Church Heritage Record 621027

4-bay aisled nave, and chancel with flanking chapels.  North-west tower within the north aisle, and south-west porch.  South-east vestry.

Excluding chancel, 19.5m (60ft) x 13m (40ft).

The first church known to have existed on the site stood by 1146, of which period some architectural fragments remain, displayed within the church.  The church which stands today was built in the mid-15th century, and is wholly Perpendicular in style, though there are occasional clues within the fabric to the shape and form of the earlier building. The other major episode which has determined the modern appearance of the church, particularly the interior, was the restoration of 1856 by Edward Browning, who designed the fine pews. Most of the stained glass is also of this date. A small south-east vestry was added in 1897.

The church is relatively simple in plan and homogenous in form, which is due to the fact that it was rebuilt in perhaps 1430-50 in a single campaign. It is a superb example of the Perpendicular style during its heyday, a harmonious composition of grace and beauty. The remarkably sensitive Victorian restoration has on this occasion harmonised well with the original concept, with particularly the furniture and stained glass considered a positive contribution rather than, as too often, a well-meant but ill-advised meddling.

The base of the north-west tower is considered to be the earliest part of the building as it now stands, and the lower stages at least pre-date the reconstruction of the rest of the church. The tower has clasping buttresses and is of five stages, the lowest of which is blind apart from the west three-light west window, clearly of the same date as its partner at the west end of the south aisle, which indicates that the tower was altered to provide a homogenous west front.  The enormous nave west window between these is a large five-light with fine panel tracery, and stained glass by Oliphant.  It is flanked by a pair of niches.  All these windows have ogee labels above two-centred arched heads. The small north doorway in the tower also has a two-centred head, which like the jambs has continuous wave and hollow mouldings, with a moulded label above. The rear arch is segmental. The second stage is blind, while the third stage has quatrefoil openings in the north and west faces.  The fourth stage has a two-light window in all but the south face. The upper stage has twin bell openings with louvres, with a central mullion rising between them into the head of the depressed super-arch. Above this are two friezes of quatrefoil panels framing the upper string-course.  The crenellated parapet is pierced by quatrefoils and has crocketed angle pinnacles, with diagonal gargoyles carved as grotesques. The fact that all the walls have such crenellated parapets, combined with the flat pitch of the roofs and the narrow perspective afforded by the urban location of the church, means that the roofs themselves are hidden from view from below.

The shallow south porch provides a worthy main entrance to the building from the churchyard.  The doorway has numerous engaged shafts with moulded caps and bases supporting a multi-moulded two-centred arch with an ogee head.  This continues up to a crocketed central pinnacle, flanked by smaller angle pinnacles and the crenellated gable; again a frieze of quatrefoil panels runs underneath this.

The aisled nave is low and long, with a narrow clearstorey, which has eight small two-lights (reflecting the eight bays of the contemporary roof structure) with segmental heads under moulded labels.  The four windows of each aisle are large three-lights with panel tracery.  These are divided by slender buttresses of three weatherings.  There is an octagonal rood stair tower at the junction of the south aisle and south chapel, of two stages and again topped with a quatrefoil frieze around the base of the stone spirelet with cross finial.

The chancel is of two bays, one of which protrudes beyond the flanking chapels.  The single windows in the side walls are three-lights of the same size and form as the aisle windows, but with simple tracery.The east window is a five-light in the same style.

Looking up inside the tower itself, engaged angle shafts rise to the moulded springing for intended vaulting, which terminates under the present ringing chamber floor.  The slightly earlier origin of the tower is confirmed by the presence of sockets in the east and south faces relating to a former roof over the earlier aisles and nave of lower pitch, which would have cut across the nave west window.  The fact that the north-east respond of the nave appears to incorporate an earlier pier supports this.

The superb 15th-century roof is one of the finest in eastern England.  The nave roof is particularly impressive, of eight bays and resting directly on cambered tie-beams, which in turn are carried by carved corbels in the form of grotesques. The three-quarter angels appear to launch themselves into space along the intermediate principals.  Each is different, some carrying coats of arms, crowns, or musical instruments. There are also elaborately carved bosses at the intersections of the main members.  The lean-to aisle and chapel roofs are similar, though with plain corbels, the south aisle with demi-angels. The chancel roof is of three bays and again similar in construction, though the angels rise up from the wall posts and are missing their wings.  

The nave arcades rest on compound multi-moulded piers, which have late moulded capitals only on the demi-shafts, from which the arcade arches spring; these are of two orders of wave mouldings. Otherwise the piers have continuous mouldings around the arcade arches, creating an unbroken rhythm which carries the eye down the nave towards the responds and the superb screens demarcating the side chapels, and beyond (the chancel screen was removed in 1856 and now fills the arch between south chapel and chancel) through the high chancel arch towards the curiously small and rather anti-climactic east window, with its stained glass of 1856 by Oliphant.

The walls of the aisles are white-washed, and are covered with monuments of the 17th-19th centuries, many of which are of high quality and considerable importance.  The aisle windows all contain stained glass, with the exception of the windows at both ends. There are remnants of late medieval stained glass in several of these windows, as detailed below. Most of the glass however dates to the 1856 restoration and thereafter, and is variable from good to excellent quality, from the studios of Heaton, Butler & Payne and of Clayton & Bell.

The chancel was much altered in the Victorian restoration and during reordering in the recent past.  As noted above, the chancel screen was removed, first to the opening from the chancel to the north chapel and then, in 1963, to its present position.  The floors were renewed and all the furniture replaced, and a new reredos installed, in its turn (in a reordering in 1972) since removed – now there is a plain dossal curtain.  The 15th-century piscina was retained, however.

The north chapel houses the fine organ, while the south chapel is now home to a library and store. The door to the rood stair can be seen marooned up in the wall adjacent to the opening to the south aisle. The chancel and chapel arches mirror the arcade and tower arches in design, the chapel arches opening onto the chancel have labels with carved grotesque heads as stops.

The church is furnished with a complete set of beautifully carved oak pews, clergy desks and choir stalls by Browning. These are in themselves of high quality and must be considered an integral part of this church.  This is one of the factors which has discouraged any schemes which would involve conversion of the interior for alternative use, although a small number of pews have been removed from the west end.  

The floors are generally of encaustic tiles set in geometric patterns, with several ledger slabs and brasses set into them. There are chequerboard and chevron mosaic patterns.