POLEBROOK HUNDRED 



POLEBROOK. 



There are no windows in the wall of the north 

 aisle, which is of one build with the adjoining wall 

 of the transept. Towards the east end there is a plain 

 pointed doorway witli plain hood. This is covered by 

 a large porch with a fine outer archway of two orders 

 with shafted jambs. The arch is elaborately moulded 

 with deep hollows between the rolls, the shafts have 

 capitals with conventional foliage, dog-tooth is freely 

 used, and grotesque figure-sculpture is introduced 

 into the ornament. At the north-west corner of the 

 aisle is a diagonal buttress, and the west window 

 is of two lights, inserted about 1300. 



There is a 13th-century buttress at the junction 

 of the aisle with the west wall of the nave, which is 

 of the same build. There is no west doorway, and the 

 four-light west window has been much modernised, 

 themullionsand tracery being new. The gable has been 

 rebuilt. As already noted, the west wall is continued 

 southward, with a slight thickening, as the base of the 

 tower, the point of departure being concealed by a 

 buttress set diagonally. This, with the corresponding 

 buttresses at the south-west and south-east angles 

 of the tower, are apparently part of the original 

 design, and if so, are a very early and unusual example 

 of the use of this plan of buttress. The tower has a 

 round-headed west window with a wide internal splay, 

 and a small blocked window in the south wall. In 

 each face of the belfry stage is a two-light window 

 with mid-shaft and double-shafted jambs, and the 

 whole is finished with a broach-spire. The spire has 

 plain angles and three sets of spire lights. 



The short length of aisle wall between the tower 

 and south chapel is almost covered by an early 

 13th-century porch, which has a plain doorway 

 with clustered jamb-shafts, much weathered, and a 

 deep hood-mould with a fleur-de-lys at the apex. 

 On the gable of the porch is a curious coped stone. 

 The doorway inside the porch is round-headed with 

 a roll-moulding, and is probably the south doorway 

 of the earlier church rebuilt in this position. 



The south chapel was built in the 14th century, 

 and is narrower and much shorter than the north 

 chapel. There is a three-light window in the south 

 wall with modern tracery," and a square-headed 

 window of two lights in the east wall. North of this 

 the junction with the 13th-century east wall of the 

 south aisle is clear, but the string-course which is 

 carried round the chapel is continuous with the earlier 

 work, and has evidently been re-used. There is a 

 lancet in the east wall of the aisle. 



Internally, the irregularity of design is very notice- 

 able, owing to the want of correspondence between 

 the spacing of the north and south arcades. This is 

 due to the unusual position of the tower, and to the 

 fact that the two bays of the north arcade are west 

 of the piece of wall which marks the north-west angle 

 of the earlier tower between nave and chancel, while 

 on the south the corresponding piece of wall was 

 removed, and the arcade of two bays carried to the 

 east end of the nave. The north arcade, the arch 

 opening from the old tower-space into the north 

 chapel, and the chancel arch are all of one date, about 



1180-90. The arches are round-headed, with two 

 chamfers and end-stops. The responds of tlic chancel 

 and chapel arches and that at the west end of the 

 arcade have capitals of cruciform pattern with broad 

 waterleaf ornament, the tips of the leaves finishing of? 

 in crockets. The east respond and the pier of the 

 arcade have handsome voluted capitals with foliated 

 angle-crockets. The pier and responds are circular 

 and slender in diameter. The bases of the pier and 

 the chancel responds have claw-corners, left plain. 

 Some of the foliage of the capitals has been left 

 uncarved. 



On the south side of the nave the tower, occupying 

 the western part of the south aisle, was built before 

 the rest of the aisle and was probably begun shortly 

 after the first additions upon the north side. It 

 opens into the nave by an arch with three chamfered 

 orders and half round responds with moulded capitals 

 and bases. A similar low arch communicates in the 

 east wall with the south aisle; above this arch is the 

 line of a former steep pitched aisle roof. As already 

 noted, there is a splayed window with a round-headed 

 arch in the west wall. 



The arcade between the nave and the south aisle is 

 of the early part of the 13th century. There are two 

 lofty round-headed arches,*" of two chamfered orders 

 and the capitals of the responds and dividing pier 

 are carved with a variety of foliage, that of the pier 

 having very thick stalks, while the foliage of the west 

 respond is arranged in wind-blown fashion. The 

 bases of the piers have thin and rather shallow 

 water-moulds. 



The north chapel is entirely of the 13th century, 

 the earlier chapel having probably been much shorter. 

 Belowthe windows in the east wall runs a roll-and-fiUet 

 string-course, which is lifted below the northernmost 

 window to give room for the retable of an altar, but 

 has been broken and badly rejoined at the south end 

 of the heightened piece. It is continued along the 

 north wall, near the east end of which it is again lifted 

 for a large rectangular aumbry with rebated edge. 

 West of this in the north wall are three elaborately 

 moulded pointed arches, set on a bench-table, and 

 springing from slender single shafts.*' The heads 

 of the stones which join the capitals to the wall at the 

 back are carved at the ends with dog-tooth pattern, 

 and at the joining of the inner mouldings there are 

 fine sculptured bosses. The bosses at the ends of 

 the hood-moulds are carved with (west) a mitred 

 head, (centre) an elaborate floriated cross, beneath 

 which is a somewhat similar cross, and (cast) conven- 

 tional foliage. Against the west wall of the chapel is 

 a similar arcade of six arches upon a lower bench-table. 

 The two rows of arches seem to have been built 

 independently of one another and then roughly 

 joined. The heads at the ends of the hoods in the 

 western row have gone for the most part, but one 

 remains with stiffly carved hair. At the intersection 

 of the arches is trefoiled foliage of various patterns. 

 The arch between the chapel and the north aisle 

 springs on the north side from a corbel with three 

 detached shafts. 



'• The original window had jutcrKCting 

 miillions. Mary Montagu in 1524 di- 

 rected that her body should be buried in 

 the aisle before Our Lady of Pity which 



it on the south side of the church. (Pro- 

 bate of Xorthampton, B. 169.) 



" The height to the springing of the 

 arches is 13 ft. 6 in., on the north side it 

 is 9 ft. 9 in. 



107 



" The shafts are restorations. Bridges, 

 early in the 18th century, says the arches 

 were ' supported formerly by small 

 columns, which are now taten away.' 

 Hitl. of Northanti. ii, 416. 



