A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



the thickness of the wall above them, while that of the 

 intermediate pillars, which are banded at rather more 

 than half their height, is something less. In the orna- 

 mentation of the bands the cable moulding pre- 

 dominates, and it occurs also in great variety in the 

 necks of the capitals throughout. The moulded bases 

 stand on square plinths and some of them have acutely 

 pointed foot ornaments. The whole of the capitals 

 and their square abaci in both nave and chancel 

 are most elaborately sculptured, the deep, intricate 

 chiselling on the former contrasting strongly with the 



St. Peter's Church, Northampton : Capital 



comparatively rough axe work on the arches.** Tlie 

 capitals are all different, and their beautiful and 

 delicate sculpture, which includes interlacing foliage 

 and some animal and figure subjects, is of its kind 

 unsurpassed in the kingdom.** 



In the chancel the two pairs of pillars diflfer in 

 size and design ; the eastern pair is similar to those 

 in the nave, wliile the western pillars are of greater 

 diameter, without bands, and built of ironstone. 

 The eastern responds correspond with the western 

 pillars, the idea of alternation being thus in some 

 measure carried out.** Elsewhere in the interior 

 free-stone is used. 



The modern east end of the chancel is in the style 

 of the 1 2th century, with round-headed windows 

 disposed in a somewh.it unusual manner.** No 

 ancient ritual arrangements remain either in the 

 chancel or aisles, having no doubt perished at the 

 time of the destruction of the original east end. 



The clearstory consists externally of a shallow 

 arcading of semicircular unmoulded arches on 

 detached shafts with scalloped capitals and moulded 

 bases running the whole length of chancel and nave. 

 Every se\enth space is pierced for a window, and 

 above the arcades is a contemporary corbel table 

 of heads and grotesques. Internally the windows 

 are perfectly plain and widely splayed, but do not 

 correspond with the arches below, the clearstory 

 having been designed with a single mndow immedi- 

 ately over the pillars in the eastern and western 

 double bays of the nave, and with two windows in the 

 middle double bay. Of the two western windows, 

 one was pushed out of shape and the other actually 

 cut in halves when the tower was re-erected further 

 east. 



The east end of both aisles was rebuilt at the same 

 time as the chancel, but the outer walls elsewhere 

 appear to be of the 14th century. In the north wall 

 a re-used 12th century stringcourse is continued round 

 the westernmost buttress, and the original round- 

 headed doorway is of two square orders and plain 

 hoodmould, the outer order resting on mutilated 

 scalloped capitals.** The contemporary south doorway 

 is also of two plain orders, the outer on shafts with 

 divided capitals and moulded bases. One 14th century 

 square-headed window of two trefoiled lights remains 

 on the north side, and in the south aisle, near the east 

 end of the nave portion, is a moulded segmental 

 tomb recess of the same period, the arch supported 

 by small attached shafts with capitals and bases. 

 The 15th century window in the north aisle is of three 

 cinquefoiled lights with Perpendicular tracery, 

 but all the other windows are late, square-headed, 

 and of three unfoliated lights. 



The tower is of three unequal and irregular stages, 

 and offers many evidences of reconstruction. The 

 lowest stage, which has a boldly moulded plinth,** 

 is faced with alternate courses of ironstone and free- 

 stone forming broad bands of contrasting colour, 

 and inserted in the west wall is a remarkable and beau- 

 tiful arch of three delicately carved orders all flush 

 with the wall plane, with hoodmould and imposts 

 similarly carved, but no jambs. Set within this arch, 

 above the plinth, is a much restored square-headed 

 window of three trefoiled lights, but there can be little 

 doubt that the arch belonged originally to a 1 2th cen- 

 tury west doorway of three or more** recessed orders 

 the jambs of which were removed when the tower 

 was rebuilt. On the nortli and south sides of the lowest 



•" Serjcantion, op. clt. 42. The capitah 

 were probably carved after the completion 

 of the building. 



■* The capitali were for long covered 

 by pbiter and whitcw.iih, but about 1839 

 were carefully icraped by Miti Baker and 

 their original beauty revealed : Serjeant- 

 ion, op. cit. 66. 



•■ Ibid. 47. 



" In the eait wall tlicre are nine 

 opening!, two in the lowc»t *tagc, four 

 in a quintuple arcading of the middle 

 itage (the centre arch being left blinds, 



and three in the gable — a centr.il round- 

 headed light like the otheri, and on each 

 »ide of it a imall qu.itrefoiled circle : 

 ibid. 47. A lemicircut.'ir central but- 

 tre»», which survived the i7th century 

 alterations and hai been retained, wai 

 apparently the determining factor in 

 Scott'i design : ibid. 60. 



*• The jimbihaftt were originally 

 cylindric.il .ind dct.-iched ; ibid. 51. 



" Sir Gilbert Scott in hit report referred 

 to ' the extremely un-Nornnn appcirancc 



42 



of tlic basccourse round the tower ' : 

 ibid. 261. 



*• Sir Gilbert Scott made incisions in 

 the west wall and found that there had 

 existed one or more additional orders, 

 but that they had been taken out; there 

 were, however, no traces of jambs : 

 Serjcantson, op. cit. 59,261. *A capital 

 which was duj; up on relaying the floor 

 may have bt-lcmped to a jambibpft of this 

 doorway, which in its original state must 

 have been one of exceptional splendour ' : 

 ibid. 59. 



