WILLYBROOK HUNDRED 



WOODNEWTON 



chancel arch was inserted at the west end of the 

 chancel in the 15th century, and a clearstory added 

 to the nave. The present west tower is not earlier 

 than the end of the i6th century, and though there 

 must have been an earlier tower, nothing of it is now 

 to be seen. 



In the 1 7th century, after the destruction of the 

 north transept, arcade, and aisle, a north wall to the 

 nave was built on the line of the north arch of 

 the crossing, the arch itself being walled up. 



The chancel has a late 15th-century east window 

 of three cinquefoiled lights. In the north and south 

 walls are widely splayed lancets, two in each wall, and 

 at the level of their sills a keeled string runs round 

 the chancel inside. The lancets have external labels, 

 plain on the north side, but ornamented with dog- 

 tooth on the south, being the side which is seen from 

 the road. There is a round-headed south doonvay 

 towards the west of the chancel, with zigzag on the 

 angles of the head and jambs, and west of it a blocked 

 low side window loi in. wide and 3ft. Sin. high, 

 with a semicircular head, apparently contemporary 

 with the doonvay, and therefore a very early example. 

 At the south-west of the chancel is a double piscina 

 with two drains and trefoiled arches, with a sunk 

 quatrefoil over. In the north wall is a square 

 locker. 



The chancel arch is of late 15th-century date, in 

 a wall only 17 in. thick, inserted between the side 

 walls of the chancel. It is possible that it took the 

 place of an eastern tower arch, if such ever existed, 

 and the addition of a clearstory about the same time 

 points in the same direction, but no decisive evidence 

 remains. 



The blocked arch of the destroyed north transept 

 IS semicircular, of two chamfered orders, with 

 octagonal capitals and square abaci. On the outside 

 of the church at this point are the 14th-century 

 corbels and responds of the east arch of the north 

 arcade, and the arch from the north aisle to the tran- 

 sept. The north wall of the nave has two square- 

 headed mullioned windows of four lights, of the 17 th 

 century. 



The arch to the south transept is semicircular, of 

 two square orders with plain square capitals and 

 hollow-chamfered abaci. In its east respond is a large 

 moulded bracket, and above it a recess made by the 

 bonding to the wall of an image which stood on the 

 bracket. The east and south windows of the tran- 

 sept are of three lights with muUions intersecting 

 in the head, the detail is coarse and badly worked, 

 and they probably date from an 18th-century re- 

 building of the transept. In the south wall of 

 the transept is a trefoiled piscina recess, without 

 a drain, probably reset at the rebuilding. In the 

 west wall of the transept is a pointed arch of two 

 chamfered orders, with a half-round shaft on the 

 south respond, and a cone corbel on the north. The 

 capitals have a line of n.iilhe.id, and the arch dates 

 from the building of the south arcade and aisle, 

 about I 220. 



The south arcade is of three bays and has half- 

 round responds, one of the columns of the arcade 

 being round and the other of four engaged shafts. 

 The capitals have a line of nailhead and on the bell 

 of the capital of the eastern respond are projecting 

 human heads. At the north angle of this respond 

 are traces of what may be the bowl of a piscina. 

 There are three clearstory windows over the arcade, 



2 60 



and two over each of the transept arches, all of late 

 15th-century date, but there are none in the rebuilt 

 north wall of the nave. 



In the south wall of the south aisle are two late 

 13th-century windows of excellent design and detail ; 

 the one east of the south doorway being of three 

 lights with three circles above, under a straight- 

 sided equilateral head. The central main light is 

 uncusped, the side lights having soffit cusps, and the 

 circles have been six-foiled, but the cusping is now 

 for the most part destroyed. The second window, 

 west of the doorway, is of two lights with a single 

 circle in the head, and the arch is of ordinary form. 

 In the west wall is a blocked lancet. 



The south doorway has a round arch of two orders, 

 with dogtooth on the label and angles, and jambs 

 with nailhead capitals. The porch over it is of about 

 the same date, with a fine outer arch with dogtooth 

 on the labels and arch ; but the responds have lost 

 their shafts. 



Over the inner doorway is a trefoiled niche, and 

 the door itself is ancient, but covered with modern 

 woodwork on the outside. Part of an ancient dial 

 exists on the porch. 



The tower opens to the nave with a low semi- 

 circular arch, 5 ft. wide, of three orders. The 

 moulded capitals of the south respond have details 

 which might belong to the latter part of the 1 3th 

 century, but those of the north respond are very 

 rough, and probably the whole arch is built up out 

 of old materials.' It is set much to the south of the 

 centre-line of the tower, which is massive and plain, 

 with embattled parapet and re-used 15th-century 

 angle pinnacles, the belfry windows having two 

 round-headed lights under a flat head. There are 

 small windows in the west wall on the ground and 

 second stages. 



The roofs are of little interest, that of the south 

 aisle having some moulded timbers of the late 

 15 th centurj-, but no other woodwork is older 

 than the 1 7th centur)-, unless it be the rail of 

 the chancel screen. There are some 17th-century 

 pews on the south side of the nave, and the com- 

 munion table and a two-desk revolving lectern are 

 also old. 



The font stands at the west of the first pier of 

 the south arcade ; it has a large octagonal bowl on 

 a moulded base, and no stem, and shows traces of 

 alteration. 



In the south window of the south transept are a 

 few pieces of ancient glass, and over the tower arch 

 is a painting of a shield with a city wall and four 

 towers. 



The church plate consists of a silver cup of 1 7 1 4, 

 two plated patens, two pewter plates, and a brass 

 basin. 



The registers begin in 15S8, the first book con- 

 taining baptisms, marriages, and burials from that date 

 to 1656, 1648, and 1658 respectively. The second 

 records baptisms from 1657 to 1691 and burials from 

 1663 to 1690. There are no marriages in this 

 volume. The third, baptisms and burials from 1 691 

 to 1751 and marriages from 1700 to 1746. The 

 fourth, baptisms and burials from 1738 to 18 1 2 and 

 marriages from 1738 to 1754. The fifth, marriages 

 from 1754 to 1812. 



' It may be made from the materials of a west doorway, 

 dating from a time when no west tower existed, and now set 

 reversed in the wall. 



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