Church of Saint Andrew, Great Ness, Shropshire

Description

GREAT NESS C.P. GREAT NESS
SJ 31 NE
4/116 Church of Saint Andrew
27.5.53
GV I

Parish church. C13 nave, C13 tower with belfry rebuilt or added in
the C17, early C14 chancel and late C19 vestry. Chancel reroofed
1852 and the church partly restored in 1880. Nave and tower of dressed
red sandstone with plain tile roofs and chancel of yellow/grey sandstone
with slate roof. Three-bay nave with south porch, 2-bay chancel with
north vestry, and west tower. Tower: 3 stages. Stepped plinth
(battered to south), diagonal buttresses to lower 2 stages with moulded
plinths and chamfered offsets,later (probably C17) buttress to south-
east with chamfered offsets, chamfered offset to belfry, weathered string
course to battlemented parapet with moulded coping, and pyramidal cap
with weathervane. Two-light louvred belfry openings with chamfered
reveals. Probably C13 blocked moulded-arched belfry light to east.
Louvred lancet in second stage to west with chamfered reveals and hood-
mould, and lancet with solid tympanum in first stage to west. Nave:
chamfered plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets and parapeted gable
end to east with stone coping and truncated finial. South side:
restored paired chamfered lancets to left with semi-circular relieving
arch and hoodmould with carved stops; 2 windows to right, that to
left C19 paired trefoil-headed chamfered lancets with returned hoodmould
and semi-circular relieving arch, and that to right restored, with 2
trefoil-headed lights under a square head and chamfered reveals. Central
C13 roll-moulded arched doorway with hoodmould and old nail-studded boarded
door with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges and panel at top with carved
Tudor rose and the date 1618. Old stone porch with plinth to each side,
parapeted gable with coping and cross at apex, and C19 chamfered archway
with returned hoodmould and iron gates dated: "SJ /1955". Trussed-rafter
roof within. North side: restored window to left of 2 ogee trefoil-
headed lights with quatrefoil in tracery, chamfered reveals and returned
hoodmould. C19 paired lancets to right with hollow-chamfered reveals
and hoodmould with carved stops. Blocked chamfered-arched doorway to
right of central buttress. Small C14 or C15 square-headed window of 2
trefoil-headed lights in east wall. Chancel: chamfered plinth, angle
buttresses to east with chamfered offsets, chamfered eaves and parapeted
gable end with coping. South side: 2 south windows of 2 trefoil-headed
lights with quatrefoils in tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals and continuous
hoodmould; central chamfered-arched priest's doorway with hoodmould and
C19 nail-studded boarded door with strap hinges. East window of 3 ogee
trefoil-headed lights with reticulated tracery, chamfered reveals and
returned hoodmould. Vestry: herringbone-tooled red sandstone ashlar.
Plinth and chamfered eaves, returning to front gable. North window of
2 trefoil-headed leaded lights under square head; boarded door to crypt
down steps to right. Truncated external stone lateral stack with
chamfered offset to left-hand return front. Interior: uncompleted C13
south arcade with double-chamfered arches and remains of capital to centre
(aisle not visible externally). Small chamfered tower arch with C19
half-glazed door. Round relieving arch above. Nave windows with C19
chamfered rear arches. C13 triple-chamfered chancel arch, cut off at
base. Chancel south windows with moulded rear arches; east window has
roll-moulded rear arch with fillet and hoodmould with carved stops.
C14 moulded ogee-arched piscina to south with plain hoodmould and small
aumbry to north. Priest's doorway with chamfered rear arch and
chamfered-arched vestry doorway with plain hoodmould. C15 six-bay nave
roof with billet-ornamented moulded wall plates, ashlar pieces, ovolo-
moulded arched-braced trusses with central carved 'bosses', cusped raking
struts forming cusped triangular openings, and pairs of purlins with
cusped wind braces. Collar and tie-beam end trusses with king struts,
the western truss interrupted by east buttress of tower. C19 two-
bay chancel roof with moulded arched-braced collar truss springing from
bracketed tie-stubs; pairs of purlins. Fittings: C17 altar rails with
turned balusters, large turned standards with finials, and moulded rail.
C19 choir stalls and eagle lectern. Polygonal stone pulpit dated 1885,
with tapered stem, moulded base, cinquefoil side panels and billet-
decorated top. Plain octagonal stone font dated 1850 with wooden cover.
Early C20 pews with rounded ends. Wainscot panelling, some raised and
fielded (probably from former 1775 box pews). West gallery of 1765,on 2
square posts, with raised and fielded panelling to front, raking seating
and C19 organ. Painted royal coat of arms to front, with painted boards
above: "1800/T. Wildblood. E. Rogers/Church Wardens" and below:
"Restored 1956/W.R. Griffiths. A.J. Embrey/Churchwardens". Painted
benefactors' boards in galley. Hatchment to right of chancel arch.
C19 encaustic tiles to santuary. Reset medieval floor tiles at west end
of nave. C19 stained glass in some windows. Various late C18/early
C19 memorial tablets. Circa 1850 Gothic tablet in nave. Old sepia
photograph on south door showing interior of church in 1909 with box
pews. Great Ness church was a Saxon collegiate foundation and is
mentioned in the Domesday Book. B.O.E., pp. 133-4; D.H.S. Cranage,
An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, Part 9, pp.
768-71; Revd. F. Brighton, The Story of Great Ness (1933), pp. 31-37.

Listing NGR: SJ3976019032

External Links

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British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of Saint Andrew

A Grade I Listed Building in Great Ness, Shropshire

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