Church of St Giles (Church of England), Wyddial, Hertfordshire

Description

TL 3731 WYDDIAL WYDDIAL
(North side)

10/150 Church of St. Giles
22.2.67 (C of E)

GV I

Parish church. Nave C14, W tower early C15, chancel C15, N aisle and N
chapel 1532 for George Canon. Nave restored and chancel and S porch
rebuilt 1859 by Baillie & Co.. Flint rubble with stone dressings,
remains of external plaster on tower butting up to quoins, thin red
brick to arcade and external walls of N aisle and N chapel, and steep
old red tile roofs. Lead spire with vane on tower. A Perp Church of
3-bay nave, 2-bay square ended chancel, unbuttressed 3-stage
battlemented W tower, S porch, and a fine brick N aisle and N chancel
chapel dedicated to St. George and dated by a recorded brass to 1532.
C19 Chancel has 3-light E window with cinquefoil in head, 2 paired
lancet windows on S, and arch-braced open timber roof with wallposts and
corbels. C15 tall chancel arch of 2 moulded orders, the inner only on
engaged shafts with moulded caps and bases. Large 2-centred brick arch
opening into N chapel of 2 double hollow-chamfered orders with octagonal
responds and chamfered capitals closed by an elaborate early C17 carved
and pierced oak panelled screen with arched double door, arcaded top and
grotesque figures interrupting a dentilled entablature with swelled
frieze. The nave has C19 open timber roof, S wall features, and panelled
pulpit and pews. Grouped lancet windows, one to light pulpit at E,
single window to E of porch and similar window at W of 2-centred arched
S door. 3½ bays arch-braced moulded roof with 2 purlins, wind-bracing,
and moulded king-posts set on collars with axial bracing to ridgepiece.
Moulded wallplate with collar pieces. Arch braces spring from stone
corbels. 3 bay C16 N arcade of brick, probably originally plastered but
now colour-washed red and tuck pointed with narrow black joints. Wide
2-centred arches of 3 chamfered orders, the middle chamfer hollow, on
brick piers with semi-octagonal shafts on cardinal faces and hollow
chamfered shafts on the diagonals. S side of tall C17 panelled box pews
in N aisle block the middle and E arches of arcade. Tall C15 tower arch
of 2 orders, only the inner carried on half-octagonal shafts with
moulded caps and bases. W-tower has chamfered string courses to 3
diminishing stages, W window of 2 lights under a quatrefoil in a
2-centred head. S lit only in middle stage with clockface on S. 2-light
pointed bell openings with trefoil headed lights. Gargoyle to parapet
base-course. C19 gabled S porch faced in knapped flints with Early
English style moulded entrance with small raised shafts and single
lancet side windows. Continuous N brick range of N aisle and N chapel of
1532 has moulded external plinth offset and eaves course, diagonal
corner buttresses with stone watertables, canted brick projection for
full height at W end, plastered gable triangles, 2 2-light C15 traceried
stone windows probably reset from nave at W and W end of N wall, 4
brick-traceried 3-light windows on N with heavy moulded hoodmoulds and
lozenge shaped terminals, more elaborate 3-light brick E window with
cinquefoil lights and six small lights in the head under a Tudor arch
with hoodmould. Early C17 classical stone N doorway with round head,
moulded square surround and full entablature. Plain impost blocks and
keystone breaking up into frieze. Interior has continuous segmental
plaster barrel-vault, with 2 iron tie-rods. An elaborately carved early
C17 arcaded screen with entablature separates the chapel, the single
door being offset to N to accomodate the former box pews, the carved
panelled sides of which now form a dado at the W end of the aisle.
Plainer C17 panelling as original dado along N wall. Elaborate moulding
on N face of brick arch from chancel to chapel and 'front' face of
screen faces into chapel. In 2 of N windows of aisle are 8 panels of mid
C16 Flemish stained glass. Monuments: George Canon d.1532 (upper half
missing) on W wall of N chapel; palimpsest to John Gille d.1546 with
wife and children in chancel; Margaret Plumbe d.1575 a demi figure with
4 shields on stone panel with moulded surround in chancel; Margery
Disney d.1621 a wooden tablet with gilt inscription in black arabesque
border on grey ground, in nave; Sir William Goulston d.1687 a large wall
monument in chapel with inscription on gilt tasselled drape above
Baroque gadrooned base supported by deathsheads and cherubs.
Barley-sugar black shafts but white marble bases and Corinthian cups, 2
white busts in black niches. Full entablature with urn of black and
white between reclining figures on swans neck pediment; undecipherable
fine early C18 wall monument to S of chapel alter with black panel
framed in fruit festooned Corithian pilasters supporting a broken
pediment with fresco painted achievement and heavy swags on surrounding
plastered wall; wall monument in N aisle to Brabazon Ellis d.1780 with
draped urn and achievement on grey marble cenatoph over a grey marble
surround to white marble tablet. Figure carved in oval frame on tooled
based. Fittings: mid C19 communion rail, lectern, pulpit and seats.
Chapel alter frontal of wood with blind C14 tracery. C19 screen to tower
arch carefully copying early C17 screens to N chapel. Some moulded C17
panels incorporated in C19 pews. A medieval church of outstanding
interest for its brick N aisle and N chapel of 1532 and the C16 stained
glass, monuments and C17 carved woodwork. (RCHM (1911) 244-5: VCH (1914)
117-8: Kelly (1914) 295: Pevsner (1977) 411).

Listing NGR: TL3741431763

External Links

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.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Giles (Church of England)

A Grade I Listed Building in Wyddial, Hertfordshire

Coordinates

Description

External Links

Recommended Books