Details
WATTON-AT-STONE CHURCH LANE
TL 31 NW
(North side)
Watton-at-Stone
4/171 Church of St. Andrew
24.11.66 and St. Mary
- II*
Parish church. Early to mid C15 rebuilding of an earlier foundation.
Later C15 N chapel. Thoroughly restored 1851 by G. Clarke at expense of
Abel Smith of Woodhall Park (q.v.). Flint rubble, some knapped. Stone
dressings. Tiled roofs. Wide 4 bay nave and 3 bay chancel. N and S
aisles and porches. N chancel chapel. W tower. Perpendicular style.
Chancel: E window of 3 lights with a 4 centred arched head, restored
rectilinear tracery, mask stopped hood mould. Coped gable parapet with
ridge finial. Buttress to E end of N chapel which has a C19 3 light
window with rectilinear tracery and a lower coped gable parapet.
Gargoyles over 2 stage angle buttresses. Chancel to S has 2 similar 3
light 4 centred arched windows with outer casement mouldings. Between
these a C19 door in a shallow porch, cusped pointed arch, shafted jambs,
ogee head elaborately crocketed and finialed, string course to embattled
parapet. N chapel has 2 C19 3 light windows with segmental arched heads,
rectilinear tracery, angle buttresses, string course to plain coped
parapet. At angles of chancel and taller nave are stair turrets for
access to former rood loft and to roofs, hexagonal to S with embattled
parapet, octagonal to N with plain parapet. Nave clerestoreys have four
2 cinquefoiled light 4 centred arched windows each, string courses to
embattled parapets. S aisle: 3 light window to E as on chancel, 2 stage
angle buttresses to S where similar windows flank C19 porch, string
course to embattled parapet with a base for a C19 stack over porch.
Diagonal buttress to W end with a C19 2 light window. N aisle similar
with an additional window. S porch has inner C15 pointed arch with
double wave mouldings. Outer C19 four centred arch with shafted jambs,
quatrefoils in spandrels to square hood mould. 2 light pointed arched
windows in returns. Shallow gabled head, embattled parapet. N porch is 2
storeys. Double roll moulded outer pointed arch, inner arch with shafted
jambs, Tudor flower ornament. Parvis chamber window of 3 cinquefoiled
lights in a square head, shallow gabled head, embattled parapet. 2 stage
diagonal buttresses. W return has a 2 light pointed arched C19 window. E
return has taller semi-octagonal stair turret with slit windows, string
course to parapet. W tower, 3 stages with taller hexagonal stair turret
to SW. Chequerwork double plinth with 4 stage angle buttresses up to
belfry, raking stone courses between stages. W entrance with an almost
round arch, heavily moulded. Small door to stair turret with 4 centred
arched head. Above W entrance a C19 3 light pointed arched window.
Belfry has tall louvred 2 light openings with quatrefoils in pointed
heads. Clocks to W and N. String course to embattled parapet with
gargoyles on turret. Slit openings in turret and in 2nd stage to S and
N. Interior: tall 2 centred tower arch of 3 orders, inner and outer wave
mouldings dying into chamfers. Chancel arch is C19 with casement and
wave mouldings, respond columns. 4 bay nave arcades have complex piers
with clustered colonnettes to E and W with hollows between, moulded caps
and bases, finer detail to S, 2 centred arches have a double wave with
central hollow moulding, outer casement to wave moulding carried down to
ground on piers. Inner faces of arches have labels with foliate stops.
Triple arcade from chancel to N chapel is C19, pointed arches with
clustered 3/4 columns, heavy mouldings. Similar single arch from N aisle
to N chapel, now blocked by organ. Nave and chancel roofs are C19 moulded
and arched braced. Aisle roofs are C15 lean-tos with moulded principals
and purlins with carved bosses. 4 bay N chapel roof is probably early
C17, 4 centred arched vault, plastered with moulded ribs, C19 elephant
head corbels. In N aisle is a door to parvis chamber stairs. N aisle E
end round headed recess, to SE a blocked squint to chancel with a
floating cornice. Rood loft openings to N and S with door to S. S aisle
E end piscina with cusped pointed arched head. Chancel S wall E end C15
piscina and triple sedilia, cusped pointed arched heads, raised and
restored. In N chapel is a C15 or C16 oak chest with heavy iron bands,
rounded head. Royal Arms of George III over N door. Arms of Bishop over
Tower arch, dated 1851. C19 Gothic fittings include reredos, octagonal
font, pulpit, lectern, choir stalls, communion rails with ironwork,
chapel screen with iron gates, tower screen and seating. Several good
brasses. N chapel: Sir P. Peletoot, d.1361, full length figure of knight
in a cusped canopy. Sir J. Boteler, d.1514, smaller figure of a knight
with 5 shields of arms, below a late C15 civilian in a fur lined coat,
possibly the mason who built the church, also fragments to R. Boteler,
d.1614, wife and daughter. Chancel: an almost lifesize figure of a
priest, mid C15, perhaps J. Brigenhall. Nave: a lady of Boteler family,
c.1550. S aisle: E. Bardolph, d.1455 and family, damaged. N aisle: late
C15 pair of figures. Floor slabs. N chapel: Sir R. de Graveley, C14
border inscribed in Lombardic script. Sir J. Boteler, late C15, large
alabaster slab with incised figures, arms and inverted inscription,
various C18 slabs. N aisle: R. de Larabi, C14, border inscribed in
Lombardic script. S aisle: Sir J. Gore, d.1697, and daughter, d.1725,
marble with relief arms. Chancel has various C17 and C18 floor slabs.
Wall monuments: N chapel known as Abel Smith chapel has many family
monuments including that on W wall to S. Smith and wife, d.1834 and
1835, by Manning, sarcophagus against obelisk with arms, epitaph below.
N wall, W. Rumbold, d.1786, probably by Bacon, marble epitaph, an urn
wreathed with an oak garland on dark pointed arched ground. E wall,
Sir T. Rumbold, d.1791, by Bacon, marble epitaph, tondo relief of
mourning woman, flanking festooned urns in shallow relief. N aisle,
D. Turner, d.1740, marble epitaph, simple aedicule with fluted
pilasters. S aisle: J. Boteler, d.1774, large marble epitaph, aedicule
with segmental pediment, panelled pilasters gadrooned at base, arms in
cartouche, cherubs below with console supports. P. Boteler and wife,
d.1712 and 1740, marble, 2 kneeling figures, he in contemporary dress,
she in mourning, leaning on a pedestal, arms in cartouche above, epitaph
below, all in a Gothic niche. C19 stained glass. E window has Nativity,
Deposition and Resurrection. (RCHM 1910: VCH 1912: East Herts
Archaeological Society Transactions, vol. 5, pt.2, 1913, p.174-90:
Pevsner 1977).
Listing NGR: TL3024118881
