Description

SD 63 NW
7/134

RIBCHESTER
CHURCH STREET
Church of St. Wilfrid

11.11.66

GV
I
Church, C13 with later additions, restored 1881 and after a fire in 1917. Sandstone rubble with stone slate roof. Comprises a west tower, nave, lower chancel, south nave aisle, south porch and a north chapel under a pitched roof.

The tower, said to be late C15 (VCH), is of three stages with angle buttresses and battlements. The bell openings are of three lights with hoods and with panel tracery to their heads. The west wall has a similar window above the doorway, which has a two-centred head and a moulding similar to that of the south porch door. The south aisle windows are C16 with round heads to the lights. Above two crude dormers light the nave. The south porch door, said to be C14, has a hood and moulded imposts. The inner door is C13, having a two-centred arch of two moulded orders and outer shafts with moulded bases and moulded capitals with nailhead ornament. The north nave wall has a blocked doorway with moulded impost. The north wall of the north chapel has a three-light window with straight head and ogee heads to the lights. To its right is a lancet, probably re-used. The west chapel window has reticulated tracery, the east window flowing tracery. The south chancel wall has a chamfered doorway with two-centred head and a hood with head stops. To its left is a restored window with mullion, transom and trefoil. To its right are two lancets, with a restored window of geometric tracery between them. The east wall has triple stepped lancets, partly restored.

Interior. The south arcade is of four bays with arches of two chamfered orders and octagonal piers. The north arcade is of two bays with arches of two chamfered orders, a pier of three clustered shafts with moulded cap, and ½-round responds with moulded cap and base. The chancel arch also has ½-round responds. The north chancel wall has a chamfered squint, now opening to the outside. The south wall has triple sedilia and a piscina with two bowls, all inserted and with round heads. The chancel roof has alternate arch-braced collar trusses and trusses with collars and ties. The nave roof, said to be dated 1527 on a wall plate (VCH), has arch-braced collars, the end trusses having raking queen struts and a king strut between collar and tie. The west gallery of 1736 is supported on four stone Tuscan columns said to be Roman. The sandstone font is octagonal with slim corner buttresses. The octagonal timber pulpit has carved decoration and is dated '1636 CH'. In the east bay of the south arcade the Hoghton Quire is enclosed by a restored C16 oak screen. The north chapel, or Dutton Quire, has in its east window fragments of glass said to be C14. The roof is of crown post construction, unusual in the north-west, having a cambered tie, rafters with collars and soulaces, and a collar plate.

Listing NGR: SD6498435019

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Wilfrid's Church, Ribchester at Wikipedia
• St Wilfrid's Church, Ribchester official website
• Wikidata Q7595653

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

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)