Church of St Thomas A Becket

Details

SK70SE TUGBY MAIN STREET (West Side)

2/113 Church of St. Thomas a Becket

29.12.66

GV II*

Parish Church. Partially late Anglo Saxon or Norman with much of early C14, and a Victorian restoration which included the addition of a chancel in 1857. Ironstone rubble with limestone dressings and Welsh slate roofs. West tower, nave with clerestory and south aisle, chancel with south chancel aisle. Tower of 4 stages, the lowest may be Anglo Saxon, the others Norman. Lower stages are of uncoursed rubble, the upper stages coursed and squared. Thin pilaster buttresses at angles. Single round headed light in lowest stage, with flat hoodmould, and a narrow doorway to north with tiny splayed window above. A decorated string course divides this from the second stage which has paired round arched lights, the central shaft with chevron decoration, and with cushion capitals, set beneath an outer round headed arch. Paired round headed lights to bell chamber, the central mullion possibly cut through. Corbel table of heads of men and beasts beneath flat parapet. South doorway in Victorian coped gabled and buttressed porch, which has doorway in Romanesque style. South door itself is C12, single shafts and simple foliate capitals support a hollow chamfered and roll moulded arch with outer hoodmould with label stop masks. The aisle was virtually rebuilt in 1857, buttressed and with sill course, its windows are all Victorian renewals, to the west, in the Decorated style, the others Perpendicular with stilted hood moulds. Paired square headed lights also with stilted hood moulds to Perpendicular clerestory. Fragment of Saxon or Norman masonry of main body of church in south east angle of tower and south aisle. Round arched resited priests door of C12 in the chancel aisle with nail head decoration to hoodmould. Tombstones built into east wall of aisle, 4, alternately stone and slate and of C18 dates. Chancel east window has heavily ornate Victorian tracery. North wall of chancel partly of limestone ashlar. North wall of nave very tall with continuous sill course. Window tracery all Victorian renewals. Blocked C14 north door.

Inside, small door only to tower. Nave arcade of 3 bays with clustered shafts supporting double chamfered arches of the C14. Victorian nave roof with tie beam and curved principal rafters linked by a collar. Chancel restored in 1857 and the chancel arch of this date, with delicately wrought wood screen. Roof is of hammer beam type. The church has a fine series of monuments: on the west wall of the nave, high up is a memorial to members of the Skipworth family, c1558. Long inscription flanked by columns, and painted crests. Monument of 1574 on north wall of nave to Richard Neel. A coat of arms and a well turned epitaph are flanked by 3 clustered Corinthian columns, the central one advanced, and these are capped by finials, with further inscriptions and painted crests in the architrave. In the chancel, a wall memorial to Thomas Wilson d1699, and members of his family. Blocked and fluted shafts support the pediment and enclose the inscription. Beneath them is a shield and scroll work. Good series of C19 stained glass windows: the earliest of 1853 is in the east window of the chancel aisle and is armorial glass. Next come the chancel north and east windows of 1856, and the south aisle window of 1862 depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Western aisle window has scenes from the childhood of Christ, 1873 and 2 north nave windows which form a pair are of 1875. Font is probably C14. Small octagonal basin with various emblems on each face.

Listing NGR: SK7617801012

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

190889

Legacy System:

LBS

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