REIGATE HUNDRED 



REIGATE 



octagonal. In the capitals the sections of the abaci 

 and the character of the foliage are of the same early 

 type, but not so experimental in design as on the 

 south side. No other work of this interesting early 

 period remains in the church, except a voussoir of one 

 of the entrance doors with quirked hollow and bold 

 bowtell mouldings, now preserved in the chamber 

 over the vestry. The original aisles were compara- 

 tively narrow, and the outer walls of the north aisle, 

 with a lean-to form of roof, probably stand on the old 

 foundations ; but the south has been rebuilt on a 

 much higher and wider plan, with a span roof of low 

 pitch. The west window of the north aisle is an 

 insertion of about 1280, as is evidenced by its internal 

 hood-moulding and corbel heads. 



Work of the succeeding period (c. 1 3 20) is found 

 in the north and south chapels, which are earlier 

 than the main chancel and the arcades which divide 

 them from it, and must therefore have been coexis- 

 tent with the early transepts, central tower, and 

 chancel. In the north chapel is the only window 

 in the church retaining its original net tracery, of 

 about 1330, in the soft Reigate stone. It is of two 

 lights, wide and lofty, the central ogee-shaped figure 

 of the head being octo-foiled and the ogee heads of 

 the lights having similar foliations. The tracery of 

 the two two-light windows in the opposite south 

 chapel wall, with ogee heads and an ogee quatrefoil 

 over, is modern, but apparently a restoration, although 

 the mouldings and their stops inside are old, and the 

 character of the work suggests a slightly earlier date, 

 c. i 320, which is borne out by that of the niche, or 

 sedile, and piscina in its south wall. Both side 

 chapels probably had sculptured stone reredoses, and 

 remains of that in the north chapel, together with 

 niches right and left of the window and beautiful 

 fragments now in the room over the vestry, date from 

 this period. The buttress at the end of the south wall 

 of the south chapel is an old one restored, but that 

 on the east face is modern ; and the east window of 

 this chapel, which in Cracklow's view is shown as 

 with wooden bars in place of tracery, is now fitted 

 with tracery of early 14th-century character. 



Late in the 1 4th century and at subsequent dates in 

 the 1 5th century, extensive alterations and extensions 

 took place. The central tower was removed, the 

 present fine and lofty western one taking its place, the 

 south aisle re-built on an enlarged scale, with a new 

 porch, and the north transformed by the insertion of 

 five two-light windows ; the chancel was extended 

 eastwards or perhaps only rebuilt, and the arches 

 from it opening into the side chapels were made to 

 take the place of earlier arches. At about the same 

 date the extension of the nave and aisles eastward, 

 which as above mentioned involved the destruction of 

 the early central tower and transepts, was carried out, 

 and this probably caused the chancel to be pushed 

 out a bay further to the east. It also necessitated the 

 building of the present lofty chancel arch and of new 

 arches opening from the nave aisles to the north and 

 south chancels. A striking feature is the series of three 

 steps stretching across the church from wall to wall at 

 the entrance to the chancel and chapels. The south 

 wall of the south aisle contains four handsome three- 

 light windows with arched heads and super-tracery, re- 

 newed in Bath stone, and there is another in the west 

 wall. The buttresses are also of this period, with one 



exception, which is modern. This south wall was 

 heightened early in the igth century. The second 

 bay from the west is occupied by a small but well- 

 proportioned porch which has an outer doorway, with 

 pointed arch, beneath a square label, with traceried 

 spandrels, above which is an image niche. 



The north wall of the north aisle is lower, and the 

 windows, of two lights with segmental heads, are 

 plainer than those in the opposite wall. All these 

 works, which externally at least entirely changed the 

 appearance of the church, were probably spread over 

 the period c. 1 380 to c. 1480, but the bulk appears to 

 have been done before the end of the I4th century, 

 the extension of the chancel showing many points of 

 resemblance to the contemporary work in Arundel 

 parish church and the Fitzalan chancel, especially in 

 the handsome range of sedilia and piscina, with their 

 ogee-crocketed canopies, pinnacles, and miniature 

 vaulting. These are elaborately coloured and gilt, in 

 attempted reproduction of the original decoration. 

 Adjoining, on the east wall, is a beautiful stone reredos, 

 brought to light in 1845, previously to which it had 

 been concealed by a later altar-piece and a coating of 

 plaster. It is about 8 ft. in height and is in two 

 stages, the lower plain stone panelling consisting of a 

 series of shallow-arched compartments, with a blank 

 space in the centre for the altar ; and the upper of 

 ogee-crocketed niches, with finials and slender pin- 

 nacles, six narrow ones on either side of a wide central 

 niche, with pedestals in their sills, no doubt originally 

 containing images of the twelve apostles, now repre- 

 sented by modern figures painted on the backs of the 

 niches, and our Lord, or the Blessed Virgin and 

 Child, in the centre. Above is an enriched cornice, 

 with carved paterae and a cresting of the Tudor flower 

 ornament. This reredos is flanked by large and 

 lofty canopied niches, originally containing figures of 

 the patron and another saint ; and over them, right 

 and left of the east window, are others which also had 

 images. The whole of this stone tabernacle work, 

 which was most elaborately decorated in gold, silver, 

 and colours, was somewhat harshly restored in 1846, 

 and the original colouring scraped off, while at the 

 same time the great east window, of six handsome 

 lights under a pointed head of 15th-century date, was 

 replaced by one of five lights in an incongruous late- 

 1 3th-century design, the east windows of the north 

 and south chancels being similarly treated. 121 The 

 result is most unhappy and historically misleading. 

 The north and south windows of the sacrarium, of 

 three transomed lights and dating from about 1400, 

 were fortunately spared and give some idea of the 

 character of the destroyed work. The piers of the 

 quire arches and of those between the nave and aisles 

 and the chancels are of the quatrefoil plan, with 

 hollow mouldings between the shafts, commonly met 

 with in the work of this period, the arches being 

 moulded with the double ogee bands and deep hollows 

 and having grotesque heads of monkeys and other 

 animals as terminations to the hood-mouldings. Be- 

 sides the three steps at the entrance to the chancel 

 there is another in the middle of the quire, and a fifth 

 at the sacrarium, while the altar is elevated on a pace, 

 and these appear to be the ancient levels. 



The tall, handsome western tower, perhaps the best 

 of its period in Surrey, was built before the end of the 

 1 4th century. It has lost interest through having 



m The Internal jambs and arch of the great east window, however, appear to be those of the former opening. 



3 241 31 



