Church of St Mary

Details

RICKINGHALL SUPERIOR CANDLE STREET (NORTH TM 0474 SIDE) 7/135 Church of St Mary 29.7.55 GV I Parish church, redundant. Mid to late C14, nave rebuilt, south porch added and altered mid C15. Thoroughly restored 1868 by W.C. Fawcett. Flint rubble with ashlar and red brick dressings, some knapped and squared flint. Slate nave roof, steeply pitched plaintiled chancel roof. West tower, wide nave, south porch, chancel. 4-stage square west tower: to west an offset to second stage with a 2-light curvilinear traceried pointed arched window with a hoodmould, third stage has quatrefoils in 3 sides, string course to belfry with louvred openings as window below, string course to C15 embattled parapet with traceried flushwork panels, 'IHS' and 'MR' monograms and varied patterns, gargoyles to north and south, pinnacles removed, 4 stage diagonal buttresses rise 3 stages with moulded plinth, offsets, a square and compass mason's mark to south west. 4 bay nave to north and south: double plinths with stone offsets, lower flint and stone rubble chequerwork, upper squared flint frieze with blank stone shields, flint and stone rubble chequerwork walls, 4 very large 3-light Perpendicular windows with cusped headed lights, intricate intersecting/rectilinear tracery, 4-centred arched heads, hoodmoulds, flint and brick voussoirs, five 2 stage buttresses with paired cusped headed flushwork panels in plinth. East and west coped parapets with chequerwork squared in east gable. To north to west of centre a smaller window over an entrance with a continuously moulded pointed arch with mask stopped hoodmoulds, towards east a canted projection for rood stairs, a slight projection on east return. To south the window towards west is shorter as it was above a now demolished mortuary chapel of W. Howell, d.1492, a blocked 4- centred arch below window, brick in walling to side of adjacent south porch, to south west on nave a diagonal buttress with brick walling at base. 2 storey south porch: triple moulded pointed entrance arch with outer continuous hollow mould, double shafted responds with moulded caps and bases, blank shields of arms in foiled roundels in spandrels, ashlar sides, above 6 flushwork 'IHS' and 'MR' crowned monograms; porch chamber has a 2-light window with a 4-centred arched head, shallow gable with coped parapet; to east a 2 stage buttress with squared flintwork, plinth with panels as on nave, pinnacle above removed, return has plinth and frieze as on nave with a 2-light 4- centred arched headed window; to west return a section of wall to former chapel projects to south with a moulded shaft, early brickwork, stairs to porch chamber in a projection with a small C19 lancet. Inside porch a good stone tierceron groin vault, stone seats on sides, inner pointed entrance arch, outer hollow and inner roll moulds with moulded bases. Chancel is lower, narrower and shorter than nave: to east a string course below a restored 3-light C14 window with a pointed arched head, intricately cusped intersecting/curvilinear tracery, C19 hoodmould, above a small blocked cusped headed opening, 2 stage diagonal buttresses, kneelers to coped gable parapet with ridge cross; to north two 2-light C15 windows, one has rectilinear tracery in a segmental pointed arched head, the other has ogee headed lights with a squat quatrefoil in a 4-centred arched head; to south a central low side door in an ogee headed pointed arch with 3 continuous hollow mouldings, hoodmould with crocketed finial, mask stops, 2 windows as to north. Interior: segmental pointed chancel arch, triple wave moulded with a hoodmould, chamfered responds; C15 pointed tower arch, outer continuous chamfer and 2 inner chamfers to semi-octagonal responds with moulded caps and bases, above tower arch a quatrefoil opening. Nave north and south wall arcades, full height with 4-centred arches over large windows, engaged shafts with moulded caps and bases, low stone seats along north and south walls. Chancel windows- and door have simply moulded rear arches. 8 bay nave roof is a C19 replacement with arch braced brattished collars, brattished wall plates. Ceiled C19 chancel roof, 4 bays with bosses, brattishing. In nave to south west a blocked hollow moulded 4-centred arched headed opening to former chapel, 4-centred arched headed door to porch chamber stairs, porch roof of C15 cambered timbers. In nave to north east a 4-centred arched headed opening for rood stairs with a similar opening in east wall of nave. In nave to south east a restored piscina with a hollow moulded 4-centred arched head. In chancel to south a C15 piscina with an ogee headed 4 centred arched head, crocketed cusping, moulded square surround with a crenellated head, octafoil bowl, dropped sill sedilia to adjacent window. Octagonal C14 font in nave, a step up to moulded base, plain stem, moulded underside to bowl with elaborately cusped blank tracery patterned faces. A timber bier in nave dated 1763. C19 tiled floors, Communion rails, seating and pulpit, C19 brass ewer. In tower floor a memorial to J. Browne, d.1716, with arms in relief, on tower wall a benefactions board and 2 peal boards. Nave window to north opposite entrance has fragments of C15 glass, chancel window to south towards east has fragments of C15 and C18 glass, chancel east window by O'Connor, 1868, chancel window to south towards west and tower west window are by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, c.1875.

Listing NGR: TM0408974589

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

440051

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry