Description

TL 72 NE GOSFIELD CHURCH ROAD (NORTH SIDE)
7/151 Church of St. Catherine
21 6 62
I

Parish Church. C15/C16 Nave and Chancel. Circa 1500 West Tower. Circa 1560
North Chapel and widening of Chancel to south in brick. Circa 1733 North Chapel
extended one bay to provide a Squire's pew for the Knight family of Gosfield
Hall. C19/C20 North Vestry, south porch and restorations. Walls mainly flint
rubble sometimes plastered. North Chapel and south wall of Chancel red brick.
Roofs of plain red tiles. Chancel east window of four lights with transom and
vertical tracery in a two centred head. King and Queen head stops to label.
Buttress to north east and two angled buttresses to south east, one at the
former angle of the Chancel. South wall with stone corbel table, two
buttresses, two C16 four light windows with transoms under square heads with
labels. Central square headed doorway with moulded label. Three board door
with muntins. Nave south wall with four buttresses. Three C15 two light
windows with tracery under a two centred head. C15 south doorway with moulded
and shafted jambs, the shafts with crenellated capitals. Moulded two centred
arch. C19 King and Queen label stops. Double three board doors with tracery and
crenellations. C19/C20 enclosed glazed porch with flint base and gabled red
plain tiled roof. Nave north wall, two C15 windows similar to those in south
wall, one partly blocked by north chapel. Lean-to North Vestry with a two light
window under a flat head, west wall has a two centre doorway with vertically
boarded door. Gault brick and flint chimney stack piercing Nave roof. Red
brick North Chapel of three bays, the western bay overlaps the nave and is
separated from the others by an C18 wall. Moulded red brick parapet verges to
east and west walls. Brick corbel table to north wall. Plastered brick plinth
with panels to east wall. Stepped chequer work over east window. North eastern
stone dressed brick buttress with painted star emblem over, the mullet of the De
Vere Family who founded a church here c.1190, possibly original. Three other
buttresses. Eastern C16 window of four lights with transom under a square head
and label. North wall with three square headed four light windows with transoms
and stone labels over. The western window blocked. Off centre C16 brick
doorway with moulded four centred arch in a square head with moulded label. C18
west wall with Venetian window and two circular windows over. The west flint
and brick tower is plastered and crenellated. Of two stages with a square stair
turret to south east. Moulded plinth with brick and stone chequer work. West
window of three lights in two tiers with tracery over in a segmental moulded
head. North, south and west upper ground storey with small trefoiled lights.
Each wall of bell chamber has louvres of two lights under segmental pointed
heads. Vertical slit light to stair turret. Interior. Chancel. Five cant
roof with carved bosses and crenellated wall plate. Crenellated tie beam
resting on crenellated corbels with carved heads. North wall with a mid C16
arcade of two bays with four-centred arches, piers with moulded capitals and
bases. C15 two-centred Chancel arch of two moulded orders. Moulded label to
west face with carved stops of angels with shields, a Raven for Rolf and a
chevron with three scallops for Hawkwood. Responds with moulded capitals.
Altar tomb against south wall to Thomas Rolf 1440 with brass figure in robes of
a Sergeant-at-Law and Latin inscription. Side panels with quatrefoiled circular
panels with shields of arms, between narrow trefoiled panels. Poppy-head choir
stall ends. Crenellated and carved panelling with foliate swags and grotesque
heads and urns, beneath which is linenfold panelling to north and south choir-
stalls. Three wall hatchments. C19 altar rail. C19/C20 stained glass windows,
that to east window by Clayton and Bell 1880. North Chapel also known as
Wentworth Chapel, built by Sir John Wentworth, whose altar tomb between the
chapel and chancel altars is of Purbeck marble with moulded base and slab and
fragments of brass inscription. Cinquefoil side panels between smaller
trefoiled panels. There is also an altar tomb of Purbeck marble to Sir
Hugh Rich 1554 with moulded and panelled plinth, moulded slab with remains of
brass inscription, shields, panelling and tracery to side slabs. Possibly re-
used. Circa 1980 stained glass to east window. Flat roof with square panels,
curved braces with carved spandrels to tie beams. To the west a private pew
circa 1733 is approached by stone steps with iron balusters and Venetian double
doors each of three panels with a semi-circular light over and side lights with
glazing bars, all in a moulded surround. The interior of the pew has enriched
panelling. The door and side light surrounds are moulded and dentilled and with
four Ionic pilasters. There is a Venetian window to the west wall and a
recessed opening with panelled shutters and semi-circular light over to the
south wall. The ceiling is plastered. Four hatchments to walls. The north
wall contains a fine large marble monument to John and Anne Knight by Rysbrack,
raised centre-piece with a man to left dressed in Roman costume leaning on an
inscribed urn whilst his wife in similar robes reclines toward him from the
right. An enriched broken pediment over with lower scrolls and coat of arms
apex. Inscription in oval plaque at base reads - Anne Crags. Married 1st James
Newsham 2nd John Knight 3rd Robert Nugent died 22/11/1756 age 59. To left and
right are smaller plinths with urns, that to right with an inscription to
Margaret Nugent sister to Robert Earl Nugent 1794. There are 6 constables staves
of William IV's reign on a window rack. Nave. Roof of seven cants with moulded
wall plates and moulded arched braces to two east bay collars. The west bay
with a moulded and crenellated tie beam with moulded arched braces and traceried
spandrels, this is probably the re-used head of the former rood screen and was
possibly supported by the buttress above the pulpit. Piscina in south wall has
a four centred head with heads tops and moulded jambs. C18/C19 box pews and
panelling to walls. Windows stained glass with some early fragments in north
window. Moulded Royal coat of arms over south door. Octagonal C18 panelled
pulpit with fret decoration on octagonal stem. West Tower. Tower arch. Two
centred of three chamfered orders with crenellated capitals and moulded bases.
Vertically bead boarded and nailed door to stair turret with four centred arch
in a square head over. Octagonal font with quatrefoiled panelling to bowl and
cusped two centre arches to stem. Stained glass to window. Bells. Thos.
Potter, Norwich 1420. Miles Graye, Colchester 1637. Henry Pleasant, Sudbury
1704 and three by John Taylor, Loughborough 1962. RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TL7778129403

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17536280

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.

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