Boundary Walls and Lychgate to the Churchyard of St. Giles and to the West of Church Walk, Bredon, Bredon, Worcestershire

Description

BREDON

648/0/10025 MAIN ROAD
09-FEB-11 Boundary Walls and Lychgate to the Chu
rchyard of St. Giles and to the west o
f Church Walk, BREDON

GV II
Walls and lychgate of red brick, stone and timber, surrounding the churchyard of St Giles, Bredon. The walls are of various dates in the C18 and C19 and the lychgate is of 1929 and was designed by Francis B Andrews & Son. The circuit of walls starts at the north-east of the church and curves to run along the northern boundary, the western side and along the southern boundary, before running south-west to join with the fabric of Church Walk House.
The lychgate has ashlar walling to its lower body and a super-structure of oak, with angled and arched braces and cranked tie-beams to each gable, supporting a cross, which forms part of each truss. All joints are mortice and tennon and the roofing is of green Westmoreland slate. Suspended from the roof of the gate is a bronze, octagonal lantern. An inscription in the stonework of the lower body of the western side records: 'THE LIGHT WAS GIVEN BY/ THE FRIENDS OF ST. GILES' (at right) and 'IN GRATEFUL /MEMORY of / MARY HAMAR / GREENWOOD'. Across the tie beam is a further inscription; '+ THY.WORD.IS.A.LANTERN.UNTO.MY.FEET +'. Attached to the north-west of this is a low wall of squared rubble which is exposed to the High Street on its northeast side and forms an embankment on its south-western side to the raised churchyard. This then joins to a square pier of C20 brick which supports an earlier, moulded, stone cap.
To the west of this there is an C18 wall of red bricks laid in garden wall bond which runs from east to west and divides the churchyard from the garden of the Rectory (listed at Grade II*). The wall carries a number of metal memorial plaques to its south face. Parts of the moulded brick coping appear to be of late-C19 or C20 date. The eastern end of this brick wall has coursed rubble stone to its lower body and is joined to the drive gateway of the Rectory, which projects to the north of the wall. These gateposts are of stone with chamfered rustication to their lower body, cornice caps and ball finials. To the western end, the brick walling is ramped and rises to meet a further pair of square gate piers with moulded stone caps and ball finials which connect the Rectory grounds with the churchyard. To one side of these is a pedestrian door with square head. At its far western end this wall is also attached to the walled garden at the Manor House.
The boundary wall of the churchyard then runs in a southerly direction, and then curves to run south-west. This section, which divides the Manor House from the churchyard, is of rubble stone, and C18 or C19 in date. It has a concrete coping to much of its length and a pedestrian gate with flattened, brick arch to its north end. At south of centre is a Neo-Classical tomb which abuts the wall and is partly imbedded in it. This dates from 1846 and commemorates Nathanial Dyer and others of his family. It has a plain rectangular tablet which projects at centre, and to the corners are shaped posts with gadrooning to their lower bodies. The lid has a pedimental profile with antifixae to the corners. The stone walling ends at the western corner of the churchyard and the walling then runs in a line from north-west to south-east and is of C18 brick. After circa 50 metres it turns a right-angled corner, to run in a south-westerly direction. It has a flat, stone coping to the top. The portion which runs north-west to south-east is of random-bond brick and there is a pedestrian door at the west end with cambered arch and fluted keystone to the churchyard side. The wall is ramped at the corner and then ends on the north side of a gateway which has no piers, but which seems to be original. It resumes at the same height on the south side of the gate, but here it has a base of three courses of cinder blocks, above which the walling is of Flemish bond brick. The run of walling ends at Church Walk House, which it adjoins at its north-east corner.

SOURCE: Brooks, A & Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England; Worcestershire (2007), 165

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The boundary walls and Lychgate to the Churchyard of St. Giles and to the west of Church Walk, Bredon, Worcestershire are listed for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural: The brick walls are attractively designed, with a combination of ramped tops, ornamental gatepiers and doorways and (to the southern stretch) lower courses of cinder blocks.
* Group Value: The wall and lychgate blend well with both the church of St Giles and the Rectory and Manor House, as well as other, adjacent boundary walls in the village.
* Historic Interest: Various village houses were transformed during the C18, most notably the Rectory and the Manor House, which were both given new facades. The brick walls which form the boundary to the churchyard for both these properties appear to be a reflection of this spirit of aspiration and renewal and extend the architectural influence of these two properties.

Reasons for Listing

The boundary walls and Lychgate to the Churchyard of St. Giles and to the west of Church Walk, Bredon, Worcestershire are recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:

External Links

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.