Description

NZ 2842 NE,
11/178

DURHAM AND FRAMWELLGATE,
GILESGATE (south side)

Church of St Giles

06.05.52

GV

I

Parish church. Part of the hospital of St Giles founded 1112 AD; north nave
wall c.1114; chancel late C12; tower early C13 and early C15; c.1873 south
aisle and vestry, north porch. Sandstone, most coursed and squared, with ashlar
dressings; porch snecked sandstone; plinth. Roofs not visible.

EXTERIOR: Nave with south aisle and north porch; chancel with south vestry; west tower.
Square tower of four stages has clasping buttresses flanking restored three-light west
window with Perpendicular tracery; top stages have small square-headed window
and two-light belfry openings, traceried except on east side, below pinnacled
battlements. North wall of nave has three small windows, the west two round-headed
and with shallow chamfered surround, that at east renewed; massive buttresses
define east bay which was original chancel. Later chancel has blocked north door;
shafted round-headed north and south windows with zig-zag moulding; five-light
renewed east window; sill string. Buttressed south aisle has five Perpendicular
three-light windows.

INTERIOR: coursed squared sandstone, raised on the north in rubble, in nave and
chancel; tower rubble; C19 work painted plaster with ashlar dressings; panelled
roof on painted corbels and tie beams. Octagonal columns in five-bay arcade and
south organ chamber have two hollow chamfers to two-centred arches. three shafts support
double-chamfered renewed chancel arch; fragment of former chancel arch on north
with two head corbels. Tower arch of two orders has dog-tooth corbels. North door,
re-sited from south, has cushion capitals and zig-zag moulding; deep splays to
nave north windows; chancel windows have water-leaf capitals and zig-zag drip
string. Blocked round-headed doors in chancel and adjacent to north door. Font
in tower has large lead-lined bowl on round pedestal with cushion capital.
In chancel wood effigy of John Heath of Kepier, died 1591, in armour; head rests
on cock-crested helmet, feet on scroll containing two skulls with motto 'Hodie
mihi cras tibi'; Heath arms on shield hanging from renewed wooden chest.
Porch contains fragment of tegulated coped medieval grave-cover.

Listing NGR: NZ2838742654

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Giles Church, Durham at Wikipedia
• St Giles Church, Durham official website
• Wikidata Q7593273

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

• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)