Church of St Lawrence

Summary

Anglican Church. C12 nave with C13 north arcade, north aisle and chancel, and C16 tower. The church was restored in the late C19 by Ewan Christian and F S Waller & Son. C20 alterations and additions.

Reasons for Designation

The Church of St Lawrence, which has C12 origins with later medieval additions and was restored in the mid- to late C19, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Survival of medieval fabric: the church has fabric from the C12, C13, C14 and early C16; including evidence of a C13 paint scheme to the north arcade and an early-C16 collar rafter roof to the Lady Chapel with carved central bosses;
* Architectural interest: the restoration work to the church in the mid- to late-C19 was undertaken by the architects Ewan Christian and F S Waller and represents a significant phase in the building’s history;
* Fixtures and fittings: the interior of the church largely dates from the C19 and includes quality fittings from this period including the choir stalls and stained glass; it also includes an early-C16 font;
* Group value: the church has been closely connected with Barnwood Court (Grade II) since the early C16, and this is illustrated by many of the wall monuments which reflect the church’s long association with the Parker family and subsequent owners.

History

The church has C12 origins and was dedicated to St Lawrence by the mid-C12. A dedication to St Margaret was recorded in 1287 and one to St Michael and All Saints in the early C18.

In the C13 the chancel was rebuilt and the north arcade and aisle were added to the nave, followed by the Sanctus bellcote above the chancel arch in the C14. In c1514, Abbot Parker (previously known as William Malvern, and the last abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter in Gloucester) commissioned the west tower and probably the Lady Chapel to the north side of the chancel.

In 1730 a ceiling was inserted to the nave which was removed in the early to mid-C19 when the west gallery was erected and the south doorway blocked (now re-opened). In c1860 the chancel was largely rebuilt. It was then restored by the architect, Ewan Christian in the 1870s, including the replacement of the lancet window at the east end with a three-light window in the Decorated style, and the renewal of the piscina and sedilia. From 1874-8, the architects Ewan Christian and F S Waller & Son undertook restoration works to the rest of the church, including the rebuilding of the south wall of the nave and the restoration of the south door and windows, as well as the partial rebuilding of the north wall, and the replacement of the roof tiles with slates. The north porch was probably also added at this time. Internally, the gallery to the nave was removed and new pews and choir stalls were introduced. The choir stalls, now in the nave, are believed to be by Ewan Christian.

In 1933, an oak screen by F W Waller & Son was installed in the tower arch, and from 1958-84 a number of alterations were undertaken by the incumbent M O Seacombe. These included further restoration of the chancel by Robert Parker in 1959 and the removal of many of the C19 introductions, such as the pews, which were replaced with the late-C19 pews from the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich, London; the relocation of the choir stalls to the nave; the introduction of the early-C19 pulpit; the paving of the chancel and chapel floor in stone; and the re-tiling of the nave floor.

The church has been closely connected with Barnwood Court (Grade II) to the west of the church since at least the C16, when Abbot Parker replaced the medieval grange with a manor house. The house belonged to the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter, Gloucester, and subsequently the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester Cathedral, and was tenanted by Abbot Parker’s brother, Humphrey and his descendants from 1517. In 1784 the house was brought by a John Morris. The house was used as the vicarage from 1937 to the mid-1970s. It has since been divided into flats.

Details

Anglican Church. C12 nave with C13 north arcade, north aisle and chancel, and C16 tower. The church was restored in the late C19 by Ewan Christian and F S Waller & Son. C20 alterations and additions.

MATERIALS: it is constructed of dressed Cotswold limestone. It has a slate-tile roof, with a decorated stone roof to the bellcote.

PLAN: orientated approximately west to east it consists of a three-bay nave with a north aisle. To the east end is the two-bay chancel, with the Lady Chapel to the north. To the west end is the tower. To the north is the porch.

EXTERIOR: the three-stage west tower has diagonal buttresses with offsets and a crenellated parapet with slender, crocketed pinnacles to the corners. To the base of the tower is a moulded off-set plinth, with a string course to the top of each stage. The north side of the tower has two memorial tablets to the first stage and a stair turret to the first and second stages. To the west side of the tower is a central, four-centred arched doorway beneath a rectangular hoodmould with label stops. The spandrels of the doorway carry Abbot Parker’s coat of arms. The doorway was restored and re-carved in c1993. There is a three-light tracery window above. To the second stage is a small, single-light round-headed window, while each side of the third stage has a two-light belfry window. The south elevation comprises the restored south wall of the nave and the two bays of the chancel to the eastern end, each bay divided by offset buttresses. To the west bay is the restored C12 doorway with a Carnarvon arched head, and nook shafts to the jambs which support scalloped imposts with a semi-circular arch above with chevrons. The tympanum has a C19 bas-relief Greek cross. There are three restored C12 windows, one to left of the doorway and two to the east bay, all with nook shafts and moulded semi-circular arched heads. The two-bay chancel has a two-light pointed arch window to each bay. At the east end of the nave, above the chancel arch, is the C14 Sanctus bellcote with a pair of bell openings and a richly crocketed spirelet. The east end of the chancel has a late-C19 three-light traceried window beneath a pointed arch; the Lady Chapel has a three-light traceried window beneath a four-centred arch. Above this window is a stone string course, and the difference in the stonework above and below suggests that the roof profile has been altered to form a gable. There are stone crosses to the apex. The north elevation of the Lady Chapel has offset buttresses with a three-light rectangular window to the western bay. A catslide roof incorporates the north aisle which has a three-light window with cusped heads to each of the two eastern bays, with a late-C19 gabled porch to the western bay. To the west of the porch, to the north aisle, is a two-light window with cusped heads. There is a small C13 window to the west end of the north aisle.

INTERIOR: the late C15/early C16 styled nave roof was probably reconstructed in the C19. It comprises moulded Tudor-arched trusses, with moulded wall plates, double purlins and a ridge piece with pairs of arched and foiled wind braces in each ceiled panel. The roof is supported on moulded and crenellated stone corbels. The C13 three-bay north arcade has circular piers of bands of alternating coloured stone which stand on square, chamfered bases and have moulded capitals supporting double-chamfered, pointed arches. The capitals and arches retain evidence of a C13 paint scheme. In north aisle is a C13 doorway which leads to the late C19 porch. The chancel arch has a pair of C12 semi-circular jamb shafts with scalloped capitals and imposts. The arch above was rebuilt in C13 with a pair of roll mouldings to the soffit. The chancel has a mid-C19 timber roof and a restored C19 piscina and sedilia. From the north aisle an early C16 four-centred arched opening provides access to the Lady Chapel which has an early-C16 collar-rafter roof with moulded tie beams with carved central bosses. To the south-west corner of the Lady Chapel is the former rood stair. There is a four-centre double-chamfered arch to the first stage of the west tower.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS: the c1514 stone font has a chamfered stem with niches and an octagonal bowl carved with shields held by winged angels, foliage and roses. The wrought-iron font cover of 1964 is by R W Patterson. The early-C19 painted timber pulpit incorporates C17 carved panels and was introduced into the church in the 1960s; it is believed to be originally from the chapel of Lambeth Palace, London. Late-C19 pews with trefoil bench ends from St Mary Magdalene Church, Woolwich, and late-C19 choir stalls, attributed to Ewan Christian. Oak screen to the tower by F W Waller & Son, 1933; Christ in Majesty fibre-glass sculpture above the chancel arch, by Darsie Rawlins, 1966; sculpture of the Good Shepherd carved at Oberammergau and burnished gold, by William Butchart (formerly Ninian Comper’s chief painter and gilder), 1962. Three tower bells recast by Abraham Rudhall in 1698 or 1699, a bell given as a memorial to Mary Dowling in 1873 and two bells from 1913.

STAINED GLASS: the three windows to the south aisle are by Hardman and depict New Testament scenes in roundels, c1873-6; the two windows to the south side of the chancel are by George Rogers, c1851; late-C19 east window is by Heaton, Butler & Bayne; central window to the north aisle is in the Arts & Crafts style and by Veronica Whall, 1931; and the west window to the first stage of the tower is by Clayton & Bell, c1875-80.

MONUMENTS: C18 wall monuments in the Lady Chapel to the tenants and owners of Barnwood Court include a classical marble wall tablet to Beata Johnson d.1722 by Stephen Reeve; a tablet with rococo ornament to Elizabeth Whitehead d.1750 by J & J Bryan; a marble tablet to Rev’d Thomas Parker d.1800 by John Bryan of Gloucester and a wall tablet to William Johnson, d.1749. There are further late-C18 and C19 wall monuments beneath the tower, some to the Morris family. On the external face of the north wall of the west tower there are two C18 wall tablets to members of the Bubb family.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

472144

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 2 The Vale and The Forest of Dean, (1970), 96-7
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Gloucester, (1988), 417-419

End of official list entry

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