Description

SP8659
13/25
13/05/68

CASTLE ASHBY
CASTLE ASHBY PARK
Church of St. Mary Magdalene

GV
I

Church. C14 and C15 with older origins. Restored 1869 by G.E. Street. Coursed
limestone rubble, lead and copper roofs. Chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled
nave, north and south porches and west tower. 3-bay chancel has 5-light east
window with 4-centred head and Perpendicular tracery and similar 3-light windows
to south, all with hood moulds. Chamfered priest's door to south with 4-centred
head, old plank door and hood mould with label stops, and off-set angle
buttresses. North chancel chapel of 1 bay continues north aisle with 3-light
east window with curvilinear tracery, similar window to west end of aisle, and
3-light windows to north with reticulated tracery, all with hood moulds.
Many-moulded north doorway with ridged plank door, in 2-storey porch with re-set
late Norman/Transitional doorway with 3 orders of shafts, stylized leaf
capitals, and round-headed arch with hollow-chamfer decorated with dog-tooth
lozenges and zigzag. South aisle has 3-light windows with Perpendicular tracery
and hood moulds with label stops. Double hollow-chamfered south door with ridged
plank door, in porch with similar doorway. Ogee-arched cinquefoil-headed niche
above doorway with hood mould and 2-light windows to east and west sides with
straight heads and hood moulds with label stops. Tower has 3 stages and
double-hollow-chamfered and roll-moulded west doorway, studded double-leaf
doors, quatrefoils to spandrels, and moulded rectangular stone surround and hood
mould. 3-light window above with Perpendicular tracery and hood mould. Large
polygonal stone clock-faces to north and west, small 1-light window to south and
2-light bell-chamber openings. Diagonal offset buttresses, battlemented parapet
and ogee lead roof with weathervane to apex. Body of church has plain
stone-coped parapets. Interior: chancel has C19 stone reredos with blank
arcading and cinquefoil-headed ogee-arched piscina with stone shelf.
Double-chamfered chancel arch with polygonal responds, similar arch to north
chancel chapel. Nave has 3-bay arcades with octagonal piers, moulded bases and
capitals and double-chamfered arches. Ogee-headed niche in south aisle from
Grendon church, and ogee-arched piscina. South-aisle has restored C15 roof with
moulded cambered ties and stop-moulded rafters. Otherwise C19 roofs of good
quality especially that to nave. Plain, octagonal font. C17 hexagonal pulpit on
stem with decorative panelling to sides and elaborate tester with openwork
cupola and group of finials. Screen round vestry in south aisle is made up of
sections of the original readers desk and has similar panelling. Complete set of
tiled floors by Minton to designs by Lord Alwyne Compton. Stain-glass east
window to north chapel by Lady Marian Alford, before 1888. Fine late C19
stain-glass windows to chancel. Monuments: effigy in Purbeck marble of
cross-legged knight on tapering coffin lid. Said to be Sir David de Esseby who
died before 1268. Brass to William Ermyn, rector, d.1401; almost life-size and
with small figures of saints on the orphreys. Monument to lst Marquis of
Northampton d.1827 by E. Blore in form of low reredos to north chapel with
central foiled recess framing inscription panel flanked by blank arches with
Decorated tracery. Wall monument to Margaret wife of 2nd Marquis who died 1830
signed Pietro Tenerani di Carrara/Facem in Roma Nel 1836. Grecian-style, of
Carrara marble, with relief of Charity, and surmounted by bust set against
scallop with lush acanthus decoration. Monument to Spencer 2nd Marquis, d.1851
at west end of nave; over life-size seated angel with the trumpet of the Last
Judgement on his lap-Carrare marble, on veined grey marble plinth on base of
granite and black marble. Inscription to plinth. By Tenerani. Tomb recess with
monument to Lady Margaret Leveson-Gower designed by Gillet of Leicester/framing
recumbant effigy by Marochetti with angel in shallow relief behind, both in
statuary marble.
(Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, ppl37-138; VCH: Northamptonshire:
Vol IV, p233)

Listing NGR: SP8636659137

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527223

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

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)