Church of St James

Details

SK 01 SE
10/91

LONGDON C.P.
LONGDON
Church of St. James

27.2.64

II*
Parish church. C13 nave and chancel incorporating some C12 remains. C16 west tower and south chapel, and north transept of 1870 by A. Hartshorne. Coursed and dressed sandstone blocks; slate and plain tile roofs with stone copings. West tower, five-bay nave, three-bay chancel, two-bay north transept and two-bay south chapel.

West tower. Early C16. Four stages with diagonal buttresses, and crenellated parapet with crocketed corner finials. Pointed west door with double ogee-moulded frame. Window immediately above with four-centred arch, three trefoil-headed lights and panel tracery. Third stage blind to the west, single trefoil-headed loops to north and south. Belfry opening of two transomed lights and a single reticulation beneath a four-centred arch.

Nave. Early C13. Two lancet windows on the south side. Below the westernmost of these is an extension accommodating a blocked recess, probably for an effigy. C19 gabled south porch with segmental pointed entrance. Inside is a C12 doorway of two orders of colonettes with carved cushion capitals, including a green man motif; zig zag moulded inner order and unusual outer order.

Chancel. Late C13. Bay divisions marked by buttresses, diagonal buttresses at the eastern angles. Pointed east window of four lights with reticulated tracery. Lancet windows to the sides, the central ones have Y-tracery. Pilaster buttresses adjacent to the nave.

South chapel. Early C16. Built by John Stoneywall, Abbot of Pershore. Crenellated parapet. The windows have four-centred arches, panelled spandrels and deeply hollowed frames. East window has five trefoil headed lights; the south windows four lights with squash tracery; the west window is blocked.

North transept. Ashlar with diagonal tooling. Cusped lancets with hood moulds terminating in carved heads. A group of three lancets in the east wall with linked hood mould, and a circular light above.

Interior. C12 chancel arch of three orders; the outer and inner orders are carved with zig-zag, the central order is roll-moulded. Each order springs from shafts with scalloped capitals and square abaci. Tall pointed tower arch with three orders of concave quadrant mouldings; C16. C20 pitched timber roof. Two-bay arcade separates nave from south chapel. Four-centred arches and octagonal columns with moulded capitals. The south transept roof has a very low pitch and all members are moulded. Immediately to the left of the chancel arch on entering the chancel is the remains of a staircase which formerly led to the rood loft.

Fittings. Composite font. C12 basin with diagonal reeding and upper band of fan-like motifs. C13 stem carved with stiff leaf, from Lichfield Cathedral.

Monuments. Chancel: Edmund Green, died 1691, oval tablet; Ann Eld, died 1772, pedimented aedicule. South chapel: two C17 incised slabs; Thomas Orme memorial by E. Stanton, 1717, fluted Corinthian pilaster and semi-circular pediment broken by a bust and flanked by cherubs. Elizabeth Ester, died 1869, by Peter Hollins, sarcophagus and two child angels.

Stained glass. C14 glass in the north-east and south-east windows of the chancel. In the south chapel the east window is of 1906 by H. Bryant, and the south-east window of 1914.


Listing NGR: SK0821714163

Legacy

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Legacy System number:

430690

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LBS

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