HIGHAM FERRERS HUNDRED 



IRCHESTER 



head and moulded jambs, now blocked: the upper 

 story of the vestry appears to have been approached by 

 a doorway in the east wall of the chapel. Between the 

 blocked doorway and the north-east angle of the chancel 

 is a curious 1 3th-century niche beneath a straight-sided 

 pediment enclosing a quatrefoil, with the remains of 

 a bowl or ledge at floor-level. The present floor of the 

 chancel, however, has been raised some 2 ft., and is 

 now level with that of the nave, which probably fol- 

 lowed the natural ascent of the ground from east to 

 west. At the back of the niche is a hole in the wall, 

 which suggests that it may have been used for baking 

 altar-breads and was provided with a flue.' The 

 chancel screen, erected in 1932, embodies some 

 traceried portions of a i jth-century screen, long pre- 

 served in the north chapel. 



The arcades of the nave, with arches of two hollow 

 chamfered orders on octagonal piers with moulded 

 capitals and bases, were built in the 13th century, but 

 as already noted, the western responds and other traces 

 of earlier arcades remain. The capital of the north-east 

 respond has a band of nail-head ornament, but the 

 arcade is not early in the century and the bases are 

 without hollow mouldings. The arch between the nave 

 and chancel, with three hollow chamfered orders on 

 shafted responds, is of the same date: a settlement on 

 the south side has caused the jamb to lean outward. 

 The eastern half of the adjoining arch of the south 

 arcade appears to have been rebuilt in the I 5th century, 

 the junction of the new with the old work being very 

 noticeable. On each side of the chancel arch is a door- 

 way from which stairs led to a rather low rood-loft, and 

 above the arch are the remains of a 15th-century 

 painted Doom.^ 



The north chapel, now occupied by the organ, covers 

 the chancel for about 18 ft. Evidence of its having been 

 widened exist at the east end, where the coupled 1 3th- 

 century angle buttresses were removed and rebuilt in 

 their present position^ probably as part of the 14th- 

 century alterations in the north aisle, to which period 

 the square-headed windows belong. They are similar 

 to those of the aisle, of three plain trefoiled lights, with 

 wave-moulded jambs, except that at the east end which 

 is of four lights and placed high in the wall so as to 

 clear the vestry roof. In the north wall of the chapel 

 is a fine late-i3th-century tomb recess, with richly 

 moulded arch springing from short shafts. 



The early-l3th-century north doorway is of two 

 moulded orders, the outer on shafts with moulded capi- 

 tals and bases, in the former of which the nail-head 

 occurs. Over it and on the face of the diagonal north- 

 west buttress are the arms of Lovel, some member of 

 which family in all probability rebuilt the aisle. 



The south aisle with its doorway is of the late 13th 

 century and retains its original angle buttresses and a 

 two-light window with forked raullion in the west wall. 

 The other windows are early-i jth-century insertions, 

 two square-headed and of three trefoiled lights in the 

 south wall cast of the porch, and a pointed window of 

 four lights at the east end. Between the two south 



windows is a massive buttress probably added when the 

 new roof and parapets were erected. The doorway is 

 of two moulded orders, the outer on shafts with 

 moulded capitals and bases. In the usual position in 

 the south wall is a trefoil-headed piscina, and in the 

 west wall, north of the window, two rectangular aum- 

 bries, one above the other. The line of the original 

 lean-to roof of the aisle is preserved at the west end 

 below the later low-pitched gable. 



The porch appears to have been heightened in the 

 1 5th century and finished with a battlementcd parapet: 

 it has transomed windows of two trefoiled lights in the 

 side walls. 



The roof of the nave is of six bays and there are four 

 square-headed clerestory windows on each side, with 

 a fifth at the east end on the south, added in 1 500^ in 

 order to light the rood-loft. 



The tall and slender tower with broach spire is of 

 the late t)'pe found at Brampton Ash, Stanion, and 

 other places in the north of the county, and was built 

 from the ground probably c. 1 380-1400. The tower 

 is of four stages with moulded plinth and coupled but- 

 tresses to the height of the bell<hamber stage set back 

 from the angles. It is faced throughout with alternate 

 courses of ironstone and freestone, and has conspicuous 

 put-log holes in the nvo lower stages. The west door- 

 way has good plain continuous mouldings and the win- 

 dow above it is of two cinquefoiled lights with a quatre- 

 foil in the head. The double bell-chamber windows 

 are of the same type: below them the north side is 

 blank, but in the middle stage facing south is a small 

 square-headed ogee loop. The vice is in the south-west 

 angle. The spire rises from a corbel table of heads 

 and flowers connected by tendrils, and has very low 

 broaches:^ the angles are ribbed and there are three sets 

 of openings on the cardinal faces, the two lower of two 

 trefoiled lights and quatrefoil above. The height of the 

 tower above the floor of the nave* is 62 ft. 6 in., and 

 of the spire 92 ft. 6 in.'' The tower arch is of three 

 chamfered orders, the two outer continuous, the inner 

 springing from half-octagonal responds with moulded 

 capitals. 



The 13th-century font has a roughly-carved octa- 

 gonal bowl on four detached octagonal shafts.' The 

 oak stem pulpit is of early-iyth-century date,' with six 

 carved panels on its seven sides. In the wall of the 

 north aisle is a blocked doorway which apparently 

 communicated with the gallery of the screen between 

 the aisle and chapel. 



The eastern bay of the south aisle which is screened 

 by plain woodwork of early Tudor character, with 

 linen-pattern lower panels, is now again used as a 

 chapel, and contains the 17th-century communion 

 table formerly in the chancel. A fair amount of 15th- 

 century seating remains in the church. Ot later furni- 

 ture there is an interesting balustered receptacle for 

 bread, with hinged door and lock, at the west end of the 

 south aisle, made for the safe-keeping of the dole founded 

 by Thomas Jenison (d. t68i), whose monument, with 

 a long inscription, is on the north side of the chancel. 



■ Itt use for the Enter tepulcbre has 

 also been suggested. 



* Discovered during the restoration of 

 1889. Records exist of two other wall 

 paintings, one over the north doorway. 



' The plinths are of the later period. 



* Under the termi of the will of John 

 Jcffery. 



' 'Its great height and the very small 



size of the squinches under the tower arc of 

 the most elegant of its class' : E. H. Free- 

 man in Cht. Archd. N'ton^ 192. 



' There are five steps down from the 

 churchyard to the door of the tower, and 

 three from the tower to the nave. 



' Total height to top of vane 159 ft. In 

 1930 the upper part (jo ft.) of the spire 



was rebuilt. The vane, which it pierced 

 in the form of a St. Catherine's wheel, if 

 apparently medieval. 



* It is figured in Paley'a Bapiismal 

 Fault (1844). The carving on sii of the 

 tides is within trefoiled arches. 



• It probably look the place of a pulpit 

 which in 1611 was in bad condition. 



a5 



