Church of Saint Andrew

Details

GREAT NESS C.P. GREAT NESS SJ 31 NE 4/116 Church of Saint Andrew 27.5.53 GV I

Parish church. C13 nave, C13 tower with belfry rebuilt or added in the C17, early C14 chancel and late C19 vestry. Chancel reroofed 1852 and the church partly restored in 1880. Nave and tower of dressed red sandstone with plain tile roofs and chancel of yellow/grey sandstone with slate roof. Three-bay nave with south porch, 2-bay chancel with north vestry, and west tower. Tower: 3 stages. Stepped plinth (battered to south), diagonal buttresses to lower 2 stages with moulded plinths and chamfered offsets,later (probably C17) buttress to south- east with chamfered offsets, chamfered offset to belfry, weathered string course to battlemented parapet with moulded coping, and pyramidal cap with weathervane. Two-light louvred belfry openings with chamfered reveals. Probably C13 blocked moulded-arched belfry light to east. Louvred lancet in second stage to west with chamfered reveals and hood- mould, and lancet with solid tympanum in first stage to west. Nave: chamfered plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets and parapeted gable end to east with stone coping and truncated finial. South side: restored paired chamfered lancets to left with semi-circular relieving arch and hoodmould with carved stops; 2 windows to right, that to left C19 paired trefoil-headed chamfered lancets with returned hoodmould and semi-circular relieving arch, and that to right restored, with 2 trefoil-headed lights under a square head and chamfered reveals. Central C13 roll-moulded arched doorway with hoodmould and old nail-studded boarded door with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges and panel at top with carved Tudor rose and the date 1618. Old stone porch with plinth to each side, parapeted gable with coping and cross at apex, and C19 chamfered archway with returned hoodmould and iron gates dated: "SJ /1955". Trussed-rafter roof within. North side: restored window to left of 2 ogee trefoil- headed lights with quatrefoil in tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hoodmould. C19 paired lancets to right with hollow-chamfered reveals and hoodmould with carved stops. Blocked chamfered-arched doorway to right of central buttress. Small C14 or C15 square-headed window of 2 trefoil-headed lights in east wall. Chancel: chamfered plinth, angle buttresses to east with chamfered offsets, chamfered eaves and parapeted gable end with coping. South side: 2 south windows of 2 trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoils in tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals and continuous hoodmould; central chamfered-arched priest's doorway with hoodmould and C19 nail-studded boarded door with strap hinges. East window of 3 ogee trefoil-headed lights with reticulated tracery, chamfered reveals and returned hoodmould. Vestry: herringbone-tooled red sandstone ashlar. Plinth and chamfered eaves, returning to front gable. North window of 2 trefoil-headed leaded lights under square head; boarded door to crypt down steps to right. Truncated external stone lateral stack with chamfered offset to left-hand return front. Interior: uncompleted C13 south arcade with double-chamfered arches and remains of capital to centre (aisle not visible externally). Small chamfered tower arch with C19 half-glazed door. Round relieving arch above. Nave windows with C19 chamfered rear arches. C13 triple-chamfered chancel arch, cut off at base. Chancel south windows with moulded rear arches; east window has roll-moulded rear arch with fillet and hoodmould with carved stops. C14 moulded ogee-arched piscina to south with plain hoodmould and small aumbry to north. Priest's doorway with chamfered rear arch and chamfered-arched vestry doorway with plain hoodmould. C15 six-bay nave roof with billet-ornamented moulded wall plates, ashlar pieces, ovolo- moulded arched-braced trusses with central carved 'bosses', cusped raking struts forming cusped triangular openings, and pairs of purlins with cusped wind braces. Collar and tie-beam end trusses with king struts, the western truss interrupted by east buttress of tower. C19 two- bay chancel roof with moulded arched-braced collar truss springing from bracketed tie-stubs; pairs of purlins. Fittings: C17 altar rails with turned balusters, large turned standards with finials, and moulded rail. C19 choir stalls and eagle lectern. Polygonal stone pulpit dated 1885, with tapered stem, moulded base, cinquefoil side panels and billet- decorated top. Plain octagonal stone font dated 1850 with wooden cover. Early C20 pews with rounded ends. Wainscot panelling, some raised and fielded (probably from former 1775 box pews). West gallery of 1765,on 2 square posts, with raised and fielded panelling to front, raking seating and C19 organ. Painted royal coat of arms to front, with painted boards above: "1800/T. Wildblood. E. Rogers/Church Wardens" and below: "Restored 1956/W.R. Griffiths. A.J. Embrey/Churchwardens". Painted benefactors' boards in galley. Hatchment to right of chancel arch. C19 encaustic tiles to santuary. Reset medieval floor tiles at west end of nave. C19 stained glass in some windows. Various late C18/early C19 memorial tablets. Circa 1850 Gothic tablet in nave. Old sepia photograph on south door showing interior of church in 1909 with box pews. Great Ness church was a Saxon collegiate foundation and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. B.O.E., pp. 133-4; D.H.S. Cranage, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, Part 9, pp. 768-71; Revd. F. Brighton, The Story of Great Ness (1933), pp. 31-37.

Listing NGR: SJ3976019032

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

259180

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, (1908), 768-771
Brighton, Reverend F, The Story of Great Ness, (1933), 31-37
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 133-134

End of official list entry

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