Church Heritage Record 638113

West tower, nave, north aisle and chancel.

Nave 12m long, 6m wide.

The crossing over the Trent has always been important and there is scattered evidence of settlement from the Palaeolithic through to the Roman period near the church, the latter represented most obviously by a fort ½ mile to the south of the church, a Scheduled Monument. Dunham is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a Royal Manor, and a church may have existed from the late 11th century, although there is nothing in the fabric of this early date. Incumbents are recorded since 1283, a safer date. Prebendaries of Dunham and Newport (from Southwell Minster) probably lived at Dunham Hall, which has Medieval fabric.

The original church was built to serve what became a market town at this important crossing, with evidence for Medieval settlement visible in the form of earthworks at Whimpton between Dunham and Darlton where there was another (lost) chapel-of-ease, also a Scheduled Monument. The site therefore has exceptional archaeological potential and the County Archaeologist and Historic Environment Record should be consulted if any development or works are proposed.

With the notable exception of the tower, which appears to have been added or rebuilt in the late 15th century, the church was demolished and rebuilt by the Nottingham architect T C Hine in 1862-3, who also rebuilt the chapel-of-ease at Darlton.  There have been only minimal changes since.

The dominant and most significant feature is the fine 15th-century tower.  This has embattled parapets and crocketed corner pinnacles with gargoyles on the north side and the remains of single gargoyles to both the west and south sides. The diagonal buttresses are gabled part way up where they are decorated with crockets. There are single string courses extending over the plinth and at the juncture of each of the four stages.

The west doorway has a pointed arched surround, hood mould, label stops and wooden door.  Above is a single ogee arched and vaulted niche with bosses, the arch is decorated with crockets, over is a hood mould with grotesque head label stops and ornate finial. Victorian texts on these. Above is a single large moulded arched 4-light window with panel tracery, cusping, hood mould, figurative label stops and finial.

There are four very large arched traceried and transomed belfry openings, the main feature of the church, each with four arched and cusped lights surmounted by a further four similar lights. There are small rectangular stair lights to each side. The east side has evidence of a former nave roof.

The rest of the church is a dignified Victorian building in a 13th century style. The nave and chancel have coped gables with single ridge crosses to the east end. The north aisle has three 2-light windows with tracery and cusping under flat arches. The east wall has a single 2-light arched window with tracery and cusping. The north chancel wall has a single arched, traceried, and cusped light with hood mould and head label stops. The east wall has a single 3-light arched, traceries and cusped window with hood mould, head label stops and sill band with foliate stops. In the apex is a single trefoil. The south chancel has a single 2-light window with cusping and single stone transom under a flat arch. The south nave has three arched 2-light Y-traceried windows with hood moulds, label stops and carved head finials.

Moving inside through the west door in the tower, the tower space functions as an internal porch, with a wooden Gothic screen to the tower opening and a heavy curtain across, with plastic sheeting in the arch above. The tall double chamfered tower arch has foliate decorated imposts, the angles below the imposts are decorated with ribs and there are blind cusped panels at the base. Ropes descend from a boarded ceiling above. The pointed doorway to the tower stair is in the south-west corner, the present floor appears to have buried its original threshold. The font stands in the south-east corner.

Moving into the Victorian church, the interior is whitewashed. There is a scrolled inscription over the chancel arch, possibly a remnant of a larger scheme. 3-bay nave arcade with double chamfered arches supported on circular columns with moulded capitals and, at the west and east ends, on foliate decorated corbels. Waggon roofs. The organ is set at the west end of the aisle, where there is a small curtained vestry.

The double chamfered chancel arch is supported on slim engaged columns with foliate decorated capitals. The south chancel wall has a piscina with cusped and decorated arch and foliate decorated ogee hood mould, label stops and finial. To the right is a single sedile with fleuron decorated moulded arch and similarly decorated hood mould, with foliate label stops. There are plain mid-19th century benches with squared ends and more elaborate choirstalls. The quarry tiled floors are mostly under carpet.