Page images
PDF
EPUB

hands, and at her feet a dog and young lion who appear to be contending for a cat's head. The stalls have good carved ends. The font is a new one of cylindrical form. are vestiges of colour on the arcade of the nave.

ST. PETER, TANKERSLEY.

There

Dec. 10, 1852.—A plain church, Perpendicular outside, with earlier work within. It has a nave with north aisle and chancel, and west tower. The arcades are Early English, three on each side, with circular columns, of which one has a circular and one an octagonal capital. The chancel arch is pointed on octagonal shafts. The east window of the chancel is Decorated, of three lights, and one on the south of the chancel is also Decorated, of two lights. There is a clerestory to the nave, and all the windows of the nave, aisle, and clerestory are very late and almost debased Perpendicular of three lights. The nave is embattled. The south porch is plain, and has the outer door of ogee form. On the north of the chancel is a vestry. The tower is late and poor, embattled, with eight pinnacles, but not divided by string-courses. On the north is a projecting square turret. The west window of three lights and very poor, without tracery; below it a labelled door. The belfry windows of two lights, with a slope below them. is octagonal and plain.

ALL SAINTS, SILKSTONE.

The font

Dec. 11, 1852.-A large church, mostly Perpendicular, but with some Norman work remaining in the chancel. It has a spacious nave with aisles and clerestory, a chancel also with aisles or chapels, a west tower and a south porch. The exterior, like most instances in the neighbourhood, is late and rather plain Perpendicular, the whole of the nave and aisles embattled, and the nave and chancel continued of equal height. The buttresses are crowned by crocketed pinnacles, which have a good appearance, and there are several grotesque figures as gargoyles. The tower has plain battlement and four pinnacles-only one string-course the belfry windows of two lights with transoms. The windows of the aisles are of three lights, rather plain and without tracery.

Those of the clerestory square-headed, of two lights. The east window of the chancel, a Late and poor one, of five lights, with transom and no foils: in the south chapel the east window is of four lights. The arcades of the nave are each of five good pointed arches, with circular pillars having octagonal capitals and of Early English appearance. The eastern arches die into the wall. The roof of the nave is rather plain, but with bosses. The chancel arch is pointed and wide, rising from square capitals of Norman piers. The chancel has considerable Norman indications on the north side-there is one plain early semi-circular arch opening in the wall to the north aisle (which seems of later date), rising upon huge semi-piers having square capitals there is also against the same wall a tall Norman pillar, also with square capital. There are also Norman windows forming a clerestory on this side, seen distinctly from the exterior. There is also a Norman wall on the south side, eastward of the termination of the arcade, having two heights of Norman windows, and under a southeast window is a Norman arch with piscina. There is also an ancient vestry under the cill of the window. The south chapel is divided from the chancel by two elegant Perpendicular arches, with light octagonal column. Above them, two square-headed clerestory windows. In the south chapel is a large elaborate marble tomb, with figures of a man and woman.

There is a fine wood-screen for the rood-loft reaching across the whole breadth of the church, but varying in the three divisions. The central part has eight pieces, with tracery of somewhat Decorated character, the middle division formed into a flat-arched door. There is a cornice, and in the spandrels some Arabesque-looking panelling. The screen to the north chapel is of four pieces with a narrow door-that of the south of three pieces. There is also a parclose screen between the chancel and south chapel. On the south is a rood door. Between the north aisle and north chapel is a plain pointed arch dying into the wall. The font is ugly, and not ancient, of octagonal form. The tower arch is pointed, on octagonal piers. There is a double west gallery, and

six bells.

The south chapel of the chancel has a boarded panelled roof.

ST. JAMES 39 MELTON.

April 16th, 1853.—A small church, consisting of a nave with aisles, aud chancel with south aisle, a west tower and south porch, the exterior embattled and mostly of Perpendicular appearance. The nave has a clerestory on the south, which has square-headed windows eprived of tracery. The chancel is long, being nearly equal in length to the nave. The windows on the south are Decorated, with square heads, of two lights; all other windows are Perpendicular, some on the north have stained glass. That at the east end of four lights and bad. The arcade of the nave is Early, with two wide semicircular arches, very plain, the columns circular, with square capitals. The chancel arch is of like character, upon imposts: to the south of it is a semicircular arched opening in the pier to the aisle. Between the chancel and south aisle is a wide obtuse arch rising on imposts, and one smaller aperture. The tower is engaged with the aisles, and opens internally by pointed arches. There is a wood-screen enclosing a pew and an organ in the north aisle. The font has a cylindrical bowl. The porch has a battlement, the inner door ogeed. On the south is a large buttress of uncommon projection, covered by a finial. The tower is late Perpendicular embattled, with four crocketed pinnacles, the belfry windows of two lights, with embattled transoms. The west window of two lights, and no door. There are corner buttresses, and three stages in the tower.

S. [unknown], MEXBOROUGH.

April 16th, 1853.-This church has a nave with south aisle and chancel-western tower with short spire, and is rather destitute of good architectural features. There is a clerestory on both sides of the nave, though only one aisle, having a battlement and square-headed windows deprived of tracery. The aisle has a moulded parapet. There are some Decorated windows, square-headed of three lights, in the aisle; those on the north are late Perpendicular. The chancel has two lancets on the south, also a good Decorated one of three lights, containing some fair pieces of stained

33 Ancient ascription, All Hallows.

glass. The east window and those on the north are poor and debased. The priest's door is straight-sided. The chancel is lower than the nave; the arch between chancel and nave is very ugly, but pointed and on octagonal shafts. The nave is divided from its aisle by two wide sprawling pointed arches with octagonal pier, and in the eastern pier is a door-like opening into the aisle. The tower is small and plain, without battlement; it has a west window of two lights, apparently Decorated, the belfry window of two lights, square-headed, and a slit in the central portion, the spire octagonal and insignificant. There are some curious gargoyles. The font has an octagonal bowl and some rope moulding. There is a gallery in the nave and an organ.

ST. LEONARD, THRYBERGH.

April 15th, 1853.-A small church with chancel and nave, no aisles, and a western tower with rather a short spire of stone. The tower itself is somewhat small, has a battlement and slight belfry window, but no buttress or door, only one division by string-course. The spire octagonal and crocketed. The whole seems to be Perpendicular. The chancel and nave are embattled, the chancel arch very plain. The south porch is low and embattled, its doorway hath a flat arch. The chancel has been partly rebuilt, or at least much modernised. The windows are long and of three lights in the nave, in the chancel modern and poor. There is a small ogee trefoiled piscina in the chancel, which looks rather Decorated.

On the south of the chancel, over the door is a niche with triangular canopy containing a figure. There is a little stained glass, and in the churchyard a mutilated sepulchral effigy.

ST. PETER, CONISBOROUGH.

April 15th, 1853.—An interesting church of some size, having a nave with north and south aisle, a chancel and a west tower engaged with the aisles. There is much of Norman work, some Early English, and some later. The clerestory and south aisle are embattled, the former having also pinnacles. The north aisle is lower and narrower than the other, which seems to have been extended and is partly

40

Early English, but has late Perpendicular windows. Some of the same style are also inserted in the north aisle. The interior is gloomy, and requires much improvement. The tower is Norman in its lower parts, and opens to the nave and aisles by rude semicircular arches on imposts. The north arcade of the nave is also rude Norman, and has three plain arches of that style, with circular columns having square capitals, one exhibiting some curious sculpture with foliage. The south arcade is Early English, the arches also plain with low springs, the columns light and circular with square capitals having foliage. Under one of the north windows is an ogee sepulchral arch in the wall. At the east of the north aisle is a square capital of Norman foliage and a projecting piscina, and near it a hagioscope into the chancel. The east window of the south arch is Decorated of three lights. Within the south porch is a good semiNorman door, the outer moulding toothed, the others chevroned, with two orders of shafts with capitals of foliage almost Early English. The porch itself is Early English, of which character is the outer door, which has toothed mouldings and shafts with square abaci, much clogged by plaster. There is also an Early English doorway with plain imposts in the north aisle. The roofs are low pitched and of plain timbers.41 There are frightful lumbering pews, and a west gallery, in which is a large organ. The chancel arch is Norman and plain on imposts, with shafts set in the angles. The chancel still retains small traces of Norman, a string on the north side and a semicircular arched piscina, south of the sacrarium under a window. The windows are Perpendicular. The eastern one of five lights, very wide, the others square-headed. On the north there is much bare wall and a square opening near the east end which has an iron grating. The font has an octagonal bowl, panelled with quatrefoils containing shields, the stem channelled, with shafts at the angles.

There is a slab in the nave of remarkable character, sculptured all over with medallions, scrolls and foliage with singular figures intermixed.

The western part of the church is of rude masonry, the stone of which is much decayed. The masonry of part of

40 In the north arcade the western arch window remains in the north aisle.

is higher than the others.

One Norman

There are three bells.

« PreviousContinue »