Church of St Mary and 2 Arches Attached to North, West Rainton, County Durham

Entry Name: Church of St Mary and 2 Arches Attached to North

Listing Date: 10 May 1967

Grade: II*

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1120737

English Heritage Legacy ID: 110036

ID on this website: 101120737

Location: St Mary's Church, West Rainton, County Durham, DH4

County: County Durham

Civil Parish: West Rainton

Built-Up Area: West Rainton

Traditional County: Durham

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): County Durham

Church of England Parish: West Rainton

Church of England Diocese: Durham

Tagged with: Church building

Description

WEST RAINTON SOUTH STREET
NZ 34 NW
(South side)
3/45 Church of St. Mary
10/5/67 and 2 arches
attached to north
GV II*

Parish church and 2 arches attached. 1864 by E.R. Robson; tower added 1877 as
gift of Sir George Elliot (tablet inside). Arches C17. Coursed squared
sandstone with ashlar dressings; Lakeland slate roof; stone spire. 4-bay
aisled nave with north-west tower and south porch; 2-bay chancel with north
vestry and south aisle. Double cast-iron gates in 2-centred-arched surround
in porch with saddle-back roof. Paired ogee-headed lights in aisles, and
paired tall trefoil-headed clerestory lights under dripstring; single quatrefoil
in chancel south aisle. Set-back chancel has corbel table over large 2-
centred-arched south window with Decorated tracery, and larger east window in
similar style; plate tracery in 2-light east window of south aisle. Similar
tracery in large west window under head-stopped dripmould. Buttresses, those
on south-west of clerestory and at corresponding point on south aisle with
cusped gablets; bands of arcaded moulding on tall pinnacle on aisle buttress.
Steeply-pitched roof, with stone cross finials, one damaged. Tower of 3 high
stages has north door in surround of 3 orders, with shafts supporting zig-zag
2-centred-arches under high gabled panel; paired slender lancets with
dripmoulds in second stage; paired recessed louvred belfry openings, with
shafts and dripmoulds, under Lombardic frieze. Continuous bands round angle
buttresses at each stage; broach spire with 4 large lucarnes.

Interior: painted plaster with ashlar dressings; arch-braced king-post nave
roof with scissor-braced common rafters. Panelled chancel roof. Arcades
have 2-centred arches with shallow chevron moulding, on round piers with water-
leaf capitals; east responds paired shafts; narrower arch at north-west, with
full-height shafts to tower; corbelled shafts define other bays of clerestory
and support roof trusses. High chancel arch in similar style to arcades, with
shallow trefoil decoration and inner roll-moulded arch on Frosterley 'marble'
shafts. Roll-moulded clerestory sill string continues as ring round shafts.
Chancel has plain arches to north chapel, vestry and south organ; north piscina.
Tudor flower decoration to chancel panelling; 1905 mosaic reredos; high-quality
flat-topped wood communion rail. Medieval-style tiles on chancel floor. C19
glass in chancel. South aisle windows of high quality commemorate members of
Boyd family killed in First World War; C19 west windows to Rev. Joseph Tiffin
died 1858. Dark red granite panel in tower commemorates gift of Sir. G. Elliot.
Bart., M.P., to mark baptism of his 6 children in the church; describes tablet
as part of Pyramid of Ghizeh, obtained 1876 by permission of Ismail Pasha, and
erected 1891.

Arches attached: said to have come from Blackfriars, Newcastle, but of wrong
period. Resited from grounds of demolished Rainton Hall (C17 home of Sir John
Duck). Paired round-headed arches of C17 character have eroded stop chamfers
and capitals with coarsely-fluted necking.

Listing NGR: NZ3229646884

External Links

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