Church of St Catherine

Details

TL 72 NE GOSFIELD CHURCH ROAD (NORTH SIDE) 7/151 Church of St. Catherine 21 6 62 I

Parish Church. C15/C16 Nave and Chancel. Circa 1500 West Tower. Circa 1560 North Chapel and widening of Chancel to south in brick. Circa 1733 North Chapel extended one bay to provide a Squire's pew for the Knight family of Gosfield Hall. C19/C20 North Vestry, south porch and restorations. Walls mainly flint rubble sometimes plastered. North Chapel and south wall of Chancel red brick. Roofs of plain red tiles. Chancel east window of four lights with transom and vertical tracery in a two centred head. King and Queen head stops to label. Buttress to north east and two angled buttresses to south east, one at the former angle of the Chancel. South wall with stone corbel table, two buttresses, two C16 four light windows with transoms under square heads with labels. Central square headed doorway with moulded label. Three board door with muntins. Nave south wall with four buttresses. Three C15 two light windows with tracery under a two centred head. C15 south doorway with moulded and shafted jambs, the shafts with crenellated capitals. Moulded two centred arch. C19 King and Queen label stops. Double three board doors with tracery and crenellations. C19/C20 enclosed glazed porch with flint base and gabled red plain tiled roof. Nave north wall, two C15 windows similar to those in south wall, one partly blocked by north chapel. Lean-to North Vestry with a two light window under a flat head, west wall has a two centre doorway with vertically boarded door. Gault brick and flint chimney stack piercing Nave roof. Red brick North Chapel of three bays, the western bay overlaps the nave and is separated from the others by an C18 wall. Moulded red brick parapet verges to east and west walls. Brick corbel table to north wall. Plastered brick plinth with panels to east wall. Stepped chequer work over east window. North eastern stone dressed brick buttress with painted star emblem over, the mullet of the De Vere Family who founded a church here c.1190, possibly original. Three other buttresses. Eastern C16 window of four lights with transom under a square head and label. North wall with three square headed four light windows with transoms and stone labels over. The western window blocked. Off centre C16 brick doorway with moulded four centred arch in a square head with moulded label. C18 west wall with Venetian window and two circular windows over. The west flint and brick tower is plastered and crenellated. Of two stages with a square stair turret to south east. Moulded plinth with brick and stone chequer work. West window of three lights in two tiers with tracery over in a segmental moulded head. North, south and west upper ground storey with small trefoiled lights. Each wall of bell chamber has louvres of two lights under segmental pointed heads. Vertical slit light to stair turret. Interior. Chancel. Five cant roof with carved bosses and crenellated wall plate. Crenellated tie beam resting on crenellated corbels with carved heads. North wall with a mid C16 arcade of two bays with four-centred arches, piers with moulded capitals and bases. C15 two-centred Chancel arch of two moulded orders. Moulded label to west face with carved stops of angels with shields, a Raven for Rolf and a chevron with three scallops for Hawkwood. Responds with moulded capitals. Altar tomb against south wall to Thomas Rolf 1440 with brass figure in robes of a Sergeant-at-Law and Latin inscription. Side panels with quatrefoiled circular panels with shields of arms, between narrow trefoiled panels. Poppy-head choir stall ends. Crenellated and carved panelling with foliate swags and grotesque heads and urns, beneath which is linenfold panelling to north and south choir- stalls. Three wall hatchments. C19 altar rail. C19/C20 stained glass windows, that to east window by Clayton and Bell 1880. North Chapel also known as Wentworth Chapel, built by Sir John Wentworth, whose altar tomb between the chapel and chancel altars is of Purbeck marble with moulded base and slab and fragments of brass inscription. Cinquefoil side panels between smaller trefoiled panels. There is also an altar tomb of Purbeck marble to Sir Hugh Rich 1554 with moulded and panelled plinth, moulded slab with remains of brass inscription, shields, panelling and tracery to side slabs. Possibly re- used. Circa 1980 stained glass to east window. Flat roof with square panels, curved braces with carved spandrels to tie beams. To the west a private pew circa 1733 is approached by stone steps with iron balusters and Venetian double doors each of three panels with a semi-circular light over and side lights with glazing bars, all in a moulded surround. The interior of the pew has enriched panelling. The door and side light surrounds are moulded and dentilled and with four Ionic pilasters. There is a Venetian window to the west wall and a recessed opening with panelled shutters and semi-circular light over to the south wall. The ceiling is plastered. Four hatchments to walls. The north wall contains a fine large marble monument to John and Anne Knight by Rysbrack, raised centre-piece with a man to left dressed in Roman costume leaning on an inscribed urn whilst his wife in similar robes reclines toward him from the right. An enriched broken pediment over with lower scrolls and coat of arms apex. Inscription in oval plaque at base reads - Anne Crags. Married 1st James Newsham 2nd John Knight 3rd Robert Nugent died 22/11/1756 age 59. To left and right are smaller plinths with urns, that to right with an inscription to Margaret Nugent sister to Robert Earl Nugent 1794. There are 6 constables staves of William IV's reign on a window rack. Nave. Roof of seven cants with moulded wall plates and moulded arched braces to two east bay collars. The west bay with a moulded and crenellated tie beam with moulded arched braces and traceried spandrels, this is probably the re-used head of the former rood screen and was possibly supported by the buttress above the pulpit. Piscina in south wall has a four centred head with heads tops and moulded jambs. C18/C19 box pews and panelling to walls. Windows stained glass with some early fragments in north window. Moulded Royal coat of arms over south door. Octagonal C18 panelled pulpit with fret decoration on octagonal stem. West Tower. Tower arch. Two centred of three chamfered orders with crenellated capitals and moulded bases. Vertically bead boarded and nailed door to stair turret with four centred arch in a square head over. Octagonal font with quatrefoiled panelling to bowl and cusped two centre arches to stem. Stained glass to window. Bells. Thos. Potter, Norwich 1420. Miles Graye, Colchester 1637. Henry Pleasant, Sudbury 1704 and three by John Taylor, Loughborough 1962. RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TL7778129403

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