Heath Chapel

Details

HEATH

SO58NE Heath Chapel
482-1/1/137
12/11/54

I

Church. C12, late C17 alterations, c1870 repairs, restored
1912. Grey stone rubble with golden sandstone dressings.
Plain-tile roofs. Chancel and nave only.
EXTERIOR: chancel and nave with flat shallow buttresses at all
corners and at mid-point of each wall. Continuous string
course with chamfered top runs around the building,
interrupted only by the south doorway and north window. One
small slit window in each wall sitting on string course, the
east and west windows piercing their respective buttresses,
all with round heads and deep internal splays, except that to
chancel south wall which has a flat lintel. The west gable end
has 2 small windows within the gable apex and a flat-headed
bell-opening slit between. All windows lattice- or
square-leaded. Additional north oak chamfered mullioned window
of nave is c1700. South doorway: C12 round headed doorway of 2
orders. Chevron carved design on hoodmould and outer order of
arch, and roll moulding on inner. Plain tympanum. Plain abaci
with chamfered undersides. Crude flat scroll capitals now
mostly eroded. C19 restored grey stone shafts and bases. Door
is cross-boarded and has medieval iron hinges.
INTERIOR: chancel with medieval 2-bay roof of 3 trusses.
Single chamfered tenoned purlin roof with no ridge piece,
straight wind braces below purlin (one missing), rafters
halved-over at apex, ashlaring at wall plate. 2 trusses to
east have diminished principals with open ended mortice at the
cut-back of the principal. Cambered chamfered tie beam with
stepped stop-chamfer, and twin raking struts. C17 turned
communion rails surround the alter. Reset medieval grave slab
with raised cross. Reused medieval rood screen forms framing
for benches and box pews against north wall. Double rebated
round-headed chancel arch with 2 orders of shafts facing nave.
Capitals on north side are a simple cushion and scallop with
incised volutes. South capitals in form of a cushion with
chevron under-mouldings, and cushion with pointed convex
under-moulding. Simple under-chamfered hoodmould surrounds
arch recesses. Plain under-chamfered abaci which continues as
string course round complete interior of chapel.
Nave: medieval 3-bay roof of 4 trusses, probably remodelled
C17. Single trenched purlin roof with trench purlin addition
to north pitch only. C19 restored rafters, ridge and wall
plate. Trusses with steep but unevenly cambered tie beams,
twin raking struts, diminishing principals, wall post with
chamfered projection and base stop, and small swept chamfered
wall brace. Wall paintings partly visible on nave walls: on
south wall is medieval depiction of St George; on north wall
is a depiction of a lion. Late C16 religious texts appear
below string course on north and south walls of both nave and
chancel. Cylindrical tub font of C12. 5 C17 box pews and
2-decker pulpit.
Heath Chapel is nationally very remarkable as it has remained
substantially unaltered in use, status, size and style.
(An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire:
Cranage D H S: 1895-: 96; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N:
Shropshire: Harmondsworth, Middlesex: 1958-: 147; Klein P: A
Guide to The Heath Chapel Shropshire: Leominster: 1990-).

Listing NGR: SO5573185622

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

484154

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, (1908), 96
Klein, P, A Guide to the Heath Chapel, Shropshire, (1990)
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 147

End of official list entry

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