Details
TL 0902 ABBOTS LANGLEY HIGH STREET
(Northwest side)
Abbots Langley
11/28 Church of
1.9.53 St. Lawrence the Martyr
GV I
Parish church. Late C12. Early C13 W tower. Early C14 Corpus Christi S
chancel chapel. c.1400 chancel rebuilt. C15 aisles rebuilt, clerestory
altered and tower raised. Early C19 porch rebuilt. Restored 1866, 1911
with addition of organ bay, 1935 and 1970. Knapped flint with clunch
dressings, some brick, tilehanging and rendering. Tiled roofs. Short
nave with N and S aisles, lower, narrower chancel and S chapel, all of 2
bays, W tower, S porch, NE organ bay. Low 2 stage tower has C13 lancets
to N and S in lower stage. To W a C15 pointed arched entrance with an
upper square headed 2 light window. Bell stage has a pointed 2 light
opening to W, similar window and clock to S, simple pointed openings to
N and E. Cornice to C20 brick parapet. C15 2 stage diagonal buttresses
to W, that to S larger. To S, aisle and porch are rendered and roughcast.
Porch: moulded pointed arch with square hood mould, diagonal buttresses,
parapet, inner pointed arched entrance, arms in spandrels, quatrefoil
ornament on ceiling. Flanking porch are C15 aisle windows, 2 lights with
square heads, diagonal buttress to W. Clerestorey has 3 irregularly
spaced C15 2 light square headed windows with traces of lower C13
windows. Projecting to SE is Corpus Christi chapel of higher quality
work than rest of church with clunch and flint chequer work and good
Decorated windows, 2 of 2 cusped lights to S with cusped spherical
triangular heads in pointed double chamfered arches. Brick and stone
angle buttresses, that to W rebuilt in flint. W gable tilehung over a
C14 window blocked when aisle was rebuilt. To E on S elevation a door
inserted in 1911 with an outer pointed arch, inner segmental head.
Chapel E end: large 3 light window with curvilinear tracery, slightly
off centre. Chancel is narrower and lower but of same projection
eastwards as chapel. 3 light chancel E window has early rectilinear
tracery, rendered quoins to N return. Organ bay to N, now vestry,
projects with a lean-to roof. 2 square headed 2 light windows, pointed
arched 2 light windows on returns. Flanking organ bay on rendered
chancel N wall are 2 light rectilinear traceried pointed arched windows.
Roughcast N aisle has 2 C15 2 light square headed windows, a pointed
arched entrance, diagonal buttresses. To E return a C20 spherical
triangular window. To W return a blocked C12 round headed lancet. N
clerestorey has 2 lights as to S. Interior: C12 2 bay arcades to nave,
round arches with inner zigzag and outer billet mouldings, scalloped
capitals to N with bead ornament on round piers and responds. To S
scalloped capital to round W respond, central round pier with foliate
capital, probably C13, S pier to E is octagonal with a moulded capital,
probably C14. Sharply pointed C13 tower arch with roll moulding,
responds with foliate capitals. From nave to N aisle arcade stops short
at E end with a supplementary small arch inserted in 1911. Nave and
aisle SE corner was originally separated from the Corpus Christi Chapel
but in the C16 a broad 4 centred skew arch was inserted opening up the
junction of nave, aisle, chancel and chapel and linking the nave arcade
to chancel arcade. In 1970 this skew arch was reinforced with a central
pier forming 2 pointed arches. c.1400 2 bay arcade from chancel to
chapel has double chamfered pointed arches with hood moulds, moulded
bases and caps to octagonal piers and E respond. Inner surround of
chapel E window has a hollow moulding with rosettes. Broad timber
chancel arch. C15 4 bay nave roof has struts on renewed grotesque mask
corbels with arched braces to tie beams, brattished wall plates, ceiled
above. Chancel also ceiled with angel corbels to braced tie beams. S
chapel roof has king posts with curved braces to rafters. Monuments: S
aisle W end to Lord Chief Justice R. Raymond, d.1732, designed by Westby
Gill, executed by H. Cheere. Marble. Semi-reclining wigged figure, putto
offering a coronet to right, seated allegory holding a portrait
medallion of Lady Raymond to left, pedestal with epitaph, against a
broad pyramid backing with arms. N aisle W end to his son R. Raymond,
d.1756, by P. Scheemakers. Black marble obelisk and sarcophagus with
arms, flanking seated allegories of hope and plenty, epitaph on tall
pedestal with base and cornice. S chapel S wall to Mrs. A. Combe,
d.1640. Painted marble aedicule with kneeling effigy: Corinthian
capitals, open pediment flanking figures of Time and Death, achievement
of arms above, epitaph below. S chapel N wall to Anne Raymond, d.1714,
marble aedicule with projecting seated figure, fluted pilasters,
segmental headed cornice, epitaph on plinth, below 3 naively carved
cradled babies. S chapel N wall in spandrel of arcade to chancel to
T. Howe, d.1722, marble aedicule with epitaph. Floor slabs in S chapel.
Bronze dated 1607 in N aisle. N aisle E end has C14 font, octagonal with
moulded and panelled base, quatrefoils to each face of the bowl with
Evangelist symbols and shields. Painted Royal Arms of Charles II, dated
1678, on board over S entrance. Painted 10 Commandments, dated 1627, on
board on E wall of N aisle. C14 wall paintings of SS Lawrence and Thomas
flanking S chapel E window. Gothic tower screen of 1908. Fragment of C15
glass, half figure of St. Lawrence in chancel E window on N wall, part
of Crucifixion in chancel E window by Burlison and Grylls, S chapel E
window 1909 by Powells. (VCH 1908: RCHM 1910: Pevsner 1977).
Listing NGR: TL0948202189
