Church of St Ippolyts (Church of England)

Details

ST IPPOLLITTS ST IPPOLLITTS VILLAGE TL 1927 9/67 Church of St. Ippolyts 27.5.68 (C of E)

GV I

Parish church. Of (traditional date of foundation 1087) fabric of nave and chancel; N and S aisles added, and chancel remodelled in early C14; C14 W tower; C15 N and S porches and widened chancel arch; base of cross-like spire dated '1636'; considerable repairs 1839; new E window inserted in chancel 1874-5. Restoration of nave 1877-8 by Joseph Clarke, Diocesan Architect (builder Mr. Gregory of Clapham Junction) involved carefully rebuilding 3 walls from foundations re-incorporating older features, with new roof over nave and aisles, and building an organ chamber and N vestry. Old tower releaded 1880. Organ rebuilt 1891. Choir vestry at N of earlier vestry 1913-14. New altar rails 1939. Spire releaded 1940. Flint rubble faced in coursed pebbles with stone dressings, tufa C11 dressings at junction of nave and narrower chancel on S side and to blocked S window and SE angle of nave, clunch or limestone for later work. Timber framed S porch with C17 red brick later infill to sides. Steep old red tile roofs. Lead to N aisle. Small church on brow of hill on site sloping steeply away to N. Consists of square-ended chancel, nave, aisles, N and S porches, W tower and 2 vestries on N of chancel. The Chancel has an old scissor-rafter roof divided into 2 bays by a moulded tie beam. Boarded waggon roof over E part. 3-lights E window, pointed, with fan arrangement of mouchettes in the head. Said to be a copy of window formerly in Minsden chapel in Preston parish (q.v.), drawn by Buckler. One N and 2 S windows C14 of 2-lights with tracery in pointed segmental arched head, lower sill to the W window on S with stained glass of 1851. Double aumbry in N wall by altar and C13 twin-arched combined piscina and credence with shaft between on S wall. Brass to Alice, wife of Ryce Hughes, d.1594, kneeling man, wife, children and inscription all on one plate. The Nave has a C19 3-bays open timber roof with 2 purlins, arched-braced collar to truss which has a second cross-beam above the tie beam to which it is joined by vertical balusters. N and S walls pierced by wide early C14 arches 2 well separated on each side. Chamfered outer order under moulded hoodmould with small headstops: half octagonal inner order carried on large broad-faced corbel-heads with inscribed abaci (one C19 replacement on S side). High up in angle of NE corner of nave the narrow 4-centred head to upper doorway for the former roodloft. Tufa dressings of original round headed late C11 window in wall above S arcade. Wider N aisle has had its windows largely renewed, the eastern one has stained glass by Shrigley & Hunt c.1929. C14 piscina on S side in back of pier beside pulpit, with ogee cusped head and trefoil sinking. Brass to Robert Poydres and Alice his wife, d.1401, incomplete inscription. Early C14 N doorway. The S aisle has a narrow 2-lights C14 E window with tracery in pointed head, remains of canopied niche on inner jamb, and a square-headed 2-light S window of some age to E of porch. Moulded clunch S door of early C14. C19 2-lights W window. C14 trefoil-headed piscina near E end of aisle and nearby a recess with the C14 recumbent effigy of a priest. C14 octagonal stone font on stem with engaged shafts. Set in N wall of S aisle a C13 arch stone with moulding, label, and dog-tooth ornament. Below it a stone inscribed with several crosses with enlarged terminals, some in lozenge shaped surrounds. Wooden arcaded screen with C15 central bay set up in chancel in C19 restoration and moved to tower arch c.1939. Tall square W tower with angle buttresses at W angles, string course below crenelated parapet, low pyramidal red tile roof topped by a lead covered preaching cross in place of a spire. This has a classical panelled pedestal supporting a tapering octagonal cross shaft with moulded cap and base topped by a cross and vane. Date on E face of pedestal '1636'. Stair turret buried in SW corner of tower. A 2-lights pointed bell opening on each face, 2nd level lit by small slit windows. Clock installed 1887, repaired 1924. 3-lights C14 W window with tracery in the head and mullions renewed. Plain chamfered tower arch. Elaborate C15 N porch of clunch, renewed externally, with pointed entrance arch with square head and traceried spandrels, flanking buttresses, trefoil headed niches flanking entrance, and canopied niche over entrance. Timber framed C15 S porch has frame infilled by C17 red brick on each side but original elaborate S front with moulded bargeboards to roof verge. Cambered moulded tie-beam over central, arched 4-centred entrance with cusped spandrels and flanked by narrow 2-lights trefoil headed side-lights. Later wooded gates. King-post and crosspieces to the principal rafters from a cross-shaped gable infill above tie-beam. Pierced circular stone chimney to vestry. (RCHM (1911)129-30: VCH (1912)27-8: Kelly (1914)168: Pevsner (1977)214: inf Mrs. Rance).

Listing NGR: TL1979227127

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

162679

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Doubleday, A, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1912), 168
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 214

Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry