Details
NOTTINGHAM
SK53SW HOLGATE, Clifton
646-1/9/279 (South side)
14/04/54 Church of St Mary the Virgin
(Formerly Listed as:
CLIFTON
Church of St Mary the Virgin)
GV I
Parish church. Mainly C14. North arcade c1190, south arcade
c1290. Clerestory added and tower raised, late C14, chancel
enlarged, north transept and porch added, late C15. Restored
1846 by Cottingham, 1873 by Hodgson Fowler, 1884 by Bodley,
1965-75 by GG Pace, and 1975-83 by R Sims.
Coursed squared stone and ashlar, with ashlar dressings and
lead and slate roofs. Buttresses, coped parapets and gables.
Decorated and Perpendicular styles.
PLAN: chancel and vestry, transepts, crossing tower, nave with
clerestory, aisles, north porch. Adjoining parish room to
south, late C20.
EXTERIOR: chancel, 2 bays, has a pointed arched east window, 5
lights, with panel tracery. On each side, two 3-light
flat-headed windows, traceried, on a sill band. North side has
a moulded pointed arched door. Vestry, 2 bays, to south east.
Transepts have angle buttresses and 3-light pointed arched
windows, the north with transom. South window partly blocked
by additions. Each has two 3-light windows to east, the north
flat-headed, the south pointed arched.
Crossing tower, square, unbuttressed, 3 stages, has chamfered
string courses and crenellated parapet. Middle stage has a
pointed arched opening, 2-lights, on each side, and clocks to
north and west. Over the east opening, a blocked ogee headed
opening, 2-lights. Bell stage has 2 pointed arched openings,
2-lights, to east and west, and pointed arched 3-light
openings to north and south.
Nave clerestory has on each side 3 traceried windows, 2
lights. West end has a pointed arched 2-light window with Y
tracery, flanked by similar smaller aisle windows.
North aisle, 3 bays, has a central porch with low pitched
gable and pointed arched doorway. To east, a flat-headed
window, 3 lights. To west, a smaller 2-light window. South
aisle, 2 bays, has pointed arched windows, 2-lights. At the
east end, a projection in the return angle with 3 lancets in
the gable.
INTERIOR mainly rendered, chancel scraped. Chancel has
chamfered arch with octagonal responds, and painted flat roof
with bosses. East end has stained glass window, 1852, and
reredos by Bodley, 1884. North side has segment-arched door.
South side has piscina, triple sedilia and Tudor arched
doorway dated 1632. Crossing has double chamfered arches and
flat ceiling with bosses. Late C20 traceried glazed screen to
east. North transept has late C20 pitched roof, and contains
Clifton family monuments. South transept has a similar roof,
and 2 doors to south under the window, all late C20.
Nave has low pitched roof with arch braces on corbels. North
arcade, 3 bays, Transitional style, with round piers and
responds, and arches with keeled roll moulding and nailhead
band. South arcade has octagonal piers with foliage capitals,
and double chamfered arches. West window blocked by organ
case. Aisles have lean-to roofs and double chamfered eastern
arches.
Fittings mainly late C19 and late C20. Octagonal font and C17
parish chest.
Memorials include several to the Clifton family, in the north
transept, notably late C14 knight, and chest tomb with female
figure, late C14, alabaster. Chest tomb with 3 figures, c1587,
to Sir Gervase Clifton and wives, by Gabriel Royley of Burton
on Trent, alabaster. Outstanding wall monument with table
tomb, crest, obelisks, and casket of bones, 1631, to 3 wives
of Sir Gervase Clifton. Wall tablet 1666, to Sir Gervase
Clifton, with bust in oval niche, painted marble. 2 ashlar
tablets, late C17 and C18, with memento mori.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Nottinghamshire: London:
1979-: 269; Introduction to the Church of St Mary: Rev. A
Heaton: Nottingham: 1985-).
Listing NGR: SK5410634808
