St Mary's Church, Garthorpe

St Mary's Church, Garthorpe
St Mary's Church, Garthorpe, from the south
St Mary's Church, Garthorpe Location in Leicestershire
Coordinates: 52°46′47″N 0°46′07″W / 52.7796°N 0.7686°W / 52.7796; -0.7686
OS grid reference	SK 831 209
Location	Garthorpe, Leicestershire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	1 January 1968
Architect(s)	J. Day (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Groundbreaking	Early 13th century
Completed	15th century
Specifications
Materials	Body ironstone, Tower limestone, Roofs lead

'St Mary's Church, is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Garthorpe, Leicestershire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building,^[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.^[2] The church was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 1 November 1999.^[3]

History

The oldest fabric in the church is in the two arcades which date from the early 13th century. Alterations were made to the aisles and chancel in the 14th century, and in the following century the tower and the clerestory were added. Restoration of the church was carried out by J. Day of Leicester in 1895–96. In recent years it has been noted that the north wall of the north aisle is leaning outwards and that cracks are present in that wall and elsewhere in the church. These are being monitored, and in 2009 it was decided to underpin the wall of the north aisle.^[4]

Architecture

Exterior

The body of the church is constructed in ironstone while the tower is in limestone.^[2] The roofs are covered in lead. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttresses. In the lowest stage is a double lancet window on the west side, the middle stage has two quatrefoil windows on the south, and in the top stage are double lancet bell openings with ogee heads on each side. Around the top of the tower is a frieze decorated with lozenges, four gargoyles, a crenellated parapet, and four pinnacles. The clerestory is in three bays, and on its eastern gable is a cross. On its north face is one double lancet window, and on the south side there are three similar windows. The north aisle is in two unequal-sized bays. In its west wall is a double lancet window, on the north side is a double lancet window with Decorated tracery, and in the east wall is another lancet with similar tracery. The chancel is in two bays, and has a cross on its east gable. The east window is a triple lancet. On the south side is a priest's door and a triple lancet window. The south aisle is in three bays. In its east and west walls are triple lancet windows, and there is a double lancet on the south side. The south porch contains stone benches and has a gable with a cross.^[1]

Interior

The north arcade is in Norman style,^[2] while the rest of the church is Gothic, the tower being Perpendicular.^[5] Both arcades have three bays and round arches. The piers of the north arcade are octagonal, while those of the south arcade are circular. Windows in the north aisle contain roundels of 14th-century stained glass. At the east end of the south aisle is a 13th-century piscina and an aumbry. In the north wall of the chancel is a tomb recess over which is an aumbry under a crocketted ogee-headed canopy. The south wall contains another 13th-century piscina, and a seat in a window recess. The east window contains 19th-century stained glass. The Perpendicular style reredos, the stalls and desks all date from the 19th century, while the round font is from the 17th century. The oak pulpit and an octagonal font were made by Rev W. Thorold in 1899. Also in the church are 19th-century donation and Commandments boards, the Royal coat of arms of George III, and memorials.^[1] There is a ring of three bells. The oldest was cast in about 1580 by Thomas II Newcombe, and the others were made by Henry II Oldfield, one in 1600, the other in 1608.^[6]

External features

In the churchyard is a limestone sundial whose fabric dates from the 15th century. It was remodelled from a pinnacle in the later part of the 19th century, and is designated as a Grade II listed building.^[7]

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Leicestershire
• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands

References

External links

• Photographs from Leicester & Rutland churches