Details
DARRINGTON CHURCH LANE
SE42SE
(north end
5/14 Church of St. Luke
11.12.1967 and All Saints
GV I
Parish church. Norman tower, C13 aisles and chancel (altered in C14 and
C15), with C14 north chapel (probably a rebuilding at that time); restored in
1880 by A. W. Blomfield. White magnesian limestone (mostly squared, but some
rubble); slate roofs. Aisled nave embracing west tower, south porch, chancel
with north chapel. The stout, square, 3-stage west tower, embraced by the
aisles up to the 2nd stage, has a moulded 4-centred arched west doorway and a
Perpendicular 3-light window above; at the 2nd stage, the south side has a
clock face and the north side has a small Norman window of 2 round-headed
lights (now glazed) with a colonnette; the 3rd stage, which is set back, has
Norman belfry windows in the south and east sides, each of 2 round-headed
louvred lights with a colonnette, an altered or inserted belfry window of
2 pointed lights in the west side; and an embattled parapet with restored
corner pinnacles. The short nave has full-height aisles embracing the tower,
the roof on the south side being continuous; early features of the aisles
include a small lancet at the west end of both and, in the north aisle,
rubble masonry to half-height, with a blocked round-headed north doorway,
coupled lancets to the east and a single lancet to the west. The 4-bay south
aisle has a gabled porch to the 2nd bay, with a chamfered 2-centred arched
outer doorway, a cusped niche in the apex, kneelers carrying tall slender
pinnacles, an apex cross, and buttressed side walls with low parapets; a
stone roof on 2 transverse arches, and an inner doorway with 3 orders of
shafts and deeply moulded arch. The other bays of this aisle have large C14
arched 3-light windows with reticulated tracery. The upper part of the north
aisle, of squared masonry, has 2 large square-headed recessed windows of 4
and 3 lights with hollow spandrels, and at the east end (above the coupled
lancets) a double-chamfered 2-centred arched window of 2 cusped lights with a
trefoil in the head. The buttressed 2-bay chancel has a low decorated frieze
in each bay (quatrefoils in the 1st and blind arcading the 2nd), a C14
2-centred arched priest door to the 1st bay, two 2-light arched windows in
the 1st bay and one in the 2nd; and a very large 2-centred arched east window
with intersecting tracery and Perpendicular secondary tracery. The north
chapel has a large 2-centred arched east window with moulded surround and
reticulated tracery, a prominent composite buttress to the east corner, a
square 2-stage stair turret to the west corner, and between these a recessed
Perpendicular window of 3 cusped lights.
Interior: round-headed tower arch with substantial demi-shafts carrying
scalloped capitals and small round-headed north doorway, double-chamfered 2-
centred arch to south aisle; 3-bay arcades with tall circular piers and
double-chamfered arches, keeled responds at each end; blocked lancet in north
wall of chancel; very small piscina and aumbry in chancel; rood stair-turret
with unusual small open-arcaded gallery running towards chancel arch; some
traceried Perpendicular bench ends; 4 chancel stalls with misericords;
some C15 stained glass in north chapel. Monuments: two C14 effigies (under
arch in north wall of chancel and in chapel); monument to William Ferrer (d.1684), now damaged; in north aisle, marble wall tablet in memory of "that
Just and Judicious Dealer ... Mr. ALEXANDER BLAIR of Aberdeen in Scotland and
Merchant Taylor of London (d.1671).
(Reference : Pevsner).
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
342476
Legacy System:
LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
End of official list entry
