Archive for the ‘Warwickshire’ Category

14
Feb

Farnborough – St. Botolph.

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St. Botolph - Farnborough

Built fron coursed ironstone St. Botolph is mosty in the Decorated style with a C14 nave, chancel, porch and lower part of tower. However an earlier C12 building was once on the site as can be seen from the reused south doorway, and the chancel arch. The upper part of the tower is dated 1611.

The north transept was added in 1839, and replaced by the current north aisle by Sir G. G. Scott, who also added a bell chamber, spire, and carried out other restoration work. There are several sketches of the church showing its appearance before the later alterations.

St. Botolph - Farnborough East window by William Wailes 1856. St. Botolph, Farnborough Font - St. Botolph - Farnborough

The east window is by William Wailes and dated 1856. The font has C19 octagonal bowl and stem, but base-mould, and the chamfered step are 14th century. The pulpit alter, rails, pews, chancel stalls, and west tower screen are all from the 1875 restoration.

St. Michael, Moses. St. Botolph, Farnborough Isaac, Abraham, crucifixion, St. Botolph, Farnborough Annunciation - St. Botolph, Farnborough

St. Botolph has a number of stained glass windows. In addition to the three light east window is by William Wailes (1856), there is a fine “Annunciation” from 1936 (artist and studio unknown).

Annunciation - St. Botolph, Farnborough St. Botolph, Farnborough

Corbel head. St. Botolph, Farnborough St. Botolph, Farnborough Corbel head. St. Botolph, Farnborough

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27
Dec

Churchover – Holy Trinity.

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Holy Trinity Churchover

Largely rebuilt in 1896 by the architect Bassett Smith in C14 style. Holy Trinity retains some features from C13 particularly the door and bay arches in the south aisle. The tower is C15 and built from Lias Limestone.

A large part of the manor of Churchover was owned by Kennilworth Priory the rents amounting to £4 12s 8d at the time of the Dissolution which was sold to William Dixwell. Other parcels of land were once part of the Combe Abbey estate and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries these reverted to the Duchess of Richmond who then sold the land to the tenant William Dixwell.

Price Monument - Churchover Price Monument - Churchover

The west wall of the south aisle has a large monument to Robert Price (d1595) his wife (Mary), and her parents (Humphrey and Ann Dixwell). The two couples are kneeling and facing each other with their children underneath.

Dixwell Monument - Churchover Dixwell Monument - Churchover Dixwell Monument - Churchover

In a similar style to the earlier monument in the south aisle, this monumnet in the north aisle is dedicated to monument to Charles Dixwell (d1591) and his wife Abigail (d1635) and their four children William. Edgar, Humphrey, Basil, and Barbara. The style is very similar to the moment in the north aisle dedicated to Robert Price. It also consists of a couple kneeling, with their children below.

Dixwell Monument - Churchover

One family member John Dixwell the younger son of Edward (Edgar?) Dixwell, was raised by his uncle Basil Dixwell of Brome Kent. John became a lawyer and joined the Kent county committee and was a captain in the Kent militia. In 1646 he was elected to the Long Parliament as MP for Dover. In 1649 he was one of the 59 signatories of King Charles’s Death Warrant. Following the Restoration of the Monarchy, John Dixwell, fled to New Haven Conneticut where he lived under the name of James Davids.

Norman font - Churchover East window - Churchover Holy Trinity - Churchover

The font is C12 an inverted cone with roll-moulding on the bottom edge, the cover is Jacobean and dated 1675. The east window is dated 1918 by Arild Rosenkrantz.

Arthur James memorial window, Churchover - by A Rozenkrantz Arthur James memorial window, Churchover - by A Rozenkrantz Arthur James memorial window, Churchover - by A Rozenkrantz

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St. Nicholas. Willoughby Nave - St. Nicholas. Willoughby

St. Nicholas parish church has a Decorated style (C14) west tower, the remainder of the church is in the Perpendicular style of the mid C15. The chancel was rebuilt in the early C19 and is of brick rendered in cement to imitate limestone ashlar blocks.

Font - St. Nicholas. Willoughby Font - St. Nicholas. Willoughby

The red sandstone font is from the early C13, cauldron shaped with carvings of two green men and foilage.

Tower arch - St. Nicholas. Willoughby Memorial window - St. Nicholas. Willoughby

 

The tower arch has inner half-round shafts and half-octagon capitals. The electric clock in the tower was installed in 1947 as a memorial to those that died in the second world war. The south east aisle window was installed in 1919 by the village at a cost of £100. It is a first world war memorial and “Thanksgiving for Victory”, dedicated to the memory of Howard Drinkwater and William Hakesley.

 

Detail east window - St. Nicholas. Willoughby East window - St. Nicholas. Willoughby Detail east window - St. Nicholas. Willoughby

The three light Arts and Crafts east window, by Caroline Townshend, contains an image of St. Nicholas, the central light is a “Salvator Mundi”. The other light has an image of Mary Magdalene, the village previously being owned by Magdalen College Oxford.

Memorial - St. Nicholas. Willoughby Memorial - St. Nicholas. Willoughby

The north aisle has two memorials the first is to to George Watson (d1674). The inscription reads:

In the coast of Guiney George Watson son of Thomas Watson of Willoughby (and one of his Majesstes Captains at sea) departed this life July ye 15 anno D. 1674 aetatis suae 45 and gave to ye poor of Willoughby ye profit of £50 for ever to be distributed as by a decree in Chancery is sett forth.

Death hath contrould a Captain bold Yet loss of life is gain Especially when charity For ever doth remaine.

The Willoughby charity was founded in 1437 by Margaret Hayward by a grant of land worth £20. In addition the charity was endowed by William Flavell (1496) and John Brooke (1536). This bequests were added to by George Watson (1647) and Bridget Freemantle (1773). By 1812 the income from the charity was £515 a year.

The second memorial is to Thomas Clerke (d1687), and his wife(d1669). Behind the organ is a table tomb dedicated to another Thomas Clerke (d1663). The tomb itself is mostly obscured by the organ works.

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16
Jun

Burton Dassett – All Saints

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All Saints Burton Dassett Norman doorway - All Saints Burton Dassett

The Domesday book records that there was a small Saxon church occupying this site where the current nave is. At that time the land was owned by the saxon Lord Harold of Sudeley who mainly owned land in Gloucestershire.

The present church is built of Hornton stone and dates from the early C12 through to C13, the oldest parts being the Norman doorways in the South and North. In the C12 the Sudeley family founded the Augustinian monastery at Arbury donating some of the land at Burton Dassett to it.

Nave - All Saints Burton Dassett Nave from chancel - All Saints Burton Dassett

Cut into the hillside the chancel slopes upwards ten feet above the nave. The altar which is almost level with the capitals of the arcade arches.

Carved capital - All Saints Burton Dassett Font - All Saints Burton Dassett Carved capital - All Saints Burton Dassett

For many years the plain cylindrical bowl of the font was abandoned in the churchyard. Now replaced inside the church it is thought to be C15 but its date is uncertain. The base and stem are modern.

Carved capital - All Saints Burton Dassett Carved capital - All Saints Burton Dassett

The carved capitals of the north arcade pillars are no later than the late C13 and include hounds, rabbits, dragons, and other mythical creatures.

Fresco - All Saints Burton Dassett, Doom, Last Judgment Fresco - All Saints Burton Dassett, Doom, Last Judgment

Much of the original medieval plaster of ‘daub’ mixed with lime, and chopped straw and cowhair survives. It was painted with bright murals which after 100s of years of being whitewashed over, and covered with ornamented texts they are starting to reappear. The medieval wall painting above the chancel arch depicts two censing angels the Virgin and St. John which are C14. These are painted over an earlier C13 "Doom" (Last Judgment).

burton dassett 28022009-15 burton dassett 28022009-13 burton dassett 28022009-12

The window in the north transept has images of the Three Magi.

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St. Giles - Chesterton St. Giles - Chesterton

The parish church of St. Giles, Chesterton, is mostly of an early C14 Decorative design, with some remnants of an earlier C13 church. The church itself is in an isolated field some distance from the village, but near to the old Peytos mansion that was pulled down in 1802. Its isolation makes the inscription on the sundial strange, as there were hardly ever anyone around to loiter.

Porch, St. Giles, Chesterton South door, St. Giles, Chesterton chesterton 28022009-34

The porch is c1400, leading to an early C13 south doorway carved with ballflowers. To the east is an early C14 priest doorway.

Norman font, St. Giles, Chesterton St. Giles, Chesterton War Memorial, St. Giles, Chesterton

Inside is the door is a C13 font with a tapering round bowl. The church itself is long and narrow consisting of nave and chancel, without any division between the two. The blocked north door is probably the oldest part of the church being a remnant of the earlier C12 building. It used to be the entrance used by the Peyto family and now incorporates a memorial to the 1914-1918 war.

South chancel window, St. Giles, Chesterton Stained glass, St. Giles, Chesterton North chancel window, St. Giles, Chesterton

The North and South chancel window are c1330 inset with Victorian stained glass, the north window incorporates some fragments of C15 glass, the south window is from the Hardman Studios Birmingham (1890). The large window in the south wall of the nave is C15 with modern stained glass.

Piscina, St. Giles, Chesterton Monument by Nicholas Stone, St. Giles, Chesterton Monument by John Stone, St. Giles, Chesterton

The chancel also contains a modern piscina inserted into C14 image niche with a ribbed vaulted soffit and crocket enrichment. At the west end of the church are Baroque memorial monuments to the Peyto family. The first memorial is to William Peyto, 1619, and his wife Eleanor, was commissioned from by the Sculptor and Architect Nicholas Stone at a cost of £150. The second memorial is to Edward Peyto 1643 and Elizabeth his wife. The busts are set on a pedestal flanked by shafts of dark marble with white Corinthian capitals. This monument was made by John Stone the son of Nicholas Stone, and designer of the old mansion.

Alabaster tomb, St. Giles, Chesterton Alabaster tomb, St. Giles, Chesterton

Detail alabaster tomb, St. Giles, Chesterton Detail alabaster tomb, St. Giles, Chesterton

On the south wall is a late C16 alabaster tomb of Humfrey Peyto (d 30 March 1585), and Anne his wife. The date of Anne’s death (1604) is not recorded on the tomb. The tomb was made by craftsmen in Burton-on-Trent, which by the end of C16 had become the centre for work of this type having supplanted those of Nottingham.

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