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
