Description

TL 0475 BYTHORN AND KEYSTON BYTHORN

19/33 Parish Church of
28.1.58 St Lawrence

II*

Parish church. Reused C12 details. Late C13 chancel, nave and north aisle.
South aisle and arcade early C14. Chancel rebuilt c.1340 and widened, also
north aisle. West tower and south porch c.1340. Clerestory C15 and north
chapel C16. Restorations, tower and spire 1843, the whole church in 1870 and
chancel 1874, tower repairs in 1907 and capping c.1960. Walls of Weldon
limestone rubble, and field stones, squared and ashlar Weldon stone. Roofs of
slate and lead. South elevation: West tower of three stages with moulded
plinth and diagonal buttresses rising above belfry windows, and with a frieze
band of quatrefoils in circles with a moulded cornice enriched with carved
grotesque faces. Octagonal broached spire originally with three tiers of
spire lights, now capped. Rectangular projecting stair turret in south-east
corner. Clerestory with four square-headed two-trefoiled-light windows and
embattled parapet. South aisle has three restored two-trefoiled-light windows
with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head with moulded labels and mask stops.
South doorway C13 reset with moulded imposts and two-centred chamfered head
with moulded label and defaced head stops. South porch restored with
two-centred archway of two chamfered orders supported by semi-circular
attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Chancel of two bays with
steeply pitched roof, two two-light restored windows with C14 jambs.
Interior: Nave, north arcade late C13, of four bays with two-centred arches
of two chamfered orders with moulded label to the nave, and with alternating
circular and octagonal piers and responds with moulded caps and bases. South
arcade early C14 of four bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders
with moulded label to the nave, and quatrefoil piers with moulded caps and
bases,. The western arch was probably rebuilt when the tower was built.
Tower arch, two-centred of continuous moulded orders with moulded label to the
nave, above the arch is the line of the former roof. Chancel arch restored
c.1340, two-centred of two chamfered orders, the outer continuous and the
inner on semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals and chamfered bases and
on either side a squint. North chapel arcade C16 of two bays with two-centred
arches of two orders, the outer hollow-chamfered and continuous and the inner
springing from semi-circular shafts to a central pier and responds with
moulded capitals and defaced bases. Recess in east wall of chancel; south
east window carried down to form a seat; piscina C13 resited with
hollow-chamfered jambs and trefoiled head with cusping, bowl with octofoiled
drain. Font, C16 or C17 octagonal bowl with chamfered upper and lower edge,
plain octagonal stem and chamfered base on modern plinth. For monuments and
floor slabs see RCHM. Sundials on buttress of south wall of chancel, and
south-west tower buttress.

RCHM: Huntingdonshire p46
VCH: Huntingdonshire p26
Pevsner: Buildings of England p226
Inskipp-Ladds. Correspondence 1907 HRO

Listing NGR: TL0570275911

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17543967

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

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)