Description

SK 89 SE BLYTON CHURCH LANE

9/2 Church of
St. Martin
16.12.64
I

Parish Church. Cll, C13, C14, C15, C16, c.1860, coursed
limestone rubble, rock faced ashlar, slate and lead roofs.
Western tower, nave with clerestorey, north and south aisles,
chancel. Tower of 3 stages separated by string courses, stepped
angled buttresses, battlemented and pinnacled top. C16 3 light
window with panelled tracery and hood mould built in to blocking
of Romanesque west door. The annular base of one shaft survives
on the south side of the blocked opening and the stones of the
jambs can be traced to the sill level of the window. On the
north side of the tower is a C19 light at ground floor level.
Middle stage has a C19 trefoil headed light in the west and 2
small stair lights to the south, a blue painted clock face to
the north. C16 paired lights to belfry stage having trefoil
heads, 4 centred arches and hood moulds. North aisle rebuilt in
C19 in rock faced ashlar with single lancet in the-west and east
walls and 3 paired lancets in the north wall. To north
clerestorey, 3 paired C15 cusped and ogee headed lights united
under flat hood moulds with human head label stops, embattled
parapet. Chancel north wall refaced in C19 beneath the string
course with 2 C19 lancets. East window originally late C13 with
geometric tracery, the lower parts of which survive; the rest is
a C19 restoration. The south side refaced with rock faced
ashlar, and has 2 C19 lancets and a C19 priest's door with hood
mould. A further single light to the west is a 2 light window,
ogee headed and cusped in a deeply chamfered reveal. South
aisle has a large C15 3 light ogee headed and cusped window with
flat double chamfered head in its east and west walls; there are
2 further similar windows in the south wall. The south doorway
is a restored C14 opening with moulded reveals, hood mould and
label stops. Embattled parapet concealing lead roof. The
clerestorey matches that to the north. Inside: early C13 north
and south arcades of 3 bays, both having keeled responds and 3
octagonal pillars, though one on the north side has a keeled
quatrefoil plan. Arches are of 2 chamfered orders with hood
moulds and human head label stops. The Romanesque tower arch has
plain reveals, chamfered imposts which continue out for a short
distance as string courses, and is probably now of a single
order; above is a relieving arch. In the south aisle are an
aumbry and a trefoil headed piscina. The chancel arch is early
C13 with keeled responds, double chamfered arches with hood
moulds having C19 label stops. Above on a ledge in the nave
east wall is a C15 rood beam with embattled top and enriched with
fleurons. The chancel floor level has been substantially raised
in the C19. The lower part of a C13 piscina beneath the eastern
window on the south side, and in the south wall at the west end
the remains of a blocked C13 2 centred arch are cut by a C16
opening. On the north wall is an aumbry. All fittings are C19
apart from the C15 chalice shaped font which has a fluted
octagonal bowl and base. The upper part of the bowl is decorated
with battlements above square panels containing cusped triskeles,
crosses slatire and blank arcades. Monuments; on the south
wall of the chancel, a brass plate to the children of Sir John
Wray of Wharton, d.1613 and 1615, in a square moulded stone
surround.

Listing NGR: SK8532494803

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q40110156

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)