Description

1133/12/258

LITTLE COWARNE
CHURCH OF ST GUTHLAC

(Formerly listed as Parish Church (Dedication unknown), Little Marcle)

09-JUN-67

II
Small rural Anglican church. C12/C13 in origin but heavily restored in 1870 by F.R Kempson; west tower and south porch of 1911. Rubble masonry to the chancel, the nave and tower squared rubble brought to course; freestone dressings; slate roofs. Plan of nave, chancel, west tower and southwest porch.

EXTERIOR: Unbuttressed chancel with three-light C19 plate-traceried east window. The north wall has one round-headed C12 window, said to be re-set. The south wall has a window of two uncusped lights. Unbuttressed nave, the north side with a blocked arched doorway and two probably C19 round-headed windows. The south side of the nave has a two-light window with trefoil-headed lights. Gabled south porch with a double-chamfered outer doorway and a plain arched inner doorway.

INTERIOR: Internal walls plastered and painted. C19 chamfered chancel arch on moulded stone corbels. C19 common rafter scissor-braced chancel roof with ashlar pieces and a wallplate with toothed decoration, pierced with stars and trefoils, with diagonal boarding behind the timbers. Similar nave roof with the addition of a low collar. Tall, thin, chamfered tower arch. The chancel has a plain piscina and aumbry and is floored with C19 encaustic tiles. Stout rustic choir stalls with poppyhead ends. Substantial polygonal stone pulpit on a square base, the sides carved with symbols under trefoil-headed arches. The font has a deep plain bowl on a square circular stem with a moulded foot. It appears to be C19, but the circular base is probably medieval. C19 benches with three different designs to the ends, but all with prominent tusk tenon fixings, used as decoration. C19 glass includes grisaille and a figure in the west window.

Grade II for a modestly-scaled church of medieval origins but very heavily-restored in 1870. The fittings are not outstanding

Listing NGR: SO6012151124

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26594002

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

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)