Details
SK 87 SE THORNEY TOP ROAD (east side)
2/106 Church of St.Helen
16.1.67
G.V. II*
Parish Church, 1850, by Cottingham. Thick-thin coursed ashlar, stone slab
roof, ashlar carving and dressings, plinth, grotesque corbel table, 3 coped
gables, grotesque scrolled brackets above buttresses. Nave, chancel, vestry,
bellcote, sanctus bellcote. West end has central round arched doorway, 3
orders, elaborately decorated, containing diagonal matchboarded door; above
3 double rebated round headed windows; above again, wheel window flanked by
single recessed blank panels; above again, decorated bellcote, 2 stages,
2 round arched openings, chequerwork coped gable, and cross. Nave, 3 bays,
4 buttresses, 2 string courses, parapet; 3 paired round headed windows on either
side. Vestry 1 bay, coped gable, single projecting band, 2 corner buttresses,
single round headed window to north. Sanctus bellcote has 4 round headed
openings, 2 blind niches containing figures, pyramidal roof with lucarnes
iron cross. Chancel, 2 bays, 2 buttresses, has to north single round headed
window with elaborate reveal; to south, priest's door, 2 orders, with
projecting hood, containing plank door with sanctuary ring; to east, 3 round
headed openings with chamfered hood moulds; above, circular window with cogged
reveal. Aisleless nave with projecting band, splayed window reveals with
zigzag moulding, deep billet moulded wall plate. Elaborate mask corbels
supporting arched brackets to hammer beam roof, with further curved brackets
to collars. Principal timbers with nail head ornament; nail head decorated
pierced spandrels; pegged construction. Contemporary font, circular bowl
on circular stem with blind arcading; remains of fine C12 font on south side.
Elaborate square stone pulpit on polished granite shaft with 4 subsidiary
shafts, reached by stairs through chancel arch respond. Matching lectern in
similar style on square moulded base of 3 stages. Norman-style chancel arch,
2 orders with hoodmould, clustered shaft responds and scallop capitals. Chancel
has to north, moulded doorway to pulpit stairs, another similar opening to vestry;
corbelled table in sanctuary, gabled aumbry in round headed opening; to south,
moulded round headed piscina, elaborate double-columned triple sedilia; roll
moulded opening to priest's door. Roof of same construction as nave.
Fittings comprise simple oak pews and choir stalls with triple roll moulded
ends; 2 C19 hatchments; C20 wall memorial tablet.
Listing NGR: SK8592472843
