Description

SP 39 NE STOKE GOLDING CHURCH WALKS (North side)

9/104

8.3.63 Church of St. Margaret

GV I

Parish church. An early C13 church was refashioned and enlarged
between Circa 1290 and Circa 1340. Dressed freestone blocks and lead
covered roofs of low pitch. West tower, 4-bay nave with south aisle
and 2-bay chancel with south chapel of the same build as the nave
aisle. West tower: Early C14, 3 stages marked by offsets, angle
buttresses die into the third stage; there is a fretted frieze beneath
a hollow moulded parapet string containing sculptured heads, and
immediately above this, at each corner and in the centre of each face
is a small gargoyle, and above these an openwork parapet of
quatrefoils. Recessed octagonal spire with roll-moulded angles and 3
tiers of lucarnes, each a simple quatrefoil opening (c.f. Church of All
Saints, Ratcliffe Culey, Witherley C.P.; Church of St. Michael, Fenny
Drayton, Witherley C.P.). Pointed west window of 2 trefoil-headed
lights and Y-tracery with trefoil cusping in the spandrel; roll moulded
surround and ogee-moulded hood. Immediately below the window is a
blocking. 2-light belfry windows with trefoiled ogee-headed lights and
a single reticulation above. The south side of the church was added
Circa 1290-1310 and has 6 pointed 3-light windows alternating between
(from the left) Geometrical tracery of three circles containing
quatrefoils, and cusped intersecting tracery. The easternmost window
has, in contrast to the others, ogee-headed lights with quatrefoils
above. All have concave quoter-round moulded surrounds and a
continuous roll and fillet-moulded hood. There are buttresses at the
bay divisions, and these were formerly surmounted by richly carved
pinnacles, the stumps of which survive, being linked by an openwork
parapet like that of the west tower. The pointed south door is on the
right hand side of the west bay; it has 2 roll and fillet-moulded
orders with foliated capitals, now heavily weathered, and a roll and
fillet-moulded hood with mutilated stops. The north side was
remodelled Circa 1320-40, and work appears to have begun at the west
end. Of the five windows which pierce this front, the first (from the
west) have lights and cusped intersecting tracery; the next 3 have
cusped flowing tracery and are framed by 2 orders of convex
quater-round mouldings. The 2 nave windows have ogee-moulded hoods
terminating in carved heads whereas the 2 chancel windows have returned
concave quoter-round hood moulds. To the west of the central nave
window is a blocked pointed doorway with 2 orders of wave mouldings and
similar hood-mould to its flanking windows. There are buttresses at
the bay divisions and unlike the nave, the chancel has a moulded
plinth; the whole of this side is provided with an ogee-moulded parapet
string and low parapet with moulded coping. At the east end is an
ambitious late C13 chancel window of 5 cinquefoil-headed lights with
elaborate cusped Geometrical tracery, roll and fillet-moulded mullions,
2 keel-moulded outer orders and a keel-moulded hood terminating in
heads. A hollow chamfered gable coping contains carved fleurons and
the apex is surmounted by a cross.
The east end of the chancel is flanked by angle buttresses with
panelled and crccketed pinnacles. To the left hand side is the east
window of the south aisle; this too has 5 lights, the central one being
shorter than the others; the outer lights have trefoils over and the
inner light a circle containing a trefoil; concave quarter-round
moulded surround and roll and fillet-moulded hood. Drainage spout to
the left with a carved face. Interior: No structural division between
nave and chancel. 4-bay nave arcade of Circa 1290; the piers have
filleted multiple shafting and richly carved capitals with naturalistic
foliage, oak leaves being much in evidence; 2 capitals incorporate
heads including a knight and ladies wearing wimples. Roll and
fillet-moulded pointed arches and hoods, the latter having sculptured
heads or balls of foliage in the spandrels. C15/C16 nave and aisle
roofs; cambered and brattishedtie beams surmounted by short stubby
king-posts supported on brackets which spring from wooden corbels; a
roll moulding extends along the soffits of the brackets and tie beams
being interrupted in the centre of each beam by a carved boss. The
bosses of the aisle are of better quality than those of the nave. C19
arch-braced collar roof over chancel. Fixtures and fittings: Octagonal
font of Circa 1340-50 on shafted base; panels around the sides of the
basin depict window tracery, which dates the piece, and standing
figures including St. Margaret, the donor, St. Katherine and a bishop.
In the south wall of the aisle is a small recess with pointed arch and
trefoil cusping, perhaps for an image. Next to it is a segmental
pointed arch tomb recess with hood-mould and concave quarter-round
moulded surround. The sills of the windows in the south aisle are
linked by a continuous string. The east end of the aisle is now used
as a vestry but a piscina in the south wall with a tall triangular head
and crocketed hood suggests that it was a chapel originally. On the
left hand side of the south aisle east window is a corbel carved as a
man's head, surmounted by a short column; disturbance of the masonry on
the right hand side of the window suggests that this was one of a pair;
they were probably image brackets or light stands. C19 screen of
Perpendicular character between nave and chancel. In the north wall of
the vestry is the external face of a lancet window, an indication that
the core of a C13 church survives. Monuments: Late C13 incised sword,
possibly commemorating Sir R. de Champaigne. Tablet to Henry
Firebrace, died 1690; drapery around the side and palm leaves on top
beneath a cornice, the whole surmounted by a pedestal with fishscale
decoration from the top of which leaps a flame. B.O.E. pp. 395-6.

Listing NGR: SP3977697265

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17525522

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

• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)