Details
TL0279 TITCHMARSH CHURCH STREET
(South side)
14/200 Church of St. Mary the Virgin
25/05/67 (Formerly listed as Church of
St. Mary)
GV I
Church. Mid C12, C13, C15 and C16, restored late C19. Squared coursed limestone
with limestone ashlar tower and lead roofs. Aisled nave, chancel, north chapel,
north transept and south porch. South elevation of chancel is a 3-window range
of tall, 3-light, Perpendicular windows with 4-centred arch heads. Priest door
to right and 2-stage buttress to corner. Shallow gable roof with castellated
ashlar parapet and finial 5-light Perpendicular east window with 4-centred arch
head. North elevation of chancel is one-window range with 2-light window with
Y-tracery. Arched recess below window. 4-light Perpendicular east window to
north chapel has 4-centred arch tread. North elevation of north chapel is a
one-window range with a blocked square-head opening. Lean-to roof with plain
ashlar parapet. C19 vestry attached to north chapel has one 2-light north
window, and doorway in return wall, both with carved label stops. South aisle of
4 bays, 3-window range of 3-light Perpendicular windows with 4-centred arch
heads. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapets. Similar 3- and 4-light west and
east windows. 2-storey porch to left of centre, is c.1583 for Pickering family.
Roll-moulded outer arch with semi-circular responds and similar restored inner
doorway with cluster shafts. Restored 2-light square-head windows to south and
east faces of first floor. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet and
finial. North transept has 3-light Perpendicular window with 4-centred arch
head, in north elevation. Shallow gabled roof with plain ashlar parapet. North
aisle is a 2-window range. 4-light Perpendicular window, with mouchettes and
4-centred arch head, to left, and 3-light Decorated window, with intersecting
tracery, to right. Lean-to roof with plain ashlar parapets. 2-light square-head
west window. Nave clerestory of 5-window range of 3-light Perpendicular windows
with 4-centred arch heads. Shallow gabled roof with castellated ashlar parapets
and finial. Fine C15 west tower of 4 stages with plinth. 3-stage set-back angle
buttresses to lower 3 stages. Plinth with quatrefoil frieze and with double
quatrefoil frieze above. West doorway with crocketed ogee head and quatrefoils
and mouchettes in the spandrels. Flanking pointed-head niches with cusping and
C19 statues. Quatrefoil frieze between each stage. 3-light west window in second
stage has panel-tracery and flanking niches, with pinnacles over, and C19
statues. Blind 2-light west window, with transom, in third stage is flanked by
similar niches. Similar blind window in east face and similar windows in north
and south faces have brick infill arranged to form lattice panels. Pairs of
2-light bell-chamber windows with transoms, to each face of upper stage have
similar lattice brick panels. Double diamond and quatrefoil frieze above with
panelled and crocketed pinnacles at corners. Similar diagonal pinnacle at mid
point of each side with ogee head and crocketed castellations between. Interior:
3-bay nave arcade of double-chamfered arches. North arcade is C13 with circular
piers and nailhead decoration to the capitals. South arcade is early/mid C14
with circular piers and stiff-leaf decoration to the capitals. Double-chamfered
chancel arch with polygonal responds and triple-chamfered tower arch with
hollowed responds and castellated capitals. 2-bay arcade of double-chamfered
arches to north side of chancel is similar to north arcade of nave.
Double-chamfered arches to north transept and north chapel have bracketed
responds. Priest door in south wall of chancel has C12, reset, arch head with
zig-zag decoration. Trefoil-head piscina to left of altar and C19 copy to right.
Squint with gabled head and cusping alongside; priest door between. C19 and C20
roof structures with remains of Perpendicular arched-braced trusses, with
corbels, in north transept. C19 font and pews and early C20 screen and pulpit.
Monuments: low tomb recess in south aisle with decorated slab. John Creed died
1701; plain tablet below south aisle east window. Sir John Pickering died 1703
and family, inscribed tablet, north wall of north chapel, with flanking
pilasters, pediment and urn. Major Richard and Mrs. Jemima Creed died 1704 and
1705, tall inscribed tablets to left and right of south aisle east window. John
Pickering died in infancy 1712, plain chest-tomb in north chapel. Theophilus
Pickering died 1710, painted panel in north chapel depicting bust with flanking
pilasters, by Elizabeth Creed, sister of the deceased. Gilbert Pickering died
1721 and wife, inscribed panel below previous monument. John Dryden, poet, and
his parents, painted panel in north transept, c.1722 also by Creed. Various
members of Pickering family, C18 inscribed tablet with scroll surround, north
wall of north chapel. Colonel John Creed died 1751, inscribed tablet with
pediment and obelisk over, south wall of south aisle, by Edward Bingham. Mrs.
Elizabeth Creed, white marble urn on black base in south aisle window sill; by
J. and J. Coles of Thrapston and Huntingdon. Hugh Richard, plain oval late C18
tablet on west wall of south aisle. 2 late C19 tablets with Gothic surrounds to
south wall of chancel. Various inscribed tablets in floor including matrices for
brass. C19 wall paintings in chancel. C19 stained glass to all chancel windows,
panel in south aisle east window, and belfry window. The room over the porch,
which is no longer accessible, was originally the private pew of the Pickering
family.
(V.C.H.: Northamptonshire, Vol.3, p.142; Buildings of England: Northamptonshire,
p.142).
Listing NGR: TL0220579866
