BOROUGH OF HIGHAM FERRERS 



changed. A partial restoration in 1829 was followed 

 in 1857 by one of more general character, extending 

 over a period of years, during which time the south 

 arcade, porch and south aisle walls were rebuilt and 

 the roofs renewed.*** The rood loft and rood were 

 added to the screen in 1920 and an organ loft erected 

 in the Lady chapel." 



The church, which is justly claimed as one of the 

 finest in the county, is set in very picturesque sur- 

 roundings, forming with the schoolliouse on the west, 

 churchyard cross, and vicar.age and bcdehousc on the 

 south side, an architectural group of more than usual 

 interest. The older walling is of rubble, the later 

 in coursed dressed stone, and all the roofs are of low 

 pitch, leaded, behind battlementcd"- parapets. Inter- 

 nally all the wall surfaces, e.xccpt tiiose of the tower, 

 are plastered. The roofs are modern. 



The chancel has a 14th-century east window of 

 five trefoilcJ lights with reticulated tracery set within 

 13th-century shafted jambs, the greater part of the 

 original masonry remaining in the east wall. The 

 muUions*' and tracery are moulded and the arch has 

 a slight ogee with elaborate canopied niche above 

 breaking the battlemented parapet of the gable. In 

 the south wall are three tall ogee-!ieaded windows of 

 three trefoilcd lights with reticulated tracery, moulded 

 jambs, and labels with headstops, the chancel being 

 divided into three bays by two-stage 14th-century 

 buttresses added when the windows were inserted. 

 The 13th-century priests' doorway has a chamfered 

 trefoiled head beneath a pointed hoodmould, the 

 spandrels filled with a si.x-leaf flower, and moulded 

 rear arch. There is a rounded stringcourse at sill 

 level inside, and in the usual position in the south 

 wall a double piscina consisting of two fluted bowls 

 in plain rectangular recesses, the heads of which are 

 formed by the string. A projecting stone bench 

 6 ft. long, with shaped arms, at the west end takes 

 the place of the more usual individual sedilia, and in 

 the north wall is a plain triangular-headed aumbry. 

 The sanctuary floor, which had been unduly raised 

 in 1880, was lowered to its original level in 1923 :*■' the 

 space immediately east of the altar rail is paved with 

 medieval encaustic tiles of various patterns.'' The 

 western portion of the chancel is occupied by the 

 stalls and its floor is level with that of the nave. Of 

 the two 14th-century arches in the north wall, the 

 wider one at the west end is of two chamfered orders 

 and springs from half-octagonal responds with 

 moulded capitals ; the other, which is only about 

 8 ft. wide, forms the canopy of the tomb already 

 mentioned and is of three elaborately moulded orders 

 and embattled label on attached shafts with moulded 

 capitals and bases. The short length of masonry 

 between the arches is part of the original work and 

 retains the rounded string corresponding with that 

 opposite, but it is pierced by a small doorway to the 



chapel.'* Further east is a second 14th-century 

 doorway opening to the vestry. There is no chancel 

 arch, nor arch between the north aisle and chapel, 

 both roofs being continuous. 



The 13th-century south nave arcade is mostly of 

 dark ironstone, the arches of two chamfered orders 

 with labels on both sides, springing from piers com- 

 posed of four clustered shafts with moulded capitals 

 and bases," and from half-octagonal responds. 

 The 14th-century north arcade is of freestone with 

 ironstone intermingled, and has octagonal piers with 

 moulded capitals and bases : the bases stand on big 

 square plintlis and the capitals difTer only slightly 

 in detail. The loftier outer arcade*' is also of four 

 bays, with octagonal piers" whose capitals exhibit 

 considerable variety of moulding : in that of the 

 westernmost pier the nail-head ornament occurs, but 

 it is probably old work re-used. The arches of both 

 the north arcades are of two chamfered orders. 

 The clearstory over the outer arcades has square- 

 headed windows of two trefoiled lights, four on the 

 north side and five on the south.'" 



The south aisle wall, though rebuilt, retains its 

 13th-century doorway, much restored, with arch of 

 three orders, the innermost moulded, and the others 

 with hollow chamfers stopped above quirked imposts. 

 The jambs below the tv/o outer orders have shafts 

 with foliated capitals and moulded bases, with smaller 

 attached shafts between, the inner jambs being simply 

 rounded. The 15th-century east window of the 

 aisle is of three cinquefoiled lights, with vertical 

 tracery, and the 14th-century easternmost window 

 of the south wall of four trefoiled lights and geo- 

 metrical tracery ; three other windows in this wall are 

 of three lights with ogee heads and reticulated 

 tracery ; but the two-light west window of the aisle 

 appears to be of late 13th-century date, with forked 

 mullion and quatrefoil in the head. The porch has 

 been entirely rebuilt, but retains a restored 13th- 

 century outer doorway of two chamfered orders, the 

 inner on half-round responds with moulded capitals 

 and label terminating in pretty carved stops. The 

 porch has side windows of two lights and battlemented 

 parapets. 



The 15th-century west window of the outer north 

 aisle is of three cinquefoiled lights with four-centred 

 head and vertical tracery ; it is flanked externally by 

 niches, that on the south with cusping and finial, 

 the other with a plain pointed head. The other 

 windows of the aisle are square-headed, of three 

 trefoiled lights, with double chamfered jambs and 

 rounded rear arches. The pointed north doorway 

 has continuous hollow and sunk chamfers divided by 

 a casement. 



The eastern bays of the outer aisles have been 

 restored as chapels, that on the north, known as the 

 Chapel of Remembrance, contains memorials of the 



•° The windows were rc-used and as 

 much of the old masonry as possible. 

 ' At this time all woodwork, other than 

 Gothic, was turned out, most of the old 

 paving was replaced by modern tiles, 

 and the memorial stones placed in the 

 Lady chapel ' : H. K. Fry, Highant 

 Ffrreri Church, 1 1. 



" The organ wat finally transferred to 

 the loft in 192$. 



*' Except to the north aisle, where the 

 parapet is plain. 



*' The mullions have flat, foliated capi- 

 tals. •* Fry, op. cit. 12. 



** Churches of Archd. of Northampt. 1 1 : 

 Bloxam, Coihic Arch, (nth ed.), ii, 230. 



^"^ This doorway forms the only means 

 of access to the clinpcl from the (juirc as 

 the arches arc filled, one by the tomb and 

 the other with the stalls and screen work, 

 Churches of Archd. of Northampt. 13. 



^' The bases of the middle and eastern- 

 most piers are new ; elsewhere all the 

 old stones were re-used. 



^* The height to the underside of the 

 capitals is nearly 8 ft. : in the middle 

 arcade the corresponding height is about 

 6 ft. 6 in. 



*" The diameter of tlie piers is 21 in., 

 those of the middle arcade 22 in. 



^^ The roof in each case is spaced to 

 five bays. 



