Church of St Helen, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

Entry Name: Church of St Helen

Listing Date: 19 October 1953

Grade: I

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1103657

English Heritage Legacy ID: 163972

ID on this website: 101103657

Location: St Helen's Church, Wheathampstead, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4

County: Hertfordshire

District: St. Albans

Civil Parish: Wheathampstead

Built-Up Area: Wheathampstead

Traditional County: Hertfordshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Hertfordshire

Church of England Parish: Wheathampstead

Church of England Diocese: St.Albans

Tagged with: Church building Churchyard

Find accommodation in
Harpenden

Description

TL 1714
14/428
19.10.53

WHEATHAMPSTEAD
HIGH STREET
(west side)
WHEATHAMPSTEAD

CHURCH OF ST HELEN

GV
I

Parish church. Pre-Conquest and Norman origin. Chancel, c,1230.
crossing tower, late C13. Nave and aisles, early-mid C14. N and
S transepts, c.1330-50. N vestry added c.1380, but altered and
enlarged 1897. Whole church was restored 1865-6 by Edward
Browning. Flint rubble. Stone dressings. Slate roofs.
Cruciform plan, the nave and chancel equal length. Large central
tower with leaded pyramid roof surmounted by a spire. Many good
Decorated period windows, especially to the transepts and the
chancel N and S walls. Early C14 W door with ball flower
ornament in double hollow surround. S porch of similar date with
chamfered arch and attached shafts. Interior: nave arcade of 3
arches; octagonal piers, moulded capitals and bases. Roof with
arch-braced collar trusses. Figured stone corbels. Crossing has
broad chamfered piers and arches. S transept has stone arch in S
wall, said to be a Saxon doorhead, and the E wall has an
intricate decorated style window with fleurons in the jambs.
Corresponding window in the N transept has ballflower ornament
and beneath the sill is an intricate blind arcade of c.1330.
Large N window with net tracery. The chancel E end has 3 lancet
windows of c.1230 set in deep splays and with deeply cut moulded
arches. C15 piscina in jamb of SE window. Door to vestry with
dog-tooth moulded arch. Font at W end of nave is early C14,
octagonal, with quatrefoil frieze. Early C17 oak pulpit with
shallow strapwork ornament. Jacobean screen at entrance to N
transept, probably fragment of a former W gallery. Pews behind
this are early-mid C17, one dated 1631. Many good monuments:
alabaster tomb chest to Sir John Brocket and his wife (1558) with
two recumbent figures and armorial frieze; large wall monument
to Elizabeth Garrard on W wall of N transept, 1630s: broad arch
surround with columns, broken pediment overthrow and semi-
reclining alabaster figures; next to this a classical wall
plaque to Sir John Garrard (d.1700). On E wall the many plaques
include one by Thorwaldsen, 1817. (RCHM (1910); Pevsner
(1977)).

Listing NGR: TL1765814020

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.