tower lancet through 2 stages, and proud of second stage. Tower, Norman to nave-roof level, of 3 stages with set-backs; small round-headed stair turret lights in west front; battlemented top stage has paired belfry openings under 2-centred-arched paired drip moulds. 1856 painted clock given by Miss Wilson and G.D. Wooler. Aisle and chancel buttressed; set-back buttresses to tower, angle buttresses to chancel. Overlapping gable copings with elaborate cross finials. Interior: painted plaster with ashlar arcades and dressings; scissor-truss roof on corbelled wall-posts. 4-bay C14 arcades have double- chamfered 2-centred arches on round piers; moulded capitals have band of small dog-tooth moulding; keeled responds. High 2-centred chancel arch of 2 orders on shafts and half-shafts with alternate-block jambs; east window has similar treatment, with clasping bands on shafts, and sill string. Norman west door, removed to north tower wall, has fat roll moulding on re-cut impost string and detached shafts with scallop capitals, recessed in plain round arch; inner arch chamfered. High 2-centred tower arch, with wide chamfer on quirk and half- pyramid stop, has chamfered inner arch on grotesque corbels; stopped drip mould of man's head at left and woman in headdress-at right. Memorials include classical tablet to Rev. Peter Ionn, erected by scholars: he was curate and schoolmaster; trophy of academic and priestly symbols. Classical tablet to Greenwell family by G. Green, Newcastle, c.1839; memorial tablet in tower resited from chancel, to Francis Ainsley nee Gilbert, died 1677, (in Latin). Glass includes north aisle windows by Atkinson of Newcastle; west end of south aisle to John and Jane Proud, died-1859 and 1866, Jacob's ladder by Holiday, of high quality.
Listing NGR: NZ0734737392
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 408059
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 08-Jun-2026 at 12:31:43.
Download a full scale map (PDF)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.