A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



in 1865-6 when the galleries were reduced in width,*^ 

 the seating cut down 15 in. in height, and made to 

 face wholly east, the chancel screen removed and the 

 position of the pulpit altered.*^ In 1883 an organ 

 chamber was built on the north side of the chancel,*^ 

 and in 1920 a War Memorial Chapel** was erected on 

 the south side. The tower was restored and refaced 

 in 1928. 



Of the older parts of the fabric something has 

 already been said about the tower, the lower part of 

 which appears to incorporate much 12th century 

 masonry, though no architectural features of that 

 period are now visible. Internally, the tower is 

 12 ft. II in. square on the ground floor, with walls 

 5 ft. 6 in. thick, except on the west side where the 

 thickness is increased by the 17th century facing. 

 There is a vice in the north-west angle. The original 

 openings appear to have been 11 ft. 3 in. wide, and 

 there is some reason to believe that the four lofty semi- 

 circular arches in the upper part of the ringing 

 chamber are ancient.*^ The inserted 15th century 

 arches spring from half-octagonal responds with 

 moulded capitals at a height of about 24 ft. above the 

 floor,** but in their turn ai e filled on three sides by the 

 e.\isting low and narrow 17th century aiches of four 

 orders. The levels of the different floors have been 

 alteied from time to time. The vice projects as a 

 half-octagonal turret to the level of the bell-chamber 

 stage, and has a pointed doorway now giving on to the 

 roof of the transept.*' The bell-chamber has on 

 each side a pointed window of two trefoiled lights 

 with elongated quatrefoil in the head** and low tran- 

 som, the windows being recessed within wide two- 

 centred moulded arches. The top of the tower with 

 its balustraded parapet belongs to the 17th century 

 rebuilding. 



The cr^pt is under the western part of the present 

 chancel and extends about 4 ft. below the nave. It 

 was originally 22 ft. 10 in. square internally, covered 

 with a vault of four quadripartite compartments, with 

 longitudinal and transverse chamfered ribs foiming 

 pointed arches, springing from a central octagonal pier 

 and responds with moulded capitals and bases. The 

 ribs spring at a height of about 6 ft. above the floor, 

 the lotal height of the crypt having been about 14 ft., 

 but the floor is now considerably raised. In the east 

 wall are two small rectangulai windows, now blocked, 

 and the diagonal angle buttresses show that the 



medieval chancel ended here, the 17th century 

 chancel being erected about 16 ft. eastward. The 

 crypt has undergone considerable alteration and has 

 long housed the heating apparatus. Many of its 

 original features are mutilated or destroyed, and its 

 size is reduced to about 18 ft. by ig ft.** 



.4s rebuilt in 1676-80" the church may be said to 

 follow the Greek cross plan used by Wren at St. Mary- 

 at-Hill, the area enclosed being here a rectangle 

 72 ft. 2 in. long by 68 ft. 9 in. in width, the super- 

 structure of which is formed into a cross by tlie 

 grouping of vaulted ceilings round a central dome. 

 Four tall stone columns with enriched Ionic capitals,'* 

 standing on high pedestals, carry a dentilled cornice, 

 above which spring segmental plaster vaults spanning 

 the four arms of the cross, but, instead of intersecting 

 in a groin, they are treated as arches and carry a 

 cupola or dome resting on pendentives. The four 

 compartments at the angles of the building have flat 

 ceilings, which form abutments to the arched roofs, 

 or vaults, covering the arms of the cross. The dome 

 is lighted by a lantern. Above the capitals of the 

 pillars the whole construction is of wood, with 

 elaborate plaster ceilings, the general effect being of 

 much dignity and beauty. 



The chancel measures internally 33 ft. by 24 ft., 

 and was lighted by a large five-light east window and 

 by two windows in the side walls. The east window 

 is now blocked by a classic teredos erected in 1888, 

 occupying the whole of the end wall, the principal 

 feature of which is a large painted panel of the Cruci- 

 fixion'* flanked by coupled Corinthian columns 

 supporting an entablature and lofty semicircular 

 canopy. One of the windows on the north side has 

 been displaced by the organ chamber, and those on 

 the south have been shortened so as to clear the roof 

 of the War Memorial Chapel. The elaborate moulded 

 plaster ceiling of the chancel is contemporary with 

 the rebuilding, but the ornament on the walls dates 

 only from 1888, in which year also the arch to the 

 nave was remodelled, its curve improved, and sup- 

 porting Ionic columns and entablature introduced." 



Externally, the 17th century work is faced with 

 ironstone ashlar, with plinth and cornice, and the 

 windows are all round-headed, with pseudo-Gothic 

 tracery. The north and south arms of the cross and 

 the east end of tlie chancel are slightly advanced 

 and have large five-light windows and curved pedi- 



" They originally extended the full 

 width of the aislei, in line with the pillars : 

 they were »et back 5 ft. 



•" The church wai re-opened in October 

 1S66. There had been much intra-mural 

 burial : before the seats were reconstructed 

 the floors were taken up, the graves 

 arched over or covered with stone 

 slabs, and the whole area within the walls 

 laid with a bed of concrete ; Scrjeantson, 

 op. cit. 252. A small crypt, or bonehousc, 

 under the middle part of the south aisle, 

 was filled up at this lime : ibid. 242. 



•• In the angle formed by the nave 

 and chancel the walls of which were 

 advanced and the windows re-used. The 

 organ was at this time moved from the 

 writ gallery. 



*• Designed by Arthur C. Blomfield and 

 A. J. Driver, .irchitects, London. It is 

 entered from the east end 0/ the south 

 aisle of ihe nave. 



''■' This was the opinion of Mr. Holding. 

 The arches are about 30 ft. to the spring- 

 ing. Portions of late 12th century 

 moulding in the angles of the tower, 

 10 ft. from the ground, were thought by 

 Sir Henry Dryden to be the impost 

 mouldings of low arches. The difficult 

 problem of the tower is discussed 

 at length in Serjeantson, op. cit. 237- 

 240. 



" Ibid. 239. 



"' A small fragmentof weather moulding 

 against the turret indicates the height 

 of the roof of the old north transept : ibid. 

 240. 



" The tracery is modern, but is said to 

 reproduce the old design. 



•• Serjeantson, op. cit. 241, where there 

 is a lengthy description of the crypt by 

 Sir Henry Dryden, from notes taken 

 during the alterations in 1886. The 

 vault is mutilated at the west end tu maki- 



50 



room for the pavement of the cast end of 

 the 17th century nave. The entrance 

 eccms to have been originally from the 

 outside, on the south of the chancel. 



•" It is said to have been designed 

 by Henry G. Jones, architect, of North- 

 ampton. 



' * The capitals bear the emblems of the 

 four Evangelists in the hollows of the 

 abaci. 



" The panel is let into the recess of the 

 window. Two large paintings of Moses 

 and Aaron, together with the Decalogue, 

 Creed, and Lord's Prayer, formerly at the 

 east end of the chancel, were removed to 

 the west gallery when the rcredos was 

 erected. The paintings arc attributed, 

 probably erroneously, to Sir Godfrey 

 Kncller : Scijcantson, op. cit. 264. 



'* It was originally quite plain ; the 

 pilaitert in the nave also dale from this 

 period. 



